1 and 2 Kings - Lesson 4

Dr. John Oswalt
1 & 2 Kings
th630-04
Solomon's Building Projects
Lesson Transcript

We are continuing our study of the Solomon narrative. We have looked at the first section, securing the kingdom, and then the second, two fateful decisions. We're now looking at part three, Solomon's kingdom. This is chapters 4 through 10. In the previous lecture, we talked about Solomon's administration and we saw, again, pluses and minuses, questions and answers perhaps. In this one, we are looking at Solomon's building projects.

Every king in the ancient Near East, it seems, wanted to build a temple for their God as a way of both placating the God, but also of demonstrating their accomplishments and achievements. David, like all of those successful monarchs, had wanted to do that very thing. He wanted to build a house for his God. Shockingly, God said, "No." He says, "I have lived in a tent all these years, and have I ever complained? Have I ever asked for someone to build me a cedar house? No. It's been quite satisfactory. I'm not interested in a house for myself, but what I want to do is build a house for you."

Now, this is rather typical of Hebrew and the Hebrew Bible liking to do these wordplays. What is a house? It's a building. What is a house? It's a family. God says, "I'm not really interested in building a building, but I am very interested in building your family." Why is that? What's the important thought here? The important thought is, for God's kingdom to go forward, we need the Davidic promise.

What do I mean by that? Well, remember that Abraham received three promises: a baby growing into a nation, land, and a blessing to the nations. Abraham only received the first blessing, first promise, the promise of the child and descendants. The only part of the land he ever owned was the field in which the cave was where he buried his beloved. But eventually, his descendants got the land. Personally, I think this memory, the memory of the promise was what kept the people loyal to the God of our fathers through those 400 years in Egypt, "Hey, God made a promise to our ancestor that we are going to have a land of our own. Don't give that up. Don't give up that promise."

They had a forward view because of that promise. Eventually, they got it. They got the land. They got what they had waited for and hoped for through all the years, and they lost their sense of the future. They lost the sense that we've got to cohere. We've got to hang together. We've got to preserve our faith in the God of our fathers, whom we now know by the name Yahweh, because we got what we wanted. We got the land. That's it. "God, you can go take care of yourself, whatever. We don't need you anymore."

I think this explains the judge's situation. No longer that forward view, no longer the cohesiveness and the coherence. And so, they entered into that downward spiral, down and down and down. How is Israel to be a blessing to the nations? What has to happen? What had to happen was the Davidic covenant, the Davidic promise. Yes. Yes.

God has promised a Davidide on the throne forever. And it's remarkable when you look at the history of Judah some 350 years, through assassinations, through coups, a descendant of David, a descendant of David, a descendant of David. Some of them at least regained that sense of the future, "It's through David that we will bless the world." Now, I don't think they understood that it would be through Jesus Christ, the son of David. But nevertheless, there was that dream, and it was through David that God intended to bless the world, as He has indeed done.

So God says, "I'm not all that interested in a house, a building, but I'm very interested in a house, a family through whom the savior of the world can come." But He says, "Your son can build me a house." What's that about? One of the amazing things about us humans is that we are spirit and body. Keeping the spirit and matter together is a real problem for us.

Ultimately, our salvation is spiritual. It is a matter of the spirit. But we are spirits in bodies, and therefore, we need to embody what we believe. We need to represent in physical ways what is spiritually true. This is the remarkable thing about the Hebrew understanding of sacrifice. For pagans, sacrifice is miracle. It is magic. "I have committed a sin. I have made the God angry at me. The God is trying to kill me. What am I going to do? Oh, we'll say a ritual and I'll put my hands on the sheep's head and the sheep will become me, and then we'll kill the sheep and the God will say, 'Oh, good. Oswalt's dead. We can take care of that now.'" Magic.

