Building God’s House: Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:1-38)
When Solomon became king, one of his biggest and most meaningful projects was building a temple for God. This wasn’t just another building—it was a special place where people would come to worship and feel close to God. The story of the temple’s construction is a powerful reminder of the care and honor we should give to God in our lives.
The Temple Construction Begins
In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, the construction of the temple began. This was a big moment in Israel’s history. It had been 480 years since the people of Israel had left Egypt. Now, under Solomon’s leadership, they were finally building a permanent place to worship God in Jerusalem.
Solomon chose Mount Moriah as the location, and he brought in the best workers and materials to get started.
The Temple’s Size and Shape
The temple was built with careful planning. It had a main room, a special inner room (called the Most Holy Place), and side rooms all around the outside walls. Everything was measured precisely and built with the best materials, like large stone blocks and beautiful cedar wood from Lebanon.
The temple wasn’t just functional—it was also beautiful, showing that God deserves the best we have to offer.
God’s Important Reminder
While the temple was being built, God gave Solomon a message. He reminded Solomon that while the temple was important, something else mattered even more: faithfulness.
God said, “If you follow My commands and live the way I ask, I will keep My promise and live among My people.” It was a reminder that God cares about our hearts more than just buildings.
Beautiful and Meaningful Details
Inside the temple, no detail was too small. The walls were covered with carvings of flowers, palm trees, and angel-like figures called cherubim. Every part of the inside was overlaid with pure gold—walls, floors, and even the altar.
At the heart of the temple was the inner sanctuary, where the ark of the covenant was placed. This ark was a sacred chest that symbolized God’s presence with His people.
Finishing the Temple
It took seven years to finish the temple. Every part of it was completed with great care and deep respect for God. When it was done, it became the main place where people gathered to pray, offer sacrifices, and connect with God.
What This Means for Us
Solomon’s temple was a beautiful and powerful symbol of worship. But more important than the building was the message behind it: God wants to be close to His people.
Even today, we don’t need a golden temple to worship God. He wants to live in our hearts and be part of our everyday lives. Just like the temple was built with care, we can build our lives on faith, love, and obedience to God.
Reflection:
Are we giving God the best place in our lives—not just in what we build, but in how we live each day?
1 Kings 6:1-38 (WEB)
6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the LORD’s house. 2 The house which King Solomon built for the LORD had a length of sixty cubits, and its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the temple of the house had a length of twenty cubits, which was along the width of the house. Ten cubits was its width in front of the house. 4 He made windows of fixed lattice work for the house. 5 Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around. 6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. 7 The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction. 8 The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built the floors all along the house, each five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timbers of cedar.11 The LORD’s word came to Solomon, saying, 12 “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood. He covered the floor of the house with cypress boards. 16 He built twenty cubits of the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place. 17 In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers. All was cedar. No stone was visible. 19 He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of the LORD’s covenant there. 20 Within the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in its height. He overlaid it with pure gold. He covered the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. He also overlaid the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary with gold.23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits was the length of the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits. 25 The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. 26 One cherub was ten cubits high, and so was the other cherub. 27 He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside. 30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside. 31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 He also made the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall, 34 and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work. 36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and a course of cedar beams.37 The foundation of the LORD’s house was laid in the fourth year, in the month Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its specifications. So he spent seven years building it.