|
  CLICK
TO SEE VIDEO
"David commanded to
gather together the aliens who were in the land of
Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones
for building the house of God. David also provided great
stores of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and
for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond
weighing, and cedar timbers without number - for the
Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar
to David. For David said, "Solomon my son is young and
inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the
LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory
throughout all lands; I will therefore make preparation
for it." So David provided materials in great quantity
before his death.
Then he called for
Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for the
LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, "My son,
I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the
LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you
shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed
so much blood before me upon the earth. Behold, a son
shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace. I will
give him peace from all his enemies round about; for his
name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to
Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name.
He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will
establish his royal throne in Israel for ever.' Now, my
son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in
building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken
concerning you. Only, may the LORD grant you discretion
and understanding, that when he gives you charge over
Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then
you will prosper if you are careful to observe the
statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded
Moses for Israel. Be strong, and of good courage. Fear
not; be not dismayed. With great pains I have provided
for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of
gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron
beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and
stone too I have provided. To these you must add. You
have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons,
carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number,
skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise
and be doing! The LORD be with you!"
David also commanded all
the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
"Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given
you peace on every side? For he has delivered the
inhabitants of the land into my hand - and the land is
subdued before the LORD and his people. Now set your mind
and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the
sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the
covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be
brought into a house built for the name of the
LORD."
|
|
After his father
died, Solomon began to build the Temple in the
second month (May) 982 B.C. (in the fourth year
of his reign.) 7,600,000 pounds of gold,
75,600,000 pounds of silver, 7,600,000 pounds of
iron, precious jewels without number, cedar and
quarried stone were all used by 30,000
Israelites and 153,600 aliens, in the
construction of the Temple.
|
|
Two pillars
stood on the Temple platform. One was called
Jachin (Sustainer), the other was called Boaz
(Smiter.) They were 6 feet in diameter and 27
feet high. II Chronicles 3:15.
The stones were
hewn from a quarry and brought to the Temple:
The stone was finished at the quarry, so that no
hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in
the Temple while it was being built. (1 Kings
6:7)
|
|
The Temple was
completed in the eighth month (November) 975 B.C. The
total construction time was 7 1/2 years. (I King's 6:38)
The following year (974 B.C.) at the October feast of
Tabernacles, Solomon began the dedication ( in the year
of Jubilee.) God's promised increase of the harvest
lasted three years (Leviticus 25:21) and after the
October feast of Tabernacles in 971 B.C., Solomon's
dedication was over.
THE
TEMPLE SITE
On
the Temple site is a large rock 58 feet by 51
feet called Rock Moriah. This is the site where
Abraham offered Isaac and was part of the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (Araunah)
purchased by David for 600 shekels of gold.
David called the place "the House of the Lord
God" and designated the Rock as the place for
the burnt offering of Israel .... IChronicles
21,22
|
|
The ALTAR was made of wood
plated with brass and was 30 feet square and 15 feet
high.
The Levite
Orchestra
The LAVER or molten sea
for the Priests to wash in was 15 feet in diameter and 7
1/2 feet high. It held 10,000 gallons of water in a
reservoir. The Laver sat on a base of 12 oxen, 3 facing
in each direction, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel II
Chronicles 4:10. Smaller lavers with wheels carried the
water from the large Laver (Molten Sea) to various
locations to wash the burnt offerings.
Ten
lampstands of gold were placed ( five on each side ) in
front of the Holy of Holies ... 2 Chron 4:7, 1Kings
7:49 ...
|
NO
IMAGES OR IDOLS
|
Inside the Holy
of Holies, beyond the curtain, is the dwelling
place of God, symbolized by a wooden box plated
with gold containing the ten commandments. The
lid of the box was solid gold, and was called
"The Mercy Seat." Two cherubim were carved on
the box with their wings touching, forming a
triangle. Inside this triangle there is no
material representation of God because God is a
Spirit, and not to be represented by images or
idols.
|
|
On Good
Friday at 3:00 P.M., the curtain which
separated the Holy Place from the Holy of
Holies was torn from top to bottom,
signifying direct access to God is now
available to us.
|
|
The Great Arabian Incense
Road
When
frankincense and myrrh (bdellium) first came into general
use in the ancient world is obscure, but the trade of
these items was intimately tied up with two things: the
establishment of the Arabian incense (spice) route and
the domestication of the camel. During the heyday of the
incense road, huge camel caravans trudged up and down the
entire length of the Arabian Peninsula, carrying precious
spices and other commodities to the temples, courts, and
markets of the north.
Thus came the Queen of
Sheba to King Solomon's court carrying (by camel)
gold, precious stones, and spices (1 Kings 10:1-13). "And
she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold,
and of spices of very great store, and precious stones;
there came no more such abundance of spices as these
which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon" (1 Kings
10:10).
The Queen of Sheba
came from Marib (ancient Mariaba, now part of Yemen), the
great and prosperous caravan city which was the capital
of the ancient Kingdom of the Sabaeans (Saba means the
biblical Sheba). Marib was on the ancient trade route,
which began in the south along the Gulf of Aden, and
which continued northward past Marib and Najran, then to
Abha, Bisha, and Mecca . From Mecca the old incense road
split, with its western route going to Jordan, Israel,
and Egypt and its eastern route going past the Mahd adh
Dhahab gold mines (stopping at Bir Madid, the "well of
the mines"), northeast to the Wadi Rimah, down the wadi
to Buraydah, and then along the Wadi al Batin (Pishon
River) to Mesopotamia. From the land of Havilah and along
the Pishon River, the bdellium (from Yemen), the onyx
(from the Wadi al Aqiq- Mahd adh Dhabab area), and the
gold (from Mahd adh Dhabab) could have been brought to
Mesopotamia, as is suggested by Gen. 2:11-12.
|
