First Kings Chapter 7. Does anyone remember how First
Kings Chapter 6 concluded? Well, it's right there.
So you remember now, don't you? First Kings Chapter 6 concluded
with the summation of the time that it took to build the
temple. And it was how many years?
Seven years? It took Seven.
Years to complete the Temple of Solomon and right at the outset
of Chapter 7 we are given another summary, not concerning
the temple but concerning a different structure, and that is
the building that Solomon built for his own house.
And in verse one reread Solomon was building his own house 13
years and he finished his entire house now.
There is some debate about what this might mean, because right
next to this verse, the preceding verse, we're told
about how long it took to build the temple, and immediately
we're told how long it took to build Solomon's own abode.
How many here believe that it was a bad thing?
That it took Solomon longer to build his own house?
No one. Wow.
How many believe that it was a neutral thing?
It didn't indicate really anything concerning Solomon's
priorities or his heart posture. Wow.
No one as well, All right. Well, here's what the debate is.
This perhaps is. Not a good thing, because it
speaks about misplaced priorities.
Here you have a man who seems to be much more invested, much more
dedicated in terms of his time, his resources, perhaps even his
attention to something that was personal, somebody that belonged
to himself, something that was not necessarily.
Connected to the work of God and they would just make that
conclusion based on the amount of time that Solomon gave to
this structure. And they would also maybe point
to the Book of Haggai, where Haggai tells us of a generation
of Israelites that neglected the House of God all together for
the sake of beautifying their own homes and bringing upgrades
and renovations to their own places.
And the prophet comes on the scene.
He says. You have misplaced your
priorities in life. You've put your home, your
little empire, your own comfort and pleasure, while the House of
God lies in ruins. Change things up.
Consider your ways. Others would say that's not
necessarily so, primarily because the scripture doesn't
really give commentary on Solomon's heart behind this.
And you can also make the case, well, yeah, as much as it took
him time to build his own house, which house did he built first?
The House of God. And you can also make the case
that the fact that it took him seven years means that he put
extra urgency and dedication to completing the House of God, and
he was not so urgent concerning his own home.
And so it's not clear we can't be exactly dogmatic about
Solomon's spiritual condition at this point, or his mindset
behind building his own house. But there is a lesson.
There is an overarching truth with Solomon's house, and we
have to just be patient to wait at the end of the section to see
what it is. It also helps to know that
Solomon's house is not the only thing that he built.
It's not the only thing that we're told about here in this
chapter. Look here at verse 2 and let's
read down to verse eight. He built the House of the Forest
of Lebanon. Its length was 100 cubits and
its breadth 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits.
And it was built on 4 rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams
of the pillars. And it was covered with cedar
above the chambers that were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row.
There were window frames in three rows and windows opposite
window in three tiers. All the doorways in the windows
had square frames and window was opposite window in three tiers.
So you don't just have Solomon's house.
Now you're told about this different house called the House
of what? Of the Forest of Lebanon.
Keep that in mind. So we have another structure,
structure #2. Then we have something else in
verse 6. And he made the hall of pillars.
Its length was 50 cubits and it's Bret 30 cubits.
There was a porch in front with pillars and a canopy in front of
them. So #3 you have the Hall of
Pillars, so there's another structure.
Then you have a fourth structure.
Look at verse 7. And he made the hall of the
throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the hall of
judgment. It was finished with cedar from
floor to rafters. Then we come to verse 8 and yet
another structure, his own house, where he was to dwell in
the other court, back of the hall.
It was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like
this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken in
marriage. And then it goes on at the end
of this section about the materials concerning these
houses. We don't know if these homes, of
these buildings, of these halls and palaces, were significantly
separate from one another. Or if they were closely
connected in some kind of a compound or complex.
That detail is not given to us. What is clear, though, is that
we have information concerning each of these structures, and
the details that we are given are in the mind of God, enough
for us to draw some truths out of for our own sanctification.
And so I want us to, for a moment, look at verse 2 again
and look at the House of the Force of Lebanon.
We aren't told what the purpose of this place was, but the name
kind of gives you the impression of what the experience was like
when you walked into this place. The pillars were surrounded and
covered with Cedars, and the impression that you might have
had when you stood in that awesome place was that you were
in a forest. You can just imagine the smells,
you can imagine the sights, you can imagine the detail and the
rows of Cedars. It was like as though you were
in some kind of a field with long and tall trees.
But it's not until you go to Chapter 10 so you can turn
there. Look at Chapter 10 for a moment.
And when you go to verse 16 and 17, you'll see here that Solomon
added some things to this house. He added some things.
And what did he add? He added beautiful Shields and
other weaponry. There King Solomon made 200
large Shields of beaten gold. 600 shekels of gold went into
each shield. And then we read and he made 300
Shields of beaten gold. 3 menas of gold went to each shield and
the king put them in where the House of the force of Lebanon.
And so there there are these these Shields that are there.
And it could be that the purpose of this place was that it was an
Armory, and that is inferred at an in another place.
And I I want you to see this because this is where we're
going to get some actual insight for our own walk with the Lord.
If you go to Isaiah 22/8, this is confirmed.
So go to Isaiah the prophet Isaiah Chapter 22 and verse 8.
What's happening in chapter 22, the Lord is describing the siege
that was encroaching upon Jerusalem, the enemy coming and
surrounding this holy city. And what the Lord is doing there
through an Oracle, is he's describing the response of the
people of Jerusalem as a reaction to the enemy now coming
in and coming closer to their own safety, to the livelihood,
to their families, to the House of worship.
And here's one of the responses that the Lord highlights of the
people in Isaiah 22 verse 8. It says here he has taken away
the covering of Judah. In that day you look to the
weapons of the House of the forest.
