The Temple Of Solomon

The crowning achievement of King Solomon’s reign was the erection of the magnificent Temple (Hebrew – Beit haMikdash) in the capital city of ancient Israel, which is Jerusalem. His father, King David, had desired to build this great Temple earlier, as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant which contained God’s Ten Commandments. However, God didn’t permit him: “…You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood” (1 Chronicles 28:3 NIV).

The Bible’s description of Solomon’s Temple (also called The First Temple) suggests that the inside ceiling was 180 feet long, 90 feet wide, and 50 feet high. The highest point on the Temple that King Solomon built was actually 120 cubits tall (about 20 stories or about 207 feet). Solomon spared no expense for the building’s creation.

He ordered vast quantities of cedar wood from King Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 5:20-25), had huge blocks of the choicest stone quarried, and commanded that the building’s foundation be laid with hewn stone. To complete the massive project, he drafted people for work shifts that sometimes lasted a month at a time. Some 3,300 officials were appointed to oversee the Temple’s erection (1 Kings 5:27-30).

When the Temple was completed, Solomon inaugurated it with prayer and sacrifice. He urged the Lord to pay particular heed to their prayers: “Hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name” (1 Kings 8:43).

King Solomon prepared a House for the Lord to meet His people and answer their prayers. He didn’t spare anything to ensure that God’s House was completed just as his father David desired. How are you preparing for the house of God this year 2021? Remember, it’s your year of preparation; thus, give all of yourself to God’s Word and service in His House more than ever before.