SOLOMON GAVE ORDERS TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the name of The Lord and a royal palace for himself.”  2 Chronicles 2:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

It was during the fourth year of his reign as king, that Solomon began to build the temple of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:1)  This temple, which King David wanted to build, (2 Samuel 7:2 and 7:12-13) that King Solomon built was to be the resting place for the arc of the covenant of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:19)  The temple was built in relative quiet and silence, as if working on it was a religious exercise, there was no hammering, sawing, or chiseling done at the site of the temple. (1 Kings 6:7)  The entire inner sanctuary was overlaid with gold. (1 Kings 6:19-22)  It took them seven years to complete building the temple. (1 Kings 6:38)  Solomon used 153,600 foreigners to build the temple, 70,000 carpenters, 80,000 stone cutters, and 3,600 foremen to oversee them and keep them working. (2 Chronicles 2:17-18)  The building of the temple is also recorded in The Bible Book of First Kings. (1 Kings 5:1-18 and 6:1-38)

APPLICATION

The temple which King Solomon had built was not intended to be a house for The Lord God to live in.  The Holy Spirit of God is omni-present, He is everywhere all at the same time.  The body of each believer is a temple of God and The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. (John 14:17 and 1 Corinthians 3:16)  We did not build our temple, God did when He formed us in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13-16)  However, we are responsible for the upkeep and care of our bodies and we should be very careful regarding how we treat God’s temple.  When we abuse our body, we are destroying God’s temple.

THE TWO PILLARS OF THE TEMPLE

PROCLAMATION

“He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple.  The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.”  1 Kings 7:21 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When the temple was completed, King Solomon sent for Hiram, the artisan, who was a skilled worker in brass.  Hiram cast the two large pillars at the front of the porch of the temple in brass. (1 Kings 7:13-22)  He also cast the capitals at the top of each pillar in brass.  When Hiram had finished, Solomon named the two pillars Jachin and Boaz.  Jakin (Jachin) means “God shall establish” and Boaz means “in it is strength.”  The concepts of strength and beauty are part of the temple sanctuary. (Psalm 96:6)

APPLICATION

There is beauty in the worship of The Lord, and there is strength in the salvation of His people.  These two concepts should be part of the spiritual life of all believers.  It is His power and strength that saves us and delivers us from the penalty of sin.  The Bible teaches us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:2, and Psalm 96:9)  Our bodies are also temples and we are also beautifully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)  It is by His strength that we are able to accomplish things. (Psalm 78:4)  It is The Lord God who gives strength to His people. (Psalm 29:11)  We should praise The Lord God for who He is and for what He has done.

THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“The Word of The Lord came to Solomon: ‘As for this temple you are building, if you follow My decrees, observe My laws and keep all of My commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.  And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.’”  1 Kings 6:11-13 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

It was during the fourth year of his reign as king, that Solomon began to build the temple of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:1)  The Lord God let King Solomon know that building this temple for The Lord did not excuse him from following, observing, keeping, and obeying laws of God.  The temple was built in relative quiet and silence, as if working on it was a religious exercise, there was no hammering, sawing, or chiseling done at the site of the temple. (1 Kings 6:7)  The entire inner sanctuary was overlaid with gold. (1 Kings 6:19-22)  It took them seven years to complete building the temple. (1 Kings 6:38) 

APPLICATION

This temple, which King David wanted to build, (2 Samuel 7:2 and 7:12-13) that King Solomon built was to be the resting place for the arc of the covenant of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:19)  It was not intended to be a house for The Lord God to live in.  The Holy Spirit of God is omni-present, He is everywhere all at the same time.  The body of each believer is a temple of God and The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. (John 14:17 and 1 Corinthians 3:16)  We should be very careful regarding how we treat God’s temple. 

Our Bodies Are God's Temple

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told them that The Holy Spirit of God lives within each of them, and therefore their bodies were God's temple.  He also told them that if they or anyone destroys God's temple, God would destroy them.

The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer. (John 14:17 and Romans 8:11)  We are God's temple, and if anyone should try to destroy God's temple, he is sinning and The Lord God will destroy him.  We also should be very careful regarding how we treat God's temple.  We should take care of the inside and outside of God's temple, to keep it looking good and functioning properly in order that we may attract others to God's program.  When we tear down, defile, and destroy our bodies with our bad behavior, our bad social, eating, and drinking habits, we are also sinning.  Our behavior is seen by others and may effect our ability to win souls to Christ.  We are the temple of The Living God, He lives in us, and He walks with us. (2 Corinthians 6:16)  We are to let our light shine so that others can see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  Our light will not shine very well through our unclean behaviors.

God Lives Within Us

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him;  for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

In this letter to the Corinthian Christians, the Apostle Paul told them that they themselves were the temple wherein God resided, not some physical building.  Their bodies were the temple of God and should be treated as such.

That is a lesson that we should be aware of today.  From the moment that we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, The Spirit of God took up residence inside of us.  Our bodies are God's temple.  With that in mind, we should be much more careful about how we treat and care for our bodies.  We also should be careful how we treat God's other temples, other Christians.