Morning Light – July 21st, 2015: Solomon's Temple

Morning Light – July 21st, 2015
Today: [1 Kings Chapter Five]: Solomon’s Temple. In this chapter the building materials for Solomon’s temple are provided for. David’s long time friend and ally Hiram works with Solomon to harvest cedar and fir for the building of the temple. Great stones are quarried as well and thousands of men are employed in the preparation to build the house of the Lord. As we shall see all of this speaks of the temple of God which you and I are. In Christianity there is much building that takes place but God wants us to be focused upon the artisanry of the temple of His making of which you and I are intended to be a part.
[1Ki 5:1-18 KJV] 1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, [so that there is] neither adversary nor evil occurrent. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that [there is] not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
In studying the temple of Solomon we must make a spiritual comparison to ourselves and the fact that we are the temple of God. The temple of Solomon in it’s construction and design speaks to us something of ourselves the way God sees us and what God has planned and built into us both as individuals and as the corporate, many membered body of Christ. When the people were marveling with Jesus concerning Herod’s temple he made this enigmatic statement:
[Jhn 2:19-21 KJV] 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
The writer of Hebrews refers to this and makes a further application that includes you and I:
[Heb 10:4-9 KJV] 4 For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
In Jesus’ earth walk He alone in Himself was the temple of God. He spoke of His own death and resurrection when He said “destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days …” We see His further purpose in causing you and I to be what He was when He said “He (God) takes away the first (singular body of Christ) that He might established the second (corporate body of Christ). Paul confirms this plainly in 1 Corinthians:
[1Co 12:27 KJV] 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
There is a whole perspective of truth in the scriptures that applies to and calls for us to see ourselves as the many membered body of Christ. The Charismatic Renewal of years gone by was immersed in this truth and from that vantage point greatly stressed the unity of the faith and the rejection of all sectarian attitudes and practices. This viewpoint and understanding has almost totally been lost to the church of the last many years. The rigors and trials of a broken economy and wide spread scandal and divisions in the Christian world have made it unpopular and unappealing for a pastor or their congregation to look much further beyond their own four walls to see their greater connection to the purposes of God as a corporate body in the earth ordained to carry out His will on a global scale.
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed [be] the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: [and] I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. 9 My servants shall bring [them] down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive [them]: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. 10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees [according to] all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat [for] food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
David was not at war with every one of his neighbors. He was closely associated with Hiram of Lebanon. It is interesting to note that Hiram worked with David to build his house but with his son Solomon to build the temple. God wants you to have both. He wants you to have your house, your comfort and your security but He also wants you participating in building His temple. Matt. 6:33 tells us that if we seek first the kingdom all things will be added. To the degree we see the kingdom God in return and equal measure will pursue adding all things to your life. If we are weak and anemic in our commitment to seek the kingdom we will only be blessed in fits and starts. If we are fully committed and abandoned in seeking the kingdom then we will see the full measure of God’s blessing in our life. God wants us to be as Hiram and make ourselves and our resources fully available to His intended purpose to raise up a corporate house to the glory of His name. In return for this Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for HIS HOUSE and twenty measures of pure oil. So if you take care of GOD’S HOUSE – God will take care of YOUR HOUSE. This is not talking about a building on the street corner with a phallic symbol on top of it. The house of God is something YOU in your person are in connection with other believers who together are built into the HOUSE OF GOD. The building that we call the house of God is simply a modern day synagogue, a place of convenience where we gather to worship out from under the elements.
13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, [and] two months at home: and Adoniram [was] over the levy. 15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; 16 Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which [were] over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. 17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew [them], and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
The total number of laborers involved in building Solomon’s temple numbered just over 153,000. This in interesting when you realize that Solomon’s temple wasn’t much bigger than a tennis court. What is the significance if any of this number? In John 21 Jesus appeared to His disciples one of the last times before His ascension. He instructed Peter to cast a net into the sea:
[Jhn 21:10-11 KJV] 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
Jesus had told his disciples in the beginning that they would be fishers of men. He told Peter that he was Cephas, a rock and upon this rock he would build the church. The number of fishes and the fact that it is specifically mentioned has significance for us. God is saying something to Peter and to us (although there is no record that Peter ever understood this). In the net of 153 fishes Jesus is saying that the apostles where not just to gather the fishes (that men are in the kingdom) but to employ those gathered in the building of His corporate, many membered body and temple.
You and I are some of those fish that are caught. God give us apostles who will build not monuments to their own ego but a house of God’s building to fulfill His purposes in the earth.