And the prophets say again and again, "You try to use sacrifice that way and all you're going to do is make God sick." David says it so well in Psalm 51, "You do not desire sacrifice. The sacrifice of God is a broken and a contrite heart." But then the last two verses of Psalm 51 say, "Then you will be pleased with the sacrifices of Israel." What's that about? Oh, do I love the Lord? Yes. Am I genuinely, deeply grieved by my sin?

Do I intend, to the best of my ability and the Spirit's assistance, not to do that anymore? Yes. How do I represent that spiritual reality? By giving this whole, perfect, not a show lamb, but a whole lamb to the Lord and recognizing that the soul that sins shall die, and there is no forgiveness of sin apart from the shedding of blood. Sacrifice represents a spiritual reality. And if it doesn't represent a spiritual reality, it is disgusting to God.

Same thing here, "I don't want a building. I don't live in a building. The heaven of heavens is not enough to encompass me. But I want Solomon to build a building." Huh? Yes. Yes. How priceless is my God? Every precious thing in the universe can be drawn together into a building, and over and over then, the building represents our own value of God and represents how God intends to meet us and minister to us.

But what this book will tell us from this point on to the very end, God doesn't want a house, not a physical house. He does want a house. And Paul so clearly understands this as in the Book of Colossians, the Book of Ephesians. He talks about what it means for God to dwell in us as His spiritual house. Oh, God wants a house all right, but not one with walls and a roof.

So this representation of our worship, our relationship to Him and His provision for us, is it important? Oh, it's very important, but not in itself. It is important in what it represents. So I take all that time to prepare us for what is coming here in these chapters. In chapter 5, we have, once again, a question. We're told at the outset that David had made a treaty with Hiram, the king of Tyre, and now Solomon reinforces that.

And it's interesting the explanation that Solomon gives. He gives a historical explanation. This is verse three of chapter 5, "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." It's a historical explanation, isn't it? Not a theological one. "But now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on every side. There is no adversary or disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the name of the Lord, my God."

Now you say, "Oswalt, you're overreading the text." Perhaps I am. But I simply find it very interesting that he does not give a theological explanation to this Canaanite. He gives a historical explanation. Why couldn't David build a temple? Well, because he had too many enemies still around. It's not what it says in Samuel. So right at the outset, and please notice again, the Bible does not condemn David for having made a treaty with Hiram, the Canaanite. But Solomon moves it a step farther, makes the binding a step closer. Is there a line that you cross? I think probably so.

So, again, there is no lumber in Israel. Where are you going to get lumber to build this glorious house? Well, you've got to get it from what is today Lebanon, the cedars of Lebanon. And Hiram's men will cut down the logs, drag them down to the sea or float them down the seafront to probably Joppa, and there, they'll be dragged overland up to Jerusalem. But again, we ask the question, in the world, but not of it? Not easy decisions to make, not easy factors to sort out.

But I think that as believers, we've got to constantly ask the question. No, I'm not going to go live in a monastery, be taken out of the world, but am I living in the world? Too much apart of it? I think that question breeze all the way through this Solomon narrative. Chapter 5, verse 12 nails this down, I think, "There was a treaty between Hiram and Solomon." This NIV says peaceful relations, but it's more than that. "And the two of them made a treaty."

When you entered into a covenant... That's what treaty is here. They made a covenant. When you enter into a covenant with a pagan, you recognize the pagan's gods. This is what I mean by a step farther and maybe a step too far. A business deal? Okay. A covenant? I wonder. Again, there is no question of his administrative skill. He knew how. Did he know why? In chapter 6 then, we have the construction of the temple, "In the 480th year after the Israelites came up out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord."

Those figures are very interesting. 480 years. We can date the beginning of the temple because we can date Solomon's reign. We can't date much before that in connection with the rest of the world's calendars. But by this point, we can date Solomon's reign from 970 BC to 930 BC. Now, there's a five-year fudge factor there, because it's dated on the basis of the attack of the Egyptian king Shishak, which occurred five years after Solomon's death.

