Read 2 Chronicles 3
Solomon Builds the Temple
3 Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.2 He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
3 The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide (using the cubit of the old standard).4 The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits long across the width of the building and twenty cubits high.
He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5 He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
8 He built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold. 9 The gold nails weighed fifty shekels.He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.
10 For the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubimextended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.
14 He made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it.
15 For the front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits long, each with a capital five cubits high. 16 He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
Go Deeper
In this chapter, King Solomon begins the temple project that his father (King David) prepared for him to accomplish. First Chronicles 28:19 states, “All this, David said, I have in writing as a result of the Lords’ hand on me, and He enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.” The construction of the temple has long been awaited by the people of Israel. This magnificent structure would represent the presence of God in their midst.
Solomon’s efforts to construct the house of God spared no expense in decorating every section of it with extravagant materials. The design included nothing but the finest of materials that would be used to build and decorate the house of God. This temple would represent the heavenly King’s earthly palace, displaying His holiness and glory.
There are so many details described in the building of the temple that point us to Jesus. The location of the temple is significant. Not only was it the place where the Lord had appeared to David, but it is also the place where Abraham offered Isaac, and the Lord provided a ram instead. (Genesis 22) It is also believed by scholars to be near, if not on the set of hills where Jesus’ cross was placed.
Another detail is that the Most Holy Place was separated by a heavy veil. Only the High Priest could enter once a year to offer atonement (payment) for the sins of the people of God. At Jesus’ death, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, forever representing our access to God through Jesus’ sacrifice of His life. Hebrews 9 describes Jesus, as our high priest, entering once for all by His blood, securing our eternal redemption.
Now there is no need for an ornate temple to represent God’s presence. As believers in Jesus, we are God’s temple and His Spirit dwells in us. However, pondering the holiness, beauty, perfection, and excellence of God may deepen our desire to reflect His character. Our response to His presence in our lives may prompt awe, worship, praise, and surrender. He alone is holy, holy, holy, and worthy.
Questions
- How does beauty stir your awe of our Holy God?
- How do your gifts to serve Christ reflect His presence in you?
- How will you express your thanks for God’s presence in you?
Watch This
The construction of the temple was an important milestone in the Old Testament. To learn more about the temple and its significance, check out this video from The Bible Project!
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4 responses to “2 Chronicles 3”
The preparations have been carefully made, now the temple construction is underway with every detail having specific significance. As meaningful as this dwelling place for the Lord is, Luke addresses pagan temples in Acts 17, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else”(v24-25). May we not turn to any idol but faithfully worship the Creator, not the created, making our hearts his dwelling place.
Are we giving God our best like Solomon did with the temple?
Do you think about God all the time?
Do we fall in and out of love with Him?
Or do we pursue Him for a time then go back to our old ways?
I believe I need to be over the top, above all, very much into, kinda freaky about my love for God.
Yesterday I found these words “When you open God’s Word, you must expect God to speak. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and His Word is living and active. He will encourage you. He will bless you. He will teach you. He will challenge you. And He will confront you”
I believe with all my heart that I want/desire to be praying more, learning more about fasting, taking time to invest in new believers and Bible study along side them and so much more.
Is He really getting our “best”?
God thank You for loving me despite myself. I do desire to give You the best of me, and I fail. BUT GOD I know that I know You are for me and that Your grace and mercies are new every morning and for that I am so grateful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God thank You for these minutes of this day, thank You for my mind staying on You in all the minutes. God thank You for oppurtunitys to speak about what I am reading and what You are doing in my life. God show me how to love the unlovable, to be Your hands and feet in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13 “The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.”
Wow! Angel statues with 30 ft wingspans! I would approach that in awe and reverence!
“He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.”
Jakin means the Lord establishes and Boaz means the Lord strengthens.