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You can turn in your Bibles to 
First Kings, Chapter 6. First Kings, Chapter 6. Last time, two weeks ago, we 
looked at chapter 5, the preparation to build the temple. Tonight, 
we'll actually see the building of the temple. The larger context, 
1 Kings chapter 1 and 2 is the rise of Solomon. Chapters 3 to 
11 is the reign of Solomon. And specifically here in chapters 
5 to 7, Solomon builds the temple. And then in chapter 8, Solomon 
dedicates the temple. So I'll just begin reading in 
chapter 6 at verse 1. And it came to pass in the four 
hundredth 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 of Ziv, which is the second month 
that he began to build the house of the Lord. Now the house which 
King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was 60 cubits, its 
width 20, and its height 30 cubits. The vestibule in front of the 
sanctuary of the house was 20 cubits long across the width 
of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended 10 cubits 
from the front of the house. And he made for the house windows 
with beveled frames. Against the wall of the temple 
he built chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, 
all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he 
made side chambers all around it. The lowest chamber was five 
cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was 
seven cubits wide. For he made narrow ledges around 
the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would 
not be fastened into the walls of the temple. And the temple, 
when it was being built, was built with stone finished at 
the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was 
heard in the temple while it was being built. The doorway 
for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They 
went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to 
the third. So he built the temple and finished 
it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. 
And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five 
cubits high. They were attached to the temple 
with cedar beams. Then the word of the Lord came 
to Solomon, saying, Concerning this temple which you are building, 
if you walk in my statutes, execute my judgments, keep all my commandments, 
and walk in them, then I will perform my word with you, which 
I spoke to your father David, and I will dwell among the children 
of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon 
built the temple and finished it. And he built the inside walls 
of the temple with cedar boards. From the floor of the temple 
to the ceiling, he paneled the inside with wood. And he covered 
the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. Then he built 
the 20-cubit room at the rear of the temple from floor to ceiling 
with cedar boards. He built it inside as the inner 
sanctuary, as the most holy place. And in front of it, the temple 
sanctuary was 40 cubits long. The inside of the temple was 
cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was 
cedar. There was no stone to be seen. And he prepared the inner sanctuary 
inside the temple to set the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord 
there. The inner sanctuary was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, 
and 20 cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold 
and overlaid the altar of cedar. So Solomon overlaid the inside 
of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across 
the front of the inner sanctuary and overlaid it with gold. The 
whole temple he overlaid with gold until he had finished all 
the temple. Also he overlaid with gold the 
entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary. Inside the inner 
sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each 10 cubits 
high. One wing of the cherub was five 
cubits and the other wing of the cherub five cubits, 10 cubits 
from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. The other cherub 
was 10 cubits. Both cherubim were of the same 
size and shape. The height of one cherub was 
10 cubits, and so was the other cherub. Then he set the cherubim 
inside the inner room, and they stretched out the wings of the 
cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and 
the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall, and their 
wings touched each other in the middle of the room. Also, he 
overlaid the cherubim with gold. Then he carved all the walls 
of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, 
with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 
And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the 
inner and outer sanctuaries. For the entrance of the inner 
sanctuary he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and doorposts 
were one-fifth of the wall. The two doors were of olive wood, 
and he carved on them figures of cherubim. palm trees and open 
flowers and overlaid them with gold. And he spread gold on the 
cherubim and on the palm trees. So for the door of the sanctuary, 
he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. And the two doors were of cypress 
wood. Two panels comprised one folding 
door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. Then 
he carved cherubim, palm trees, and opened flowers on them, and 
overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work. And 
he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and 
a row of cedar beams. In the fourth year, the foundation 
of the house of the Lord was laid in the month of Ziv. And 
in the 11th year, in the month of Bul, which is in the eighth 
month, the house was finished in all its details and according 
to all its plans. So he was seven years in building 
it. Amen. Now certainly this is a 
passage I would believe Doug Lutain would be interested in. 