So there were more than just Shields, there were actual
weapons there. Again just confirming that this
is very much likely an Armory that held and contained weapons
for the people of Judah. Now God making this an
observation about how they look to.
The House of the Forest, in a time where they were being
surrounded by their enemies, was this a good thing or a bad thing
for them to look to? That good thing or bad thing?
Bad. And that's.
Confirmed. You're still there, right?
Look at verse 11 of Isaiah, chapter 22.
You've made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of
the old pool. Now look at the wording here.
But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned
it long ago. So as you, using mirroring
language here, right? You look to the House of the
forest in times of trouble. You didn't look to me.
You didn't turn your attention to me.
You didn't come desperately to me.
You didn't come broken and contract to me.
You look to yourself. You look to yourself to rescue
yourself, to solve this, to escape this.
And so this is not commendation. This is condemnation.
But we have to be careful. God is not condemning the idea
here that you and I should not utilize human resources or
humans in times of distress. What the Lord is highlighting
here is something you're very familiar with.
This is not nothing new for you that ultimately, where is your
trust, huh? Ultimately, where do you put
your faith? Who is the one who you
ultimately put all your hope in? And here's the lesson about the
House of the force of Lebanon. You know what the lesson is?
Be careful making an idol of something that you made.
Be careful of putting too much hope, too much glory, too much
trust, too much of your identity.
And something that you created, something that you purchased,
something that you've accumulated over the years.
And that can be material, that can be knowledge, that can be
information. Who is primary as your source of
help? Who is primary and your source
of times of need? Who is the one that you draw
from. And the Lord saying, despite the
fact that you have these things, these things that I've even I I
recognize and and I didn't condemn you for.
You've misplaced your trust, ultimately and you failed to
look to me as your reaction. You failed to see me in all of
this. And that's something for you and
I to consider. God longs for your heart and
mind. To cling to him above
everything. And unfortunately that wasn't
the case for the nation of Israel.
Now we come back to first Kings 7:00.
So we dealt with the House of the Force of Lebanon.
Now we come here and verse six and seven where we're told of
one hall of pillars, but then we're told of this hall of the
throne or hall of judgement. This is pretty self-explanatory,
is it not? This is where Solomon would sit
and hear and receive cases, and would pronounce judgements upon
those cases. Nothing else is added here,
unless again, you go to 1st Kings 10 and you're told of one
added detail that's assumed to be part of the Hall of Judgment.
Look at it in verse 18 of First Kings chapter 10.
The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the
finest gold. The throne had six steps and the
throne had a Round Top, and on each side of the seat were
armrest. And two lions standing beside
the armrest, while 12 lions stood there, one on each end of
a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in
any Kingdom. You could just imagine the
splendor and the dazzling beauty, even the sense of
authority and reverence, just by the side of the throne.
Yet 2 lions. As armrests you had these lines
sitting on the steps leading up to the throne, and this is where
Solomon would sit as people would come to receive his wisdom
and 1st Kings. 10 The description of the throne that
was most likely in the Hall of Judgment.
Hall of the Throne is where the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon,
and she saw the different artifacts and she saw the
organization and she saw the ambassadors and she saw the
house. That he built.
And she saw the place of worship.
And what are we told about a reaction?
What happened to her? It took her breath away.
She was absolutely spellbound by what she had just perceived.
She heard about it, but now that she saw it, she was just swept
off her feet. And it's so sad to read the
glory of this man's throne and everything else around it,
because in a very short amount of time, it's all going to be
buried that that throne will be vacant, it will be destroyed,
and it will be forgotten. Why?
Because the character of the man who sat on this throne did not
match the glory of that throne. At least his character did not
last when it came to the end of his life.
He betrayed God, He turned his back on God.
And Solomon's failure would be the trigger that would cause the
downward spiral of the Davidic dynasty.
And this is heartbreaking, right?
You see all this blessing, You see all this adornment, all
these things that point to the glory of God.
And it's as you read in Jeremiah, destroyed by the
enemy. And it's not until you come to
the early books of the New Testament where the.
Student of the Hebrew scriptures would be revived by another
promise, a promise that was made long ago in the days of David,
but then has reintroduced the people who had lost hope, lost
all that glory for centuries. And it was through an Angel who
came to a Jewish young lady. Let me read this to you.
The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and she tells him about He tells
him about this baby in her womb, gives the name of the baby.
But he also says what will be given to this son.
Does anybody remember one of the details of what will be given to
the son of David? Name Jesus.
Well, let me read it to you and Luke 1.
If you want to write it down for notes for later, you can.
Luke 131 just listen. Just listen though.
Just pay attention to this. Imagine being visited by this
creature from heaven and being told this Luke 131 And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall
call his name Jesus. There's just something about
that name. You know that song?
You. Shall call his name Jesus, He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High,
And the Lord God will give to him the what?
The throne of his Father David. He will be given the throne of
his father David, and he will reign over the House of Jacob
Forever. And of his Kingdom there will be
no end. There is this boy who would be
born, and he was born. His name is Jesus.
He's the son of David, but he's also the son of the Most High,
and he would be given the throne of his father David.
That throne that was beautified by Solomon, that was eventually
destroyed because of unfaithfulness and apostasy, but
then would be resurfaced again. And Jesus will sit on it and no
one will take it from him. Nothing will ever, ever change
the fate of the authority of this son of David, the Promised
One. And here's the thing, as
infinitely beautiful as that throne will be far more majestic
than the throne of Solomon, right?
The one who sits on it will be the object of our amazement more
than anything else. It's not going to be the
material of that throne, the design of that throne.
It's going to be the one who occupies that throne.
That will. Keep our gaze uninterrupted,
forever and ever and ever. Christ will be the center of our
amazement. Christ on that throne will be
the one who will draw out our affections and our adorations.
Christ will be the one that when you and I see him.
