King Solomon- the builder of the temple!

Solomon ordered thirty thousand people from all over Israel to cut logs for the temple, (1 Kings 5:13 CEV)

In the previous post we discussed how King David didn’t build the temple of the Lord. The next King of Israel was to take on the gigantic task of constructing the temple- the house of the Lord. The temple was not only going to be the house of the Lord but also the place where the Ark of the Covenant was to be stored.

It was the task of King Solomon to construct the temple of the Lord. King Solomon was quite a difficult boss to work for, as he drove his workers to their maximum. In the book of Kings we read that King Solomon ordered more building materials for the temple. Specifically he ordered more wood for the construction project.

The temple was also an important structure in the culture of ancient Israel. The Lord resided in the temple; the temple was in Jerusalem the capital of the kingdom of Israel. In other words the protector of Israel lived in His home in the capital city. Surely this must have been a reassuring measure once the temple was completed.

What can we learn, reading how King Solomon constructed the temple?

1.       God with us!

In ancient times God protected this people by living with them in the temple. Christians today believe that God lives inside of us and not in a building like a temple. In other words God is always with us and not in some building like in ancient times.

2.       Relationships?

We shouldn’t sacrifice relationships with other people to attain our own goals. King Solomon constructed the temple of the Lord, but that didn’t give him the right to be a bad king and drive his workers to their maximum. King Solomon was known as a kind of slave driver. In other words; God ordered him to construct the temple and not sacrifice relationships along the way.

3.       Sometimes God use us for big and important tasks.

In this post we discussed that King Solomon was going to build the temple of the Lord- a gigantic task. He obeyed his Lord and did just that. King Solomon’s early life is an excellent example of a person that obeyed the Lord, even when the task got a little big!

Till next time!