Kings & Kingdoms Part 1 Section 6

Transcription

1 Slide 1 Kings & Kingdoms Part 1 Section 6 The Temple Constructed 1 Kings 6: Dirk s Contact Info: Phone: (Bethany Church s main number) drodgers@bethanychurch.com Facebook Page: Pastor Dirk Rodgers Tumblr: Dirk s Web Site: Bethany Church Web Site: wwww.bethanychurch.com

2 Slide 2 The Temple Constructed The Beginning The Place The Structure The Silence The Promise The Interior 2

3 Slide 3 The Beginning In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD. 1 Kings 6:1 3 Note We have here a formal announcement of a new beginning for the people of God, much as the date of the Exodus signaled a new beginning. With relative certainty, we may fix this date at 966 BC. Scholars have extensively discussed the period mentioned here, 480 years in the Hebrew (used here in the NIV), 440 in the Septuagint. Taken at face value, this would suggest an Exodus date of c. 1446, but there is some question about how the years are counted. The ancient calendar was lunar, rather than solar, and was more cyclical than sequential. Typically the calendar for a particular people would restart when a new king assumed the throne, and reigns sometimes overlapped in cases of co-regency. However, since Israel had no king during most of these years, between the Exodus and Solomon, there is some question regarding the standard used during that period to number years. The fourth year of Solomon s reign would have allowed him time to consolidate his power and accumulate the necessary materials to begin construction.

4 Slide 4 The Place Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2 Chronicles 3:1 4

5 Slide 5 The Place 5 Image Source: Adapted from Recall that Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac in the region of Moriah (Genesis 22:2) Scholars debate whether this is the same site called Mount Moriah here in 2 Chronicles. Jewish tradition clearly holds that the sites are the same. Recall that David purchased the field of Araunah after he had undertaken his ill-fated census: When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, Enough! Withdraw your hand. The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family. On that day Gad went to David and said to him, Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 2 Samuel 24:16-18

6 Slide 6 The Structure The temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. 1 Kings 6:2 6 Roughly the equivalent of 90 X30.

7 Slide 7 The Structure 7 Image Source: which the author acknowledges comes from the ESV study bible. Recall that God gave a plan of this structure to David, and the plan was in turn a reflection of the one that God provided to Moses for the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30; 1 Chronicles 28:11-12, 19

8 Slide 8 The Structure 8 Image Source: The general structure of the temple called for three main sections: a courtyard, a Holy Place and a Most Holy Place (i.e., Holy of Holies ). 1 Kings 6:2-6; cf. 2 Chronicles 3:3-10. According to these figures, the dimensions of temple itself (i.e., the Holy Place and Holy of Holies), not including the portico, were approximately 90 X 30 X 45. Generally this was twice the size of the original tabernacle. The Holy of Holies was either raised up or had a lowered ceiling, so it formed a perfect cube of 20 cubits, or 30. See 1 Kings 6:20; 2 Chronicles 3:4.

9 Slide 9 The Structure 9 Image Source: which is taken from the Collins Bible Companion This image shows the three levels in the side store rooms and the ledges described in 1 Kings 6:5-6; The ledges enabled the store rooms to be built without inserting any beams into the walls themselves.

10 Slide 10 The Silence 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 10 recall the instructions from Exodus 20:25: If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. ; cf. Deuteronomy 27:5-6. Though these instructions specifically prohibited the use dressed stones and metal tools for the altar, they may have nevertheless prompted the decision not to use metal tools on the temple construction site. We also learn that roof was covered with cedar planks (1 Kings 6:9)

11 Slide 11 The Promise The word of the LORD came to Solomon: 1 Kings 6:11 11 The promise seems to be strategically placed between the description of the exterior structure and the interior details. Here we have the second word of the Lord to Solomon; the first came as he worshipped at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4-15) The is not clear how word of the LORD came to Solomon, whether through a dream or through a prophet. The full text of this promise reads: As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all 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: God reminds Solomon of His earlier promise to David: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. 2 Samuel 7:12-16; cf. 1 Kings 2:1-4. This promise has both unconditional and conditional elements. The temple was to serve as a visible sign of God s continued presence among the people.

12 Slide 12 The Interior So Solomon built the temple and completed it. He lined its interior walls with cedar boards. 1 Kings 6: The explicit transition; seeming to move from exterior to interior (see previous note) The whole interior was covered with cedar walls and juniper floors so that no stone was to be seen. The cedar wall planks included carvings of gourds and open flowers. 1 Kings 6:18

13 Slide 13 The Interior He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 1 Kings 6:19 13 The inner sanctuary is explicitly created to house the ark of the Covenant that had long wandered throughout the land. The author clarifies the dimensions of this Holy of Holies as a perfect cube of 20 cubits. 1 Kings 6:20

14 Slide 14 The Interior So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary. 1 Kings 6:22 14 Gold suggests the brilliance and radiance of God s glory

15 Slide 15 The Interior An Artist s Reconstruction 15 Image Source:

16 Slide 16 The Interior For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 1 Kings 6:23 16 Gold suggests the brilliance and radiance of God s glory

17 Slide 17 The Interior An Ancient Cherub Cherub taken from northern Syria dated to the 9 th century BC, probably within 100 years of Solomon s reign. 17 Image from 1000 Bible Images, German Bible Society, 2009 (Logos Edition), s.v. Cherub The two cherubim were placed in the Holy of Holies (i.e., inner sanctuary), flanking and overlooking the Ark of the Covenant. They are 10 Cubits high; approximately 15 ; with a wing span totaling the same 10 cubits/15 feet. Recall that the height of the inner sanctuary was 20 cubits high, or some 30 feet. (5:16) They were arranged so that one wing touched each wall, and the two inner wings touched each other. The wings literally filled the room. (5:27) They were also covered in gold (5:28) Recall that cherubim were also placed on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18; cf. 1 Samuel4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2. Generally speaking, these creatures symbolized royalty in the ancient Near Eastern culture. They did take various sizes and shapes, so we are not sure exactly what they looked like in Solomon s temple. We first saw cherubim in Genesis 3:24, guarding the Garden of Eden after God banished Adam and Eve. They will later appear in different forms in the prophet Ezekiel (especially chapters 10, 41), and even later in the New Testament book of Revelation, though here they are simply described as creatures (Revelation 4:6-11)

18 Slide 18 The Interior On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. 1 Kings 6:29 18 Some have seen a conflict here with the Second Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Exodus 20:4. However, these images were not objects that were worshipped, which is the real intent of the commandment. These carvings seem to suggest a return to the Garden of Eden where God would once again fellowship with His people.

19 Slide 19 The Interior For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 1 Kings 6:31 19 One set of doors separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, and another set of doors served as the entrance to the Holy Place. The outer doors were a fourth of the width of the hall (a little over 11 ), while the inner doors were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary (about 6 ) 6: Chronicles adds that [Solomon] made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it. (2 Chronicles 3:14). This probably was hung inside the inner doors, so that it was able to hide the contents of the inner sanctuary, even if the doors remained open. 2 Kings 6:31-35.

20 Slide 20 The Courtyard And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams. 1 Kings 6:36 20 This inner court was surrounded by an outer court: He made the courtyard of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. 2 Chronicles 4:9.

21 Slide 21 Completion of Building The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, 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: Ziv is the second month, and Bul is the eight month in the Jewish calendar. It took a total of 7 ½ years to complete the temple. Our note on 1 Kings 6:1 postulated a start year of 966 BC, which means we the temple would have been completed in 959 BC. Note, however, that various years have been suggested, due to the complex nature of dating Hebrew kings.