Because we will see. Him.
You know what's going to happen. I'm.
Sure, he'll take our breath away.
He will take our breath away. You know there's some people who
have different personalities when it comes to worship, right?
Some are more quiet and reserved.
And that's fine as long as your heart is worshipping, I guess.
But I can't wait to see the day where we all see him.
I have a feeling that no matter what your personality is,
there's going to be a lot of expression of amazement in that
moment. And so we see this throne, we
see this hall of judgement. We see that Jesus was given this
throne and he will realize that when he comes back again
physically. So we have the hall of Judgment.
But this is probably the most concerning project in verse
eight of First Kings Chapter 7. I don't want to believe belabor
this point, but it's worth mentioning still, even briefly,
says his own house, where he has to dwell in the other court back
of the hall, was like. Was of like workmanship.
Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's
daughter. What are you doing?
So in this complex of these magnificent architectural
designs and buildings, you have this one hall dedicated to a
Pagan This. Hall would not even be conceived
in the mind of Solomon if he had not entered into an illegitimate
relationship with her to begin with.
Is that not true? And already you're seeing
something. Here's the principle.
You ready? You're already seeing the cost
of compromise in Solomon's life here very early on, the cost of
compromise, at least in one area.
So he marries this woman, tries to build this marriage alliance,
and then somewhere along the line, it became more than just a
marriage now. Perhaps out of her desire, or
out of the overflow of his affection, he wants to create
this hall just for her. And you can imagine what maybe
went through Solomon's mind justifying this price tag.
Well, it's not so significant. We have all this material
anyway. We're told that silver was like
stone in the days of Solomon. And so we can add to this.
We can, we can, we can make space for this.
It's not a problem. Sure, we could have preserved
more time and more resources for other things, but what's the big
deal? And that's how people think when
they live in compromise sometimes.
But is that where it ends for Pharaoh's daughter?
Is that where it ends for Solomon?
Is it? No, no, no.
Come back to here. First Kings Chapter 11.
This is where it ends. First Kings 11, verse seven.
And Solomon built, so he's building.
He didn't end. Building King of First Kings
Chapter 7. He's going to build something
near the end of his life. Then Solomon built a high place
for Hamas, the abomination of Moab, and for Moloch, the
abomination of the Ammonites on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
And so he did for all his foreign wives who made offerings
and sacrificed to their gods. So check out this progression or
digression. Solomon sought to build a
political alliance through marriage with Pharaoh's
daughter, and then from there he builds a hall for Pharaoh's
daughter and then he builds Pagan temples for not just
Pharaoh's daughter, but for many of his foreign wives.
So start with building a relationship with Egypt and went
to building a place for Pharaoh's daughter and.
Then it came to a place where he built a series of sanctuaries
for them to worship at. It's very difficult to pump the
brakes when you're justifying sin in your life.
Very difficult. And you think you can build
something and maintain it and hover and say you're not going
to go any further than this, but something happens with sin.
It's so powerful that the fangs of it dig so deep in it and it
creates a havoc in your life that you'd never anticipated.
You went from building this relationship, justifying it.
Well, this is good for us. God told me that we're going to
be a nation of peace. Then maybe I got to help him
out. To now you joyfully and
completely, without any concern, building a place where God alone
is supposed to be worshipped for other gods to be worshipped.
So we see that in verse 8. Now look at this in verse nine.
Are you there in First Kings 7? Here's really a summary of all
these structures. We're told all these were made
of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws back
and forth even from the foundation to the coping and
from the outside to the Great Court.
The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of
eight and 10 cubits and above, where costly stones cut
according to measurement and cedar.
The Great Court had three courses of cut stones, and we're
told here all around in the course of cedar beams.
So had the inner court of the House of the Lord and the
vestibule. Of the house?
What phrase repeats itself? Costly stones.
Costly stones.
So this is no small feat. This is a great accomplishment.
This took a lot of wisdom and engineering and time and effort
and it's completed. And all the things that went
into it made even royalty, like the Queen of Sheba breathless.
And I'm sure if you and I stood in the midst of all of these
things, we also would be very much in awe, very much impressed
with the mind of this architect who put all these things
together. So you get one idea from the
reaction of the Queen of Sheba. Do you know how Solomon felt
about all of this, though, Do you?
Oh, very good, my friend. Yes.
You know your Bible. Well, if you want to know how
Solomon felt about his accomplishments, at least at a
certain point in his life, go to.
Ecclesiastes 2. Look at verse four.
He actually talks about this. He's talking about the very
thing that you and I just covered.
And notice what he says in Ecclesiastes 2 Four.
It's kind of a journal entry. Though it's not, he knew it
wasn't meant for himself. But he says this as an entry
into this amazing piece of literature.
Holy Scripture, Ecclesiastes 24I made great works.
I built houses. I built houses and planted
vineyards for myself. And then he goes on to give a
catalog about the things that he has done.
I built houses. First, Kings Chapter 7.
You saw some of those houses, and then you go down to verse 11
and here's his heart. In reflection of those
accomplishments. Then I concerted all that my
hands had done and the toil I had expended and doing it.
And behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there
was nothing to be gained under the sun.
That's pretty depressing. You spent 13 years of your life
putting these things together, and when you reflect on it, you
thought, what a waste of time. Now that is not to say.
And I don't believe Solomon is even saying here that he
believed there is no fulfillment or sense of satisfaction that
comes with crossing a line where you see the desired outcome of
your great effort and your great sacrifice.
That's not what Solomon is speaking about here.
What he is speaking about here is that as you shake off the
adrenaline and as you, you feel those sense of rushing,
accomplishing fulfillments occupying your bosom right.
It fizzles out. It fizzles out.
And what he is essentially saying in Ecclesiastes, and he
says throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, there is no
lasting pleasure in all of this. There is pleasure.
