Sat.’s Devo - Building the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33 Solomon finished his palace in 13 years. Some construction! He had a Palace of the Forest of Lebanon which was to be a replica of that forest. He also built a Hall of Pillars which was just a really long hall with pillars facing one another. He built to Hall of Justice where he would sit on a throne and judge legal matters. Solomon’s palace was behind the Hall of Justice. He also built a separate living quarters for Pharoah’s daughter who was his wife. *** The foundation and walls of these buildings were made of huge blocks of stone cut with saws to measure exactly. Some of the foundation stones measured 15 feet long. Can you imagine the logistics of moving these stones! *** Solomon commissioned Huram who was a skilled artisan from Tyre to come and make the bronze casts for everything he needed in brass. Hiram’s mother was Jewish and she had married a craftsman from Tyre. His father was now dead but he had taught Hiram his skill. *** Huram made and casted the bronze for the capitals at the tops of the pillars. They had latticework, rows of pomegranates and water lilies on them. they measured 27 feet tall and the capitals that were put on pillars were 7.5 feet tall. They were put on the south side and the north side of the Temple. These two columns were placed at the entrances of the Temple and the one at the south was called Jakim meaning “He will set up”. The one at the north entrance was called Boaz meaning “In Him is strength”. *** Huram cast a huge basin for the middle of the room. It was called the Sea with a radius of 15 feet and was 75 feet deep. Around the rim were two rows of engraved gourds. The Sea was for the priest to wash their hands in before and after the sacrifices. Huram made ten smaller basins on carts that were put five on the north and south side of the Temple. The Sea was placed on top twelve bronze oxen all facing outward - three facing south, three facing east, three facing north and three facing west. The sea held about 11,000 gallons of water. *** Huram made many other implements and things for the Temple. *** When the Temple was complete, Solomon brought all the things his father David had dedicated to the Lord and stored them in the treasuries open the Lord’s Temple. *** In Acts, Stephen was in the middle of is recounting of Israel’s history. He was at the part forty years from the time Moses left Egypt. God spoke to Moses near Mt. Sinai from a burning bush and told him to go back to Egypt and lead his people out across the Red Sea. Moses had told the people about a Prophet that God would raise up among them. He was speaking of Jesus. *** The children of Israel refused to listen to Moses and rejected him in the wilderness. They wanted to return to Egypt. They made a golden calf to worship so God abandoned them to worship the gods of the stars, Molech and the star of Rephan which were gods they had brought from Egypt *** They continued to carry the Tabernacle through the wilderness and Joshua led them into their promised land. There, the Tabernacle sat until the time when David became king. He asked God for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. It was Solomon who actually built it as we are reading about in Kings. *** Lord, it is no surprise that you would lose patience with the human race. We are a fickle people who are easily led astray. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. Help us to keep your focus our focus and lead us on paths of righteousness.