What an honor Solomon was given to build the Temple of God for Israel. It took him seven years to complete the house of the Lord (I Kings 6:38). And we begin today's scripture in I Kings 7, by reading that it took Solomon thirteen years to build his palace. (Solomon took almost twice the amount of time building his palace as he took building the Temple of the Lord---hmm. Seven is considered the number of completion--perhaps Solomon got carried away with the plans for his house.)
The two main pillars of the porch of the Temple were given names (I Kings 7:21)--Jachin meaning "sustainer", and Boaz which means "strength". Together, they could mean "God provides the strength" (Life Application Bible). (In Psalm 127:1, God reminds us through Solomon that "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it". This is not only true of physical buildings, but of our families and activities we undertake.)
It may seem strange that "pomegranates" were not only used to decorate the Temple, but also the Tabernacle in Moses' day. I came across this note in my Life Application Bible: "A pomegranate is a tasty red fruit, about the size of an orange, which became a symbol of beauty and holiness". The Temple as well as Solomon's palace were both obviously ornate and beautiful. Solomon's house contained so much wood it was referred to as "the house of the forest of Lebanon" (I Kings 7:2). Imagine the fragrance of all that cedar! God created the different kinds of trees not only with their beauty and stateliness, but also with a particular aroma. I stood in the midst of a grove of pines recently and was overwhelmed by the wonderful fragrance that filled the air. Such a clean, refreshing smell! God certainly did not neglect our sense of smell in His creation. He prepared it all with love and thoughtfulness for the people who would populate it and enjoy it. Everything God does speaks of His excellence and of His love for us!
The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was placed in the inner sanctuary of the Temple--the Most Holy Place--under the wings of the cherubim (guardians of God's Throne as well as the Garden of Eden). When the priests exited the holy place, "the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord" (I Kings 8:10-11). The celebration of the dedication of the Temple, scheduled to last for seven days, continued for fourteen days! It must have been a joyous occasion--do we adhere to a set time with God or do we sometimes become so engrossed in His Word and His Presence that we find we have doubled or even tripled our allotted time with Him?
The fact that Jesus is eager to increase our faith, is at the core of the story of Lazarus's death in John 11. When Jesus heard Lazarus was sick He did not rush to heal Him--"He stayed two more days in the place where He was" (verse 6). Jesus said, "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe" (verse 14). Dr. Stanley comments that "Jesus valued His friends faith over their tears". When we find ourselves in tears, may we remember that Jesus loves us and wants us to trust Him so that our faith can be increased.
I found the statements interesting that were put in parentheses in I Kings 8. Perhaps this is a literary pattern with special significance? However, it caught my eye--there are four of these:
Verse 39: "(for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men)"
Verse 42: "(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm)"
Verse 46: "(for there is no one who does not sin)"
Verse 51: "(for they are your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt,
out of the iron furnace)".
I Kings 8:46-49, divulges the pattern that Israel took and that we find ourselves taking: We sin against the Lord, He becomes angry and delivers us to the enemy (for the purpose of correcting us), we are taken captive to the land of the enemy (captivity can take many forms), we come to ourselves and repent and cry out to God, and when we return to Him with all our heart and with all our soul, then He hears in Heaven and maintains our cause, and forgives us.
"Since we are all prone to wandering, it is wise to pray regularly that God would give us a great love for Him and grant us the desire to walk in His ways and joyfully obey His Word" (Dr. Stanley).
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