Well, we know Shishak's dates with a five-year fudge factor, because his dates are based upon an eclipse of the Moon that occurred during his reign. So it's 970 to 930, or perhaps 965 to 925. I'm speaking round figures here, but there it is. So we can say, I tend to go with the 970, 930 dates. We can say that the temple was begun in the fourth year. That is 967. 480 years before that, 1447, the Exodus. For many years, that was accepted pretty much without question.

Today, a number of questions are asked about it, because it seems a little difficult to equate what we know happened in 1447 in Egypt and in the rest of the world with the biblical account. So there's, among evangelical scholars, a good deal of uncertainty about the precise date. Another factor here is, look at 480. 12 times 40. 12 is a perfect number, and 40 is a perfect number for a generation. Could it be 12 generations? And generations typically are not as long as 40 years.

So that's perhaps the biggest question. Should we take 480 as a literal date, or should we take it as a representative date built on a couple of perfect numbers? At any rate, we're connecting the building of the temple with the Exodus from Egypt. I think that's the important thing. Here is, in a sense, the beginning of the nation in the Exodus. Here, in a sense, is the culmination of the nation.

When we put it all together, and I think you can think of the tabernacle and the temple in connection with each other on these points, the nation is now fully founded. The nation is settled. Everything that happened since the Exodus has now been brought to its culmination. Here we are. So this is a very important moment in the history of Israel. The temple, as you know, if you know the layout of the tabernacle, follows that same layout, and it does so with three spaces.

Space one is the courtyard. Space two is the Holy Place, and space three is the most holy space. Now, those are not proportionate as they could be. That layout for temples was part of the typical layout for temples in Canaan in this time. God is using a layout that is very familiar to the people, and this is so typical of God's means of revelation. God uses whatever He can and then sanctifies it for His purposes. That's been the history of Israel. It's been the history of the church, and it is always fraught with difficulties.

Will the content of the form overwhelm the new content you're wanting to put into it? But there it is, the court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. And you will remember, this is just the way the tabernacle was laid out. One of the points that is made is that there were side rooms on either side of the main temple building. And very careful instructions are given that the wall is to be stepped like this so that the beams of the floors of these rooms don't penetrate the temple wall itself.

So if we could look at it that way, there's the temple wall itself, and these beams don't stick into that wall. Rather, they rest on these ledges. This is pretty clearly an eyewitness description of what is here. But again, how interesting that these holy walls, nothing will penetrate them. The beams will lie on these projections, and that will be the way that it is handled, the care for the holiness of the building.

One of the unique things about the Israelite temple is its perfect symmetry. When you look at the temples in the ancient world, they tend not to be perfectly symmetrical. The dimensions of the top are not exactly the same as those of the bottom, that sort of thing. But the biblical dimensions are exactly the same on top and bottom, on the sides, everything. It is exceedingly symmetrical. And this expresses a concept. The concept is the concept of mishpat.

One of the things about the Hebrew language is, it has a pretty small vocabulary. My Hebrew students don't believe that, but compared to Arabic or compared to English, a small working vocabulary. But this means that each one of the Hebrew words has a very large pool of connotations, as we saw with hesed in the last lecture. Love, loving kindness, grace, mercy, kindness, steadfast love, unfailing love. All of those are possibilities for hesed. This word is similar. It will typically be translated justice or judgment.

Now, those are not incorrect. That is one of the usages of this word. However, in its broader sense, the word means more than that. And by meaning more, it gives a somewhat different coloration. We tend to think of justice as equality, "I want justice. I want what you have. I want what he has. I want justice." But in fact, that's not the sense of it. The word is built upon three consonants, SH, P, and T. That's a single consonant in Hebrew, and it has the idea of order.

The word that is translated in English, judge, is the Hebrew word shophet. Now, I don't know about you, but when I was a child and I read the Book of Judges, I had trouble. I just had a hard time seeing Samson in a black robe and a powdered wig. I had a hard time seeing him as a judge in a legal court. Well, he wasn't. What he was is someone who restored God's order to His people. He restored justice, yes, the right way. And that's where we come to this idea. What is mishpat? Mishpat is God's right order for the world.