It's not lasting. It evaporates.
You and I know what that's like because you, most of us in here
have reached certain milestones in life and it's exciting and
you have celebrations around it. And then what happens?
It's just old news. And then you look for the next
thing, and then you get to that milestone.
And then what? You get accustomed to it and you
realize, OK, this is life. Then you go for the next thing.
And this is how people enter into crises in their lives
because they see the pattern of life.
You gain this, you win this, you get there.
And then what? There's still a vacuum in your
soul. And then what?
It didn't bring you further enough.
Now you're searching and looking for the next thing.
And there are people who live like that.
There are people who have so made their life about just
making one thing done after another, building one thing
after another, accomplishing one thing, opening one thing after
the other, and they're just trying to get the next rush in
life. And Solomon does us a favor.
He goes, you're wasting your time because it's not going to
help. Let me tell you what will bring
lasting pleasure. Let me tell you something that
through all your activities and responsibilities, even your
hobbies and your desires, something that must be as a
foundation of your existence. What does he say at the end of
the Book of Ecclesiastes? Fear God and keep his
commandments. You want to live a vain, free
life? Fear God.
Who would have thought? Yeah, fear God.
Why? Because let me tell you
something about the fear of God. Scripture says the fear of the
Lord. It gives you many things, and
one of the things that it gives you is friendship with the Lord.
And it opens up a fountain of other blessings.
Fear God and keep His commandments.
Live consciously wanting to please the Lord, and you will
know the greatest, most lasting, undisturbed satisfaction.
And so Solomon says, I did all this stuff and I just kicked
back and looked at it all and thought.
Vanity. Vanity.
I wish some of you young people here who have your life ahead of
you would believe that ahead of time, life will get so much
better once I get married. OK, Then you get married.
OK. Life will get so much more
excited once I have a baby, OK? Life will get so much better if
I have more than one baby, OK? Life will get much of A better
if I have my forever home. OK.
Did you Did you not catch on yet?
They did not click yet. To be honest, if you ask my
testimony, I had a midlife crisis at 20.
Seriously, tell myself I'm in a rat race.
This is what. And I just as though I can
predict the future, see the future.
And it's not predicting. I just.
I looked around me said this is the this is the way of all
mankind. By God's grace rescued me from a
vain life. And so this is what Solomon is
expressing here. And this is the conclusion that
we make at this section. But now we revisit the temple,
so we come back to First Kings chapter seven.
Look at verse 13. We come to the temple
furnishings. This is the.
Last touch on the Temple before Kings chapter eight First Kings
8, where we have the dedication of the temple.
But interestingly we're introduced to a new character in
our study and it's found here in verse 13 of Chapter 7.
And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram Hiram from Tyre.
And look at the description of this man, because this is not
the same Hiram that he had an alliance with.
This is not the king of Tyre. How do we know that?
Verse 14, He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali,
and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze, and he
was full of wisdom, understanding and skill for
making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did
all his work. You have another prophetic
picture here, one that's built upon the relationship that King
Hiram had with David. Because King Hiram from Tyre is
Tyre a place in Israel? No, it's what the place in
Lebanon, right? And now you have a Lebanese, at
least half Lebanese, half Lebanese, half Jew.
That's being sent from Hiram Solomon accepted his workmanship
to work on the House of God. Here's the prophetic picture yet
again. We're receiving a foreshadowing
of a temple to come where Jew and Gentile will be part of you,
me, the Church of Jesus Christ. Not to work on this temple
necessarily, but to actually make up the Temple, Jew and
Gentile. I mean, think about this.
Think about the relationship the Jews had with the Gentiles.
And in the crowning glory work of the nation of Israel, you
have a Gentile participating in it.
That can't be about anything but a nudge for the future of what's
going to be realized in the New Covenant.
But with this prophetic picture, you got a practical lesson here.
I read this and I thought to myself, why do I need to know
this? Why do I need to know that here
I'm from Tyre was the son of a widow.
OK, Jew Gentile. I get it.
That's exciting. I'm.
I'm reading the Old Testament. I understand what Jesus is doing
today, what he promised he would do in building his church and
keeping his church. But we're told here that he was
the son of a widow. It's very simple I think.
Just get get a little. Insight into this man's history.
Being in a family where you didn't have a father, would it
be easy or hard at this time? Very hard, very challenging.
It would be challenging today if you lost a loved one, if you
lost a parent. And yet, with the difficulty and
the challenges that this young man must have faced in life,
we're also told that he was a very dedicated, hard working,
accomplished man. He was full of wisdom, full of
wisdom, understanding skill, of making any work in bronze.
So this man didn't allow the challenges, the disappointments
in life, to distract him to the degree that he did not identify
his gifting. What he believed his purpose was
he. Was what he was full of wisdom
that's given by somebody. It's given by God.
And here's this individual who knew pain, but he didn't allow
that pain to paralyze him. Unfortunately, you have some,
and I'm not discrediting or nor am I diminishing the pain that
some of us have felt in life, the loss of someone, the loss of
something. But there are some people who
are wallowing in their past, wallowing in their past, and
they have literally gone virtually nowhere since that
significant event in life. They're in the same place and
they wallow and they reflect on that.
And they're triggered by certain things, certain times of the
year, and they just relapse, whether that be in sin or in
depression or whatever the case be.
And again, I don't want to sound insensitive here, but I want you
to look at an example from this man.
Here was somebody who did not allow a tragedy in his life to
suck the hope out of him or to crush the zest in life.
Because here's the point out of this.
When you look at this and you read this, you have to
understand that whatever suffering you and I endure, it
does not disqualify us from the Lord using US.
Isn't this God still has a purpose for you.
He still has something ahead for you.
