Tues.’s Devo - The Buildings of Solomon

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33 Everything Solomon built reflected the opulence and glory of God. The Temple took 7 years to complete but his palace took 13 years to finish. Can you imagine the beauty of that place! He also built a building called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Four rows of pillars were set in place that were to represent the trunks of trees. Then on top of the pillars rested beams that were the floors of three tiers of rooms. On each tier there were rows of fifteen rooms each. The rooms were to look like the foliage of the trees. *** He built the Hall of Pillars which was a hall of pillars 75 ft. long and 45 feet wide. A porch was in front with a canopy over it. *** He built the Hall Of Justice where he would sit on his throne and settle legal matters. It was paneled with cedar. His palace was behind the Hall of Justice. *** Every building was put on foundations of huge blocks of stone cut to fit perfectly. Some were 15 ft. long, and some were 12 feet long. The walls were made of these stones also. How did they carry these massive stones? *** Solomon asked for Huram by name to come from Lebanon and craft his metal work. He cast huge bronze pillars to set inside the entry room at the Temple. They were elaborate and spectacular. He named the pillar on the south Jakim which means “He will set up” and the one on the north he named Boaz which means “In him is strength.” He wanted his Temple to represent what the Lord had set up and magnify God’s strength. *** A great basin was made for the priests to wash in. It was set on the backs of 12 bronze oxen. Three faced north, three east, three west and three south. This basin held 11,000 gallons of water. *** Huram made bronze water carts with panels decorated with carved lions, oxen and cherubim. The carts held basins that held 220 gallons of water each. Huram also made utensils to be used in the sacrificing of the animals. *** Solomon had the gold altar and all the furnishing which had been in the Tabernacle rebuilt and overlaid with gold. He brought all the gifts David had dedicated to the Lord and placed them in treasury rooms. *** In Acts, Stephen was still giving the history of the Jewish nation to the council. He was at the part where God spoke to Mose in the burning bush and sent him back to Egypt to deliver the people out of bondage. Moses had been rejected and now he was coming back to save them. Moses would be their ruler and savior. By many wonders and miraculous signs he would lead them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and through the wilderness for 40 years. Moses heard from God and gave them life-giving words. Sounds a lot like Jesus! *** Sadly, the people refused to listen to Moses and rejected Moses and God at Mt. Sinai and had Aaron make them a golden calf to worship. They served the stars of heaven as their gods. They worshiped idols all 40 years of walking through the wilderness after all God had done for them. *** God gave Moses the blueprints of the Tabernacle and it was constructed in the wilderness. Years later, David asked God if he could build God a Temple. God allowed Solomon to actually build it though God told him that he wouldn’t live in a Temple made with human hands. Heaven was this throne and earth his footstool. But he allowed Solomon to build a Temple to represent his majesty on earth. *** Now, we house the Temple of the Holy Spirit and take that with us everywhere we go. May the glory of God shine from our temples today.