That's why in Isaiah, we are told that the suffering servant will bring justice to the world. Oh, not legal equity. Yes. Yes. He will bring legal equity, but not merely legal equity. He will restore God's right order to the world. That's what Jesus Christ has come to do. Now, where did all of this thinking start for me? It started when I read that Solomon built the temple according to its mishpat. "What? According to its justice?" No, no. According to its blueprint. According to the designed order for that building.

So I say all that to say, the remarkable symmetry and care in the design of the building is an expression of God's mishpat. The Creator designed this world in order and on purpose. He designed this world to fit His plan that He dreamed of before the world began, and we then can live in confidence that God has mishpat for your life and mine, and we can live there. And if we do live there, the result will be blessing.

Why is so much detail given? And I think the answer is the same explanation for why fully 16 chapters are given to the description of the tabernacle in the Book of Exodus. This is important to God. I say again, does He want a house? No. But does He indeed care for the care which we put into His worship, into following His instructions, into living His life? Oh, yes, He does. Yes, He does.

And so, it is here. Is the temple the goal? No. But the temple illustrates the goal, and therefore, you have the kind of attention that is given. Now, what takes place in the tabernacle, or excuse me, in the temple is, again, symbolic. And let me talk with you about the symbolism that we find in the temple layout. We begin with the altar. There is no forgiveness of sin apart from the shedding of blood. Sheep's blood? With Micah, we say, "How can a sheep die for me? I couldn't even give my own son in my place. Rivers of oil? What good are they?" Illustration. Illustration.

The blood of Christ is necessary for our forgiveness. Why? Because this is a cause-and-effect world. This is a world of mishpat. And in a cause-and-effect world, if you do something, there are consequences. You can't simply say, "Well, let's forget it." No, no. You jump off a tall building, you can't forget it. You are going to hit the sidewalk, unless somehow the God of the universe intervenes, and that's what He has done with His son. There is no forgiveness of sin apart from the shedding of blood.

And then there is the laver, or as the book calls it, the sea, resting on 12 oxen. Yes, the washing of regeneration. It's not enough that we are forgiven. We have to be cleansed. We have to be washed if we are to be in the presence of God. And then there is the table. 12 loaves, one for each of the tribes. Is it, as in the pagan temple, God being fed by each of the tribes, or is it rather God providing for each of the tribes?

I think it's quite significant that David in Samuel was given the bread from the table for His provision and the provision of His people, God providing our needs. And then, of course, on the other hand, the lampstand. Again, we see it as a candlestick, but a lamp was a small dish with a flange, a rim around it, and, in one place, a lip, and oil was put in the lamp and a wick. And as the wick hung out over the lip, it was lighted, and there was the light. A lampstand, this stand in the shape of an almond tree, on which hung seven lamps. He is the light of the world.

And then in front of the Holy of Holies, the incense altar. We're not told in the Old Testament what the significance of incense is, but we are told in the Book of Revelation. It is the prayers of the saints. As the incense rises, it is a sweet savor in the nostrils of God. Our prayers are precious to Him. And, of course, in the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant. God's commitment of Himself to us in relationship, and He's asking us to relate ourselves to Him. And when we fail, there is blood to cover it. That's the temple.

Again, I want to emphasize and reiterate to you, the temple, in and of itself, meant nothing to God. But as a symbol of our relationship to Him, it meant everything. It was precious to Him. And we see in the Book of Ezekiel how reluctantly the Spirit of God left the corrupted temple and how, in the end of the Book of Ezekiel, the glorious high moment is when the Holy Spirit returns to the tabernacle. That's His dream for you and me, that He can take up residence in the temple of our hearts.

And so, you have the prophetic word in chapter 6, verse 11, "The Word of the Lord came to Solomon, 'As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws, keep all my commandments and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David, your father. I will live among the Israelites. I will walk among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.'" Yeah. If, indeed, this building symbolizes your heart condition, if this material world accurately reflects the spiritual world, then there will be blessing.

