1 Kings 5 – Preparation for the Temple

Introduction:

Do you know the seven wonders of the ancient world? The Great Pyraminds of Giza, the hanging gardens of Babylon; the statue of Zeus at Olympia; the temple of Artmeis at Ephesus; the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse of Alexandria.  Only the pyramids are still standing.  What are the new seven wonders of the world?  The Great Wall of China; Christ the Redeemer statue; Machu Picchu; Chichen Itza; the Roman Colosseum; the Taj Mahal.  Now what is the most important building that has or ever will been built? Solomon’s Temple.  1 Kings 5 gave a summary of Solomon’s wisdom when it came to administration and writings, but here we are returned to the beginning of his reign to record the how and why of Solomon building the most important building man has ever built.

For many this sort of chapter in the Bible will be past over as one of the boring ones, but this would be to miss the significance of what is happening here.  Solomon is setting out on the most important building venture known to man, to make a temple for the God of the universe, a task which his whole existence exists for, v5. This chapter gives some of the details as to how he accomplished it, but also discusses some of his intentions, the why of his building.  So today as we look at this chapter we want to begin by looking at Solomon and his preparations and gathering of materials while paying some attention to his motives. But secondly, we want to recognise that Solomon as the Davidic King who has been granted the throne to build a temple is a shadow pointing forward to Christ who too is to build a temple.