1 Kings 5:1-7
1 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:
3 “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’
6 “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”
Related Text:
1 Kings 5-9 (temple building description)
2 Chronicles 2-8
Psalm 127
Matthew 12:1-6
John 2:13-21
Ephesians 2:11-22
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In Other Words
Do you ever remember hearing about or reading the word “tabernacle”? It’s a very fun word to say. Go ahead, say it over and over like 5 or 6 times. It’s like the word elbow. Where did it come from? Who gave it it’s meaning? Why is it so fun to say? Tabernacle!
Well, in the Old Testament, the tabernacle was the portable dwelling place of God, and a place of worship that the Israelites took with them wherever they went. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land. Wherever they went, they had the tabernacle in tow. Think of it like a huge tent. Inside the inner room of the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies which housed the Ark of the Covenant and signified the presence of God.
The temple that Solomon built was like the tabernacle, except the temple wasn’t portable. Think of the temple like the permanent version of the tabernacle. The temple still signified the dwelling place of God and was still a place for worship, but it was permanent. Once the temple was built, the use of the tabernacle was discontinued. The temple, like the tabernacle, was the meeting place between God and His people where worship and sacrifice took place.
In the New testament, Jesus referred to Himself as the temple and as being greater than the temple (John 2:13-21 & Matthew 12:1-6). You see, because of Jesus and His sacrifice, we don’t have to travel to Jerusalem and go to the temple and have a priest offer a sacrifice on our behalf. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple ripped from top to bottom. This signifies that Jesus has given us direct access to God. Jesus is our meeting place. We don’t have to go through a priest to get to God, no one has to pray to God on our behalf. We can go confidently to God’s throne of grace because Jesus paid our way.
Ephesians 2:13-18 says, “13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
The temple wasn’t a bad thing at all. It was necessary for the people in the Old Testament to have access to God. But God changed all of that when He sent His son Jesus to die for us as the atoning sacrifice once for all. Through the Holy Spirit, God can dwell in us.