But then comes chapter 7, "It took Solomon 13 years, however, to complete the construction of the palace." What preceded that? Verse 38 of chapter 6, "In the 11th year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its mishpat. He had spent seven years building it." Wow. Seven years on the temple. Isn't that wonderful? "It took Solomon 13 years, however, to complete the construction of his palace." Excuse me.

Now, the however is not in the Hebrew. The translator is doing a little bit of thinking for us, but I think they're correct. It is a contrast, and it's an intentional contrast. Oh my, it took seven years to build a temple. Isn't that wonderful? Yeah, but it took 13 years to build his palace. Oh, dear. And notice the special mention of the daughter of Pharaoh.

Verse eight, "And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married." Again, the narrator is just telling us in the language of today. I'm just saying. Yes, just saying. As we look at that description, we see the incredible opulence given to the palace. For me, I can stomach the opulence of the temple. That's given to God. But the opulence of this palace? Now, again, the narrator may simply be saying, "I want to tell you how successful this man was. I want to tell you how God blessed him." But I think he's saying a little more than that.

Then the rest of chapter 7 is given over to the temple furnishings. Verses 13 through 51, "He brought a Canaanite craftsman." And again, forgive me if I'm being too hard on Solomon here, but remember who the craftsmen were for the temple? Bezalel, who's the first person in the Bible who said to be filled with the Holy Spirit, a native Israelite filled with the Holy Spirit. Here, we have Huram, who is half Israelite and a skilled craftsman who is very wise. He has understanding and knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work.

Is the narrator making a point? I don't know. But I do recognize a difference between this craftsman and the one who designed and built the tabernacle. So then we have the description, in great detail, of the two pillars that stood in front of the door to the Holy Place. We have a pretty lengthy description of the sea that held the water. We have a description of the water stands, the water carts that were evidently used to wash the sacrifices. We have a description of the cart itself at considerable length, 17:27-37. Then we have a description of the basins that were placed in the cart.

And then we have the summary in chapter 7, verses 41 through 47. These are the bronze objects, and then we have the gold objects. And we ask ourselves again, "Why this much attention?" Yes, it reflects the incomparable splendor of Yahweh. But it's very interesting to me that in the destruction of the temple described in 2 Kings 25, some of this very same descriptive language is used.

And what it says is, God has very little personal investment in all of this splendor. Does He receive this splendor as a gift of love? Absolutely. But is it something that He has to have for Himself? No. And as soon as it begins to cease to represent the heart of the people, He will have nothing to do with it. So for you and me, He delights in our worship, delights in our devotion, delights in our gifts, so long as they represent our hearts. When they cease to do so, He is disgusted by them.

You mentioned before that as people, we're both physical and spiritual, but that the act of worship isn't something magical. However, having a physical aspect to worship is important and does help us in our worship to God. So that church attendance or singing songs, there's nothing magical about that process, but it is an important part of how we worship.

Yes. Yes. Yes. I feel very strongly about that. It's easy to say, "Well, since our relationship to God is spiritual, it really doesn't matter how we live, how we reflect that, how we act it out." Yes, it does, because we are inseparably spirit and body. And therefore, I can't use the material to somehow twist or order or shape the spiritual.

On the other hand, if I have a vital, spiritual relationship to God, that has to be represented in physical ways. And I can't say, "Well, it doesn't matter whether I go to church or not. It doesn't matter whether I have a devotional life." Yes, it does. Yes, it does. That does not create a spiritual life where none exists, but on the other hand, it does represent accurately where my spiritual life really is.

Yeah. And doing those physical acts sometimes helps us to realize the spiritual aspect of that.

Exactly. Exactly. It does help us. In a sense, it gives shape to the spiritual, that as I sing an ancient hymn, I am remembering I'm part of this body of Christ. I don't live by myself. We are all together on our way to the heavens, and that's a great spiritual truth.