Yes, things happen in your life that perhaps you would wish
would be different. But you have to understand here
that if you're not careful, you can buy into the line the
temptation that life is over. There's no point of existing.
I'm just going to cruise along. And that would be wrong.
You have to be careful with that because you can miss out on so
much more what you have believed was taken from you or that you
lost. This man was a hard worker.
This man had a gift. This man exercised that gift.
And what I love about his story is that he clearly had a
reputation because he ROM recommended him.
King Huron recommended him and sent him to Solomon.
Think about this. This is so exciting.
You have this man who is half Jew, have Gentile living away
from Israel and he's just, he's just doing his thing.
He's creating, he's putting things together and he's working
in obscurity and all of a sudden a knock comes to his door.
King Solomon requires you. They are building a house for
the God of Israel and they are asking for you to be the project
manager. So I believe this man was
faithful. I believe this man in Hiddenness
was. Excellent in his work.
And the Lord called for him. That's amazing to me, that that
blesses my heart. So yes, this man had a painful
past, perhaps a difficult life maybe, but he was someone who
was focused, who was someone who understood that he still had a
purpose in life. And God saw this man, recruited
this man, promoted this man, and use this man to be part of one
of the most fascinating projects in human history.
Don't be paralyzed in your pain yet.
Don't be. Don't reflect on the past so
much where it's like driving and looking in the rear of your
mirror. You're bound to get into some
accident at some point. And if you're a Christ follower,
keep. Your eyes on him realize that
you're still here means he still has something for you.
And more than that, he's able to recycle that pain and that
suffering and utilize it for his glory.
So now we're introduced to this man and then we're told in great
length what projects he was a part of works of bronze.
And so you're there, right? You're looking at it and you're
just like this is a, this is a lot to take in and it is.
But what helps in my personal study is I tried to look for
separation of thoughts. And then I remove those sections
in my Bible and I separate them, maybe even mark it sometimes.
And I say, OK, this is one section, this is another part.
So they're they're more digestible.
And So what you have here in the beginning is Hiram building 2
pillars. The there are two pillars of
bronze. And then in verse 23 he builds
the sea of cast metal. And then in verse 27 you read
that he makes these ten stands of bronze.
And then in verse 38 you read that he builds these bases of
bronze that would be on these stands.
So really, all these verses summarized 4 projects in
essence, and then at the end you get a summary of the other
things that he's accomplished. But let's look here from verse
15 down to verse 22. I won't read all of it, but
let's summarize it. In verse 21, he builds these two
bronze pillars. He set up the pillars at the
vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the
South and called its name Yaquin.
That's the Hebrew pronunciation. And he set up the pillar on the
north and called its name Boaz. And on the tops of the pillars
was Lilywork. Thus the work of the pillars was
finished. Now we're told that these
pillars again were placed at the front, the entrance of the
structure that the House of God. They weren't necessarily
supporting anything, they were more decorative.
Again, everything that was built in the temple was designed and
blueprinted from heaven. This is not left to subjective
artistic interpretation. God asked for every single
detail to be done the way he desired, including these
pillars. So God desire that these pillars
would be named. You heard this at the
conference. If you're at the conference a
few months ago, I wonder if anybody remembers the names, the
meaning of the names of Jakin or Yakin and Boaz.
Very good, he will establish. Jack Kane means he will
establish. And Boaz, yes, he is.
Swift is a definition of it, and many people believe that.
Another way of understanding Boaz is in him is strength.
So you're not wrong there, Anna as well.
So many believe that. One of the ways I understand the
name Boaz, especially in this context, is in him, is strength.
And with that you have his partner, his twin, in him or he
shall establish. So that is kind of the message
of these billboards, these towering pillars.
When you would come to the House of God, you would notice, oh,
there's He will establish, and there is in him his.
Strength. That's what you're confronted
with right? As you stand in the shadow of
these awesome objects, and they were meant to say something
about the temple. The temple was established by
God, and the temple will be sustained by God.
Not just the temple, but the Davidic dynasty.
Remember those that promise for generational authority and rule
and reign, He will establish and he will.
In him there is strength. That's what you would see.
But there's also a personal application to this.
You know, many times in scriptures, certain individuals
were referred to as pillars. Even in Jeremiah chapter one, to
comfort this young prophet, the Lord tells him, I'm going to
make you an iron pillar. And all these people that try to
oppose you, they're going to deal with somebody as stubborn
and as strong as an iron pillar. You read even in Revelation that
the Lord promises that those who overcome will be pillars in the
House of God. And so there's something even
about these pillars that's supposed to.
Convey a personal message, and I believe the message is this,
that as you would come to the House of God, at least at this
time in history, you would realize in the House of God, I
will know establishment, I will know God's strength.
If those resources of those spiritual blessings were true in
the old covenant isn't not more true in the better covenant, the
covenant that you and I are enjoying, that I I know you're
spiritual. I know and I know you're so
strong. You're so wonderful.
The Lord speaks to you all the time, and you can you can just
coast through this life and float.
And everybody's blessed when they just get a touch of the
fringe of your garment. I get it.
But you will not know a level of establishing.
You will not know a level of grace and strength unless you
know a relationship with the House of God.
You won't. No matter how high you think you
are, no matter what you know, no matter what you discover, no
matter how great your personal walk with the Lord is.
There is a blessing reserved within the sphere of God's
house. Every time I walk in here on a
Wednesday night, every time I come here like tonight on a
Friday, every time I walk here on a Sunday without anything
even, but just the presence of God's people, I know strength.
Now here's my family. I'm not alone in this walk.
Yeah, in this crazy world, there are other people here who love
God. And then we sing together.
And there I am standing in the front, just having your voices
cascading. And I hear the truths being
proclaimed in song. And we're fulfilling Colossians
teaching one another the things of Christ.
