Solomon was the king of Israel, but he knew there was a greater king than himself so he went to the tabernacle in Gibeon to worship God, the King of Kings. While he was there he sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings to honor God and that night God came to Solomon in a dream. He offered to give Solomon whatever he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom.

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 2 Chronicles 1:9

Very soon after God granted Solomon’s request for wisdom a highly charged court case came before him. Two prostitutes had a dispute over their newborn sons. One woman accidentally killed her child and tried to switch him with the living child of the second woman. With a flash of brilliant insight, Solomon was able to sort out the situation and reunite the birth mother with her son.

“When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” 1 Kings 3:28

How interesting that the first recorded test of Solomon’s justice involved two prostitutes and their children. It demonstrates that Solomon’s court was open to all of his people with their many problems. Cases like this may have been what prompted Solomon’s request for extraordinary wisdom.

King Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple

King Hiram of Lebanon was an admirer and ally of King David from the time he moved from Hebron to Jerusalem in the seventh year of his reign. Hiram sent cedar wood and skilled craftsmen to build David’s palace, so it was natural for King Solomon to turn to him when he needed materials to build the temple. Hiram was glad to cooperate.

The Lebanese king supplied cedar and juniper wood, cutting down the trees in Lebanon and floating the logs south along the Mediterranean coast to Israel. Solomon sent ten thousand conscripted laborers to Lebanon each month to help harvest the lumber. He also had 150,000 workers in the hills of Jerusalem, quarrying limestone for the temple foundation and walls.

“At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.” 1 Kings 5:17-18

Solomon also requested an artisan from Lebanon to lead in the work of furnishing and decorating the temple.

“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, who my father David provided.” 2 Chronicles 2:7

The work was carried out quietly to preserve the sacredness of the temple site.

“In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.” 1 Kings 6:7

The presence of God was honored at the site of the temple even before it was built.

King Hiram of Lebanon

King Hiram had a long reign in Lebanon, and allied first with King David and then with King Solomon. These alliances opened up trade routes for both kingdoms and made them prosperous and powerful. Lebanon’s major cities were Tyre and Sidon on the coast of the Mediterranean and they were still in existence when Jesus visited that area during his ministry a thousand years later.

Hiram seems to have had a genuine respect for Israel’s kings and especially their God. He sent a letter to King Solomon that said,

“‘Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.’ And Hiram added: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.’” 2 Chronicles 2:11-12

But Hiram was a pagan king and there is no evidence that he ever worshiped God himself.

Solomon Builds the Temple

Four hundred and eighty years after Israel left Egypt Solomon began building the temple at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite on Mount Moriah, in the center of Jerusalem. King David had purchased and dedicated the site to God; now Solomon followed the plans David gave him for building the temple.

The design for the temple was based on the design God gave to Moses for the tabernacle. It had two rooms inside, the Holy Place and the Holiest Place, with the Ark of the Covenant Moses built inside the Holiest Place. In front of the temple was the brazen altar for burnt sacrifices and offerings, and the basin with water for washing.

Unlike the portable tabernacle, the temple was a permanent emplacement and it was much larger with three floors of storage rooms on the north and south sides. It was elaborately decorated with a completely gold interior. Its windows were placed high in the four walls and light streamed in and reflected from the golden walls from sunrise to sunset.

It took Solomon seven years to build the temple.

“The foundation for the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year [of Solomon’s reign], in the month of Ziv. In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.” 1 Kings 6:37-38

It’s hard to visualize the splendor and elegance of the temple by reading about it, so to learn more, check out this video. (The narrator reads the story from the King James Version of the Bible).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiF-wObznds

We will continue reading about this very significant part of God’s history with Israel tomorrow and for the next few days.