Morning Light – November 10th, 2015
Today: [2 Chronicles Three] Solomon Begins to Build the Temple. Solomon was still very young when the temple construction begins. Estimates place him at 12 years of age – which is interesting because Jesus declared at the age of 12 “I must be about My Father’s business…” Just as Solomon was the great temple builder so Jesus said He would build His church. The construction of the temple speaks to us of ourselves, of the church and the broader purposes of God in the earth.
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[2Ch 3:1-17 KJV] 1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 And he began to build in the second [day] of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. 3 Now these [are the things wherein] Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure [was] threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4 And the porch that [was] in the front [of the house], the length [of it was] according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height [was] an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold. 5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. 6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold [was] gold of Parvaim.
In this chapter Ezra continues the narrative of the building of the temple of Solomon. Solomon’s temple is also known as the First Temple. There were two other temples constructed on this same spot and subsequently destroyed. The first temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC. The second temple was desecrated and turned into an altar to Zues in 167 BC by Antiochus Epiphanes. The temple was built by Herod the Great in the times contemporary with Jesus and was actually a renovation of the second temple which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
The temple was built on the site of the threshingfloor of Ornan. The significance of this is because the death angel halted over this spot after David numbered the people against the will of God. David built and altar here after prophetic instruction and the Lord answered by fire. Solomon began building in the second month of his reign so he was not likely to have been older than 12 or 13 years when he began this great task.
The dimensions of the temple are given. If you look at the plan of the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place and the Porch you will see they are laid out in the form of a cross. The tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness also was laid out in the form of a cross. When the children of Israel carried the tabernacle between encampments they were carrying the tent and artifacts in the form of the cross. The message of the temple and the tabernacle is the message of cross. The three compartments of the temple speak of salvation of spirit, soul and body. The three courts speak of the three aspects of God’s will in Rom. 12:1-3 – the acceptable, the good and the perfect will of God.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls. 8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof [was] according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, [amounting] to six hundred talents. 9 And the weight of the nails [was] fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. 10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. 11 And the wings of the cherubims [were] twenty cubits long: one wing [of the one cherub was] five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing [was likewise] five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
The holy place is where the ark of the covenant was kept. It was over laid with six hundred talents of gold. Six represents the number of man and 100 represents man walking in the 100 fold fullness of Christ in you the hope of glory. When Jesus taught that he was the true temple of God he could look at the dimensions and truths of Solomon’s temple and understand something of Himself that He could relay to us. The holy of holies was overshadowed with cherubims representing angelic protection. Jesus could have called angels to take him from the cross. We also entertain angels unawares because the glory of God that the angels are created to serve is on the inside of us. Angels are never very far from the dwelling place of God’s glory.
If you take the square cubits of the porch, the holy place and the holy of holies they add up to the number of years from Solomon’s day to the year 2000. The porch and the holy place add up to the number of years between Solomon and the restoration of salvation by faith established by Martin Luther in the Protestant reformation. The tabernacle of Moses likewise reflects such prophetic timing. The outer court of Moses’ tabernacle was 4000 cubits reflecting the years from Adam to Jesus. The inner court was 2000 cubits reflecting the years from Jesus to our day. The holy of holies is 1000 cubits representing the 1000 year reign of Christ. From the stand point of biblical chronology it has been 6000 years from Adam until our day. Peter said a 1000 years is as a day in God’s timetable therefore we are in the 7th day from Adam and the 3rd day from the resurrection of Jesus. All of this is reflected in the design and dimensions of the temple and the tabernacle.
12 And [one] wing of the other cherub [was] five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing [was] five cubits [also], joining to the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces [were] inward. 14 And he made the vail [of] blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon. 15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that [was] on the top of each of them [was] five cubits. 16 And he made chains, [as] in the oracle, and put [them] on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put [them] on the chains. 17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
There were two pillars in the temple that were crowned with 5 cubit chapiters upholding the roof of the temple. 5 is the number that represents the grace of God. As the temple of God you are I are upheld by grace. These pillars represent the strength of God on the inside of us. The right hand pillar was named Jacin and the left pillar was named Boaz after king David’s great grandfather who was married to Ruth the Moabitess. These names mean “Established” and “Strengthened”. In the things of God our strength is on the inside. Our establishing of God is an inward resource. These pillars were 27 feet high and 6 feet thick. The height of the pillars in the biblical measurement is 18 cubits which is 6 divided by 3 – representing God’s complete work of salvation in us spirit, soul and body. The number 6 is the number of man and the number 3 is a number of completion and the number of the make up of man as God created him. The circumference of the pillars was 12 cubits. 12 is the number of government in the scriptures and speaks of us of being surrounded in our persons by the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the fact that we belong to Him and our lives are not our own.
When the first temple was destroyed these pillars were broken up and carried away by the Chaldeans. When the restoration temple was built there is no record of these pillars being returned neither were they replaced by others. In Christian culture the prophetic significance of the temple is not as emphasized as the types and shadows of Moses’ tabernacle. However remember that Solomon built all of this by the direction of his father David. David in preparing and designing the temple made reference to the fact that he did all according to the pattern revealed to him by God himself (see 1 Chron. 28:11-19). David is in the design of the temple of Solomon what Moses was to the design of the tabernacle in the wilderness. All was according to the pattern given by God saying something to us of who He is in the new birth and what His purposes are in your life and in the earth.