The things are the gospel. Are you not strengthened in the
House of God? I hope so.
I hope that this place provides that kind of sense of fortitude.
It should. That's the design of the House
of God. And it's a it's it's a counter
work when the House of God becomes a place where our
strength is. Depleted and there's lack of
stability and reliability on one another.
When the pulpit is no longer faithful with the word of God
that then things get get crazy. But that's the message of these
pillars. That's what you would see when
you would walk in And then you come here and you read something
else. This is quite amazing.
You read here in verse 23 of this sea of cast of metal.
Let's read it together. Then he made the sea of cast
metal it was. Round 10 cubits from brim to
brim and five cubits high and a line of 30 cubits measured in
circumference. Under its brim were gourds for
10 cubits, compassing the sea all around.
The gourds were in two rows cast with it.
When it was cast it stood on 12 oxen, 3 facing north, three
facing West, three facing South and three facing east.
The sea was set on them and all their rear parts were inward.
Its thickness was a hand breath, and its brim was made like the
brim of a cup, like the flower of a Lily.
It held 2000 baths. You know what that measurement
is? Most people estimate around
12,000 gallons of water. That's a lot of water.
And so it was built. You saw the image.
If you remember taking snapshots with your memory, it's like this
pool. It's like this giant bowl.
It had a lip and it had these. These bulls, right.
That is sat on three facing each direction.
We won't talk about the bulls. But here's my question to you.
What do you think the purpose of this was?
Was it decorative? Merely?
I wasn't like the pillars. There was a functional purpose
behind them. Any idea?
Ceremonial cleansing? Yes, actually.
Here's a key verse and understand.
This Bible studies. We come to a close at a moment.
It's in Second Chronicles Chapter 4, verse 6 where you're
told the exact reason why this thing was made.
And not just this thing, but the bases that we're going to read
about in a moment. So here's why This sea
appropriate word of cast metal was created by the Lord and
through His servants. It says here in Second
Chronicles 46A. Parallel count to this.
He also made 10 bases in which to watch.
That's what we're going to. Read in a moment.
And set five on the South side and five on the north side.
And these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt
offering. Now here's what's the purpose of
this cast metal of the sea. And the sea was for the priest
to wash in. So this pool of water was
dedicated for the cleansing, the outward cleansing of the
priesthood minister in the House of God.
How that was done practically, I'm not sure.
We're not told of a ladder. I'm not sure if there was little
things there. Maybe some even believe that out
of the mouth of the the, the bulls there, they were able to
rinse off. We're not told exactly why, but
we just know that they were to wash here regularly, daily.
And you look at this and you think to yourself, OK, well
that's the purpose of it, but what's the significance for me?
Well, here's what it gets really interesting.
Is this sea of cast metal? Is this unique to the temple?
Think of some of the artifacts, the structures of the
Tabernacle. Was there anything that served
the same purpose in the Tabernacle, the basin?
Right. So there was a Laver that was
available to wash. So you would walk into the
Tabernacle, not the temple, and you see this altar.
And then behind the altar you would see this Laver.
And it was also intended to wash in.
And now you come to the temple and you have something that's
serving the same purpose, the much more grand, much more
spectacular. This is the temple, right?
And they were also to wash in this as well.
And when you think about this even further, you wonder, well,
what were they supposed to wash? Anybody.
Anybody know what they were supposed to wash here when they
would come to this place? Well, if you want the reference,
you can turn there in your own time.
It's an Exodus 30, verse 18 and 19.
This is about the purpose of the Laver in the Tabernacle, the
former structure, not the new one.
In the labor, they would, the Bible says very specifically,
they would wash their what? They would wash their hands.
They would wash their hands and their feet.
That's in verse 19. So they would wash their hands
and their feet. This is what the priest had to
do regularly whenever they would enter into their service.
But this was not the only washing that the priest
experienced as priests, as ministers.
This was the regular ongoing washing that they would have to
participate in. But there was an initial
washing. There was a one time washing
that any priest who entered into service in the House of God had
to undergo. And it's not here.
It's an Exodus 29 verse four. We're told there that upon the
ordination of the priest, they were to be washed.
And this washing is not like the washing of the Laver and of the
sea of cast metal. This was a shower, so you were
washed from head to toe. You were washed from head to toe
when you entered into service. When you're consecrated to the
Lord, you were cleansed from top to bottom.
But that was a one time thing. The regular washing was that of
your hands and feet. Does this language sound
familiar? No.
Yes, there was a one time washing and then the priests
have to go through a regular washing.
What did Jesus tell the disciples in the upper room in
John 13 when he began to wash their feet?
Peter, like Peter would. Oh, don't wash me, Lord, you
can't do it. If you don't let me wash, you
have no part of me. Then he goes on to say in John
1310 that you've all been cleansed.
You've all been washed, except for your what?
Your feet? What is he?
Speaking about that, he's speaking about the one washing
that you and I experience upon salvation.
It's the washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
That's a language that Paul uses.
In Titus 3/5, you and I, when we got saved, we experienced the
washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
Do you need that more than once? I hope not.
You don't need to be saved more than once.
You don't need to be washed by that regenerating power more
than once. That's an initial thing.
That's the thing that consecrates you.
That's the thing that takes you. From a revel.
To what? A chosen people?
Our royal priesthood, right? But Jesus tells the disciples in
the upper room. But you still need to be washed.
You still need to be washed. You need to allow me to wash
your feet. As you walk in this world,
you're going to accumulate dust and dirt and little pebbles and
your toes, So you need to be washed.
And that's speaking about sanctification.
And I see that beautifully here in the picture of the priests.
They were washed when they were consecrated unto the Lord, but
when they walked into the service of the Lord regularly.
They needed to undergo washing. At that time it was through the
sea of the cast Meadow. What's the object of washing in
your life and mine now? The Word of God.
The word of God. Ephesians 5 uses the language of
being washed with the word, wash with the word.
And like the priest may suggest to you that that's a daily
washing. Yeah, that's a daily washing.
You know why it's important? Because if the priest didn't
wash, eventually they would disqualify themselves.
They would disqualify themselves from service.
The one means that God provided for the priest was this sea of
cast metal that was the only thing that was designed and
ordained by God for them to be cleansed, preparing them for
service. The one means by which you and I
are washed and made ready as vessels for the masters use is
the word of God. You can't afford to not allow
the word to wash you. Yes, you had a one time washing.
That's not enough. You don't need any more for
salvation, but you do need it for service.
You want to be used by God. You need a close relationship
with the word of God. Listen, this is so important.
It's not just the pastor's job to know the word of God.
Worship leaders, worshippers. You need to know the word of
God. You need to know the word of
God. Sunday school teachers, those
who volunteer in any capacity. You as a Christian, you need the
word of God. All of us as priests have the
same demand placed upon us that we have to come and allow the
word to rinse our hands and our feet as we walk through this
world. There is no other way for you to
be cleansed and made ready for the masters use.
No, no, no sitting down in your room for 15 minutes and plugging
in emotional worship. Music is not the same as letting
the Word to cleanse you. Get in the Bible.
Let it renew you. You may not even get it, but
understand that apart from it you're not going to be cleansed.
You will understand it, but understand the supernatural
force of the scriptures. God has designed this thing for
you and I to know a renewing and on top of that renewing a
preparing. For the work of the Lord, I got
that out of my system and so this is what it was used for,
correct? But now notice this in verse 27.
He also made ten stands of bronze.
Each stand was 4 cubits long, 4 cubits wide, and three cubits
high. Pause.
Do you remember the image? Did you see it?
They were like these little carts.
They're on the South side and the north side.
Let's continue reading. This was the construction of the
stands. They had panels, and the panels
were set in frames, in the frames.
And on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen,
and cherubim. On the frames both above and
below the lines and the oxygen, there were wreaths and beveled
work. Moreover, each stand had four
bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners
were supports for a basin. The.
Supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each.
Its opening was within a crown that projected upward 1 cubit.
Its opening was round as a pedestal is made a cubit and a
half deep at its opening. There were crave carvings or
yes, carvings and it's panels were square not round and the
four wheels were underneath the panels.
The axles of the wheels were on one piece with the stands and
the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.
The wheels were made like a chariot wheel.
Their axles, their rims, their spokes and their hubs were all
cast. There were four supports at the
four corners of each stand. The supports were one piece with
the stands and on top of the stand there was a round band
half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand it stays and
it's panels were one piece with it and on the surfaces of it
stays it stays and on its panels he carved cherubim, lions and
palm trees according to the space of each with wreaths all
around. After this manner he made ten
stands. All of them were cast alike of
the same measure and the same for God loves details.
That was a mouthful, wasn't it? It's a lot of information about
these stands that have no relevance to our immediate
context. And every time I come to a text
like this that demands a lot of attention and reading into these
little details, I just remind myself this one truth.
God, you care about the details of that which reflects you that
that has been consecrated until you care about every detail,
every time, whether it's a Tabernacle or the temple.
I I come to this truth. If you care about these things
in the House of Worship, then. I am your House of worship
today. I am the temple of the Holy
Spirit, so to speak. You care about every detail
here. Every detail.
God cares more than just you making sure you don't sleep in
on Sunday and get here and stay awake during the sermon.
That's not your Christian existence.
Every single detail of you and I ought to be consecrated and
beautified to reflect. Him verse 38.
And he made 10 basins of bronze. So now these basins were to be
placed on these stands and they were portable, right?
They can be moved around. Now, what's the purpose of these
basins? Each basin held 40 baths.
Each basin measured 4 cubits, and there was a basin for each
of the 10 stands. So I asked you the question,
what was the function of the sea of cast metal?
We concluded it was to what? To wash the priest regularly.
Now my question is this, what was the purpose of these 10
basins? I'll give you a hint.
It was in the same verse. That we were told about the
purpose of the sea of cast metal.
Very good. So you if you need to see it for
yourself, it's in Second Chronicles 46 again and we can
read it again just so make sure we're saying the truth here.
It says here in that verse, he also made 10 bases in which to
wash, OK, wash what? And set five on the South side
and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off
what was used for the burnt offering.
Specific sacrifice. A glorious sacrifice.
The sacrifice that required every single piece of that beast
to be placed on the altar and for it to be swallowed up by
flames and to create an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
OK, so the the burnt offerings were supposed to be.
Washed in preparation before they were sacrificed.
How were they washed? And is that question even
important? How were the burnt offerings
washed? Well, it is important if you see
the prophetic significance of sacrifices in the Old Testament,
Who is the ultimate picture of the sacrifices?
Jesus Christ. So it is important if there is
answers to these questions, I want to know them because I want
to see how it points to my Lord. I don't want just a history
lesson, I want to know what this says about Christ.
So does anybody have any idea? And if you.
Can get this I will give you an imaginary medal.
How were the burnt offerings washed or what?
Details are we given concerning how the animals in preparation
for the burnt offerings, were washed.
OK, let me let me add it. Add this detail or add this
question rather. Out of all the books of the Old
Testament, what book would describe how these sacrifices
were to be washed? It's OK.
OK, that's a good guess. Not necessarily so, but that
would make sense in some, in a way of imagination.
Because you think, OK, the whole thing is being sacrificed, maybe
the whole thing needs to be watched.
Yes, it's not Joshua, it is Leviticus.
And in Leviticus chapter one, the introduction of the whole
book, you're being told about how to give a burnt offering.
And you're even told in Leviticus One how a burnt
offering was to be repaired in washing before it was
sacrificed. And that's where you're going to
get the insight about why and how these things were used.
OK, so Leviticus One people already turning there.
I love that. Yes, go there.
You don't need permission. Go ahead.
Leviticus, Chapter one. And if you want the verse, look
at verse nine. Oh, we can begin in verse 8.
Let's go to verse. Eight And Aaron's sons, the
priest shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood
that is on the fire on the altar.
This is about the burnt offering, and in verse 9.
But it's entrails and it's legs he shall wash with water, and
the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt
offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
So the two components of that animal that were to be washed
with water entrails the stuff inside.
And the legs? The process is not told, but we
trust that the Lord gave them the insight about how they were
to be cleansed. I think about that, OK.
Out of all the things of the burnt offering, which ultimately
points to the person of Jesus Christ who became a pleasing
aroma to the Lord, The two things that were to be cleansed,
so to speak, that were to be purified, that were to symbolize
cleanness, so that it can be without spot or blemish in its
totality, are what? The entrails.
Where are those things found? They're inside.
Are they hidden? Yeah.
Before you cut it open, they're hidden, The entrails.
And then the what? The legs.
Are those internal? No, they're external.
Right. And So what you have here is a
picture of a purification that took place from the inside and
from the outside. And when you think about how
these sacrifices point to the Lord Jesus Christ, you get a
truth concerning the extent and the totality of his purity.
The Lord was not just pure in the way He.
Walked The Lord was not just pure in the way he.
Lived. The Lord was pure.
From the inside out. He did not send in his thoughts.
He did not send in his affections.
He did not send in his ambitions.
He did not send in his reactions.
He did not send in his meditations.
He did not send in his motives. He was completely pure inside
and outside. Because of that total inward and
outward cleansing, he was indeed a pleasing aroma to the Father
and a complete and worthy sacrifice for all time.
So who would have thought that in First Kings Chapter 7 and
Leviticus chapter one you would get a gospel truth?
That's the glory of the Bible study of the Old Testament.
And so these basins would be used to cleanse these parts of
the burnt offering. And then we come.
Here to this next part. We'll skip a few verses and go
to verse 40 as we get a summary of Hiram's work.
We're told Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the
basins. So Hiram finished all the work
that he did for King Solomon on the House of the Lord.
And here's the description of what he did.
The two pillars. The two bowls of the capitals
that are on top of the pillars. And the two latest works to
cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the
pillars and the 400 pomegranates in the 200 latest works. 2 rows
of pomegranates for each latest work to cover the two bowls of
the capitals that were on the pillars.
The 10 stands and the 10 basins on the stands and the 1C in the
12 oxen underneath the C And then it goes on to speak about
different things that he had built and how he built.
It. Verse 46 tells us where he built
it. Verse 48 tells us what Solomon
also made. So Solomon made all the vessels
that were in the House of the Lord, the golden altar, the
golden table for the bread of the presents, the lamp stands of
pure gold, 5 on the South side, 5 on the north before the inner
sanctuary, the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold.
The cup snuffers bases, dishes of incest, and fire, pans of the
pure gold, and the sockets of gold for the doors of the
innermost part of the house the most.
Holy place. And for the doors of the nave of
the temple. And here's the exciting part.
Here's where we're ending. I'm just going to read it Thus.
All the work that King Solomon did on the House of the Lord was
finished. Solomon brought in the things
that David, his father, had dedicated, the silver, the gold
and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the House
of the Lord. I love how David is mentioned
here at the end of this chapter. He could not participate in the
direct construction of this place, His heart so long to be
somewhat involved, and so he dedicated things and prepared
things, and his heart's desire to honor the Lord outlived him.
He's gone. David is long gone.
David was buried, but we see what he did in his life went
beyond his life and in some sense touched another generation
and blessed another generation. That could be true of you and I.
We can serve the Lord and we are not in control of that.
But our prayers can outlive us. Our efforts here can outlive us
with our children and that the lives that we touch here, the
younger disciples in this house, younger brothers and sisters,
you never know what your heart forgot today will affect
tomorrow. You never know that and you
can't determine that. Oftentimes God will not show
that and he has many reasons for that.
But I just love how David is mentioned here.
And what we're going to enter into now is though everything
was put into place, though everything was awesome.
There was something that was needed and that was the presence
of God. Let's pray we do thank you Lord,
that with a lengthy and heavy text like this we can sense the
tender voice of the shepherd. And we thank you, Lord, for this
house on Friday nights that is filled with students who are
eager to understand the whole council of God.
And we thank you, Lord, that you're.
Word is for all time, and the grass will wither, the flower of
fade, but the word of the Lord will endure forever.
We thank you that in our hands we have the complete and
necessary revelation of who you are.
And we thank you, Lord, that through these times together,
not only are they in our hands, they get into our hearts and we
pray that they would be lived out.
And we pray that we would reflect the master who was pure
inwardly and outwardly. Lord, we want to be completely
holy. And Lord, we know that holiness
is not a scary word. It is a blessing to live a holy
life. And we know that the desire for
holiness comes from you, because before that we did not want it.
Lord, for those who might be paralyzed in their suffering, be
paralyzed from their past, and they see this example in Hiram
as an inspiration to believe that you have a future for them.
For those here who might be flirting with compromise and
they don't see the price tag yet, may they not have to see
the price tag before they repent and know from your word that
they are not mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Renounce their sin and turn to you and live for your glory.
May those who might understand the truth of the word, but not
convinced that it satisfies and are consumed with personal
projects and dreams and ideas that are temporal.
Lord, may they see that although those things are not necessarily
wrong, Lord, to participate in anything apart you of being the
priority is an idol. Help us, Lord, Guide us Lord, We
seek you now as we worship You. In Jesus name.
Amen. Amen.