The architecture, the design, the makeup, the various articles 
that went into the building of the temple. Some of us or some 
persons might read through this and think it's just a bunch of 
sort of mundane details that aren't very interesting to other 
than the architecturally minded. It's kind of like those home 
shows. For whatever reason, people like to watch those and see the 
details and see all the ins and outs and all of the particulars 
that go into the building or construction of a particular 
home. And that's what's going on here. I think that as Solomon 
is building the temple, obviously he's using builders, but as the 
author is relating this to us, it is to display God's glory 
It is to display His worth, His majesty, and His excellence. And I think we'll see that as 
we move through the passage tonight. As well, most of the Israelites 
would never get a peek inside the temple. They would never 
be allowed into the holy place of the Holy of Holies. And so 
this description would speak to the Israelites. They would 
be able, in a sense, to have an understanding of the layout 
and the construction and what was going on with reference to 
the worship of the God of Israel. Well, as we look at this particular 
chapter, we're not going to go through all of the particular 
parts. and all of the details concerning the construction. 
Some of it is a bit ambiguous to those of us who are far removed, 
but I think we can learn certain lessons. And I think there's 
three things or three ways that the chapter breaks down. In the 
first place, we have the construction of the exterior of the temple 
in verses 1 to 10. Secondly, the emphasis on obedience 
to the law of God in verses 11 to 13, and then the construction 
of the interior of the temple in verses 14 to 38. But note 
in the first place, with reference to the exterior, before The author 
gets into the description in verses 2 to 10. He sets it in 
its historical context. He sets it in the covenantal 
context, I think, to highlight God's faithfulness. Notice in 
verse 1, it came to pass in the 480th 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 of Ziv, which 
is the second month that he began to build the house of the Lord. 
This is an obvious reference to the exodus that occurred when 
God delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt. There's 
connection between that event and this event. They're two mighty 
acts of God. In the first place, God provides 
deliverance. He provides freedom to the people 
of Israel. In this instance, God provides 
stability. God provides permanence. They 
move from that place of wandering with a tabernacle that was very 
transient to their own land, their own place in the land, 
and now this central sanctuary. Now Solomon began his reign in 
971 BC. So he started construction on 
the temple in 966 BC. If we subtract 480 years, that 
puts us back at the Exodus. 1446 BC. Look at Exodus chapter 12 for 
just a moment to see something of a historical summary concerning 
the Exodus itself. Similar to what we find here 
concerning the temple. In Exodus chapter 12 at verse 
40, now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt 
was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end 
of the 430 years, on that very same day, it came to pass that 
all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. I think it's interesting for 
us to understand or at least observe God's timing. This is 
a long period of time that Israel was in bondage. They were 430 
years. And they were then 480 years until they had this temple, until they 
had this permanent place. God is faithful to his promises. Remember back in Genesis chapter 
12, he promises Abraham that he would have a land. In 2 Samuel 
7, God promised that a son of God, a son of David, would build 
a house for the Lord. Now, a lot of time transpires, 
but God's faithfulness is realized. And we need to understand that 
His ways are sure, but they're not always instant. Whether you 
are in the bondage in Egypt, or you're wandering around through 
the wilderness, worshiping at a temporary shrine, you can realize 
and know of a truth that God is faithful. He will make good 
on His promises. And that's so much of what the 
Old Testament communicates to us. Obviously, the New does as 
well because it fulfills what was promised concerning the Lord 
Jesus, and in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His 
Son. I think one of the temptations or the tendencies of God's people 
is to want to rush God. We want to put Him on our time 
clock. We want Him to perform or to 
answer our prayers in a suitable manner, suitable to us and not 
necessarily to Him. So for 480 years these people 
were wanderers, now they have permanence, now they have stability. Davis says that one could say, 
here, the exodus was now complete. Yahweh had not only intended 
to save Israel, but to settle Israel. It's a beautiful thing. 
He shows himself as the God who both delivers and establishes. Now go back to 2 Samuel 7. You'll 
see this stated by God and fleshed out here in the building of the 
temple. Notice that in chapter 7, I know 
we refer to this often because it's so crucial and fundamental 
and foundational to all of these narratives, but notice in 2 Samuel 
chapter 7, God rehearses the fact that he himself was transient 
along with his pilgrim people. Notice in verse 6, well, the 
context. David, sitting in David's palace, 
is musing on the fact that he dwells in a house full of cedar, 
but the Ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. And so David wants 
to build a house for God. He asks Nathan, Nathan approves 
it. When Nathan goes to God, God says, no, it's not going 
to be David. And so God now communicates to 
Nathan his plan, his purpose, his procedure with reference 
to this temple building exercise. Verse 6, For I have not dwelt 
in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel 
up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent 
and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with 
all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone 
from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people 
Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar? 
It's a blessed thing concerning our God. He comes to dwell with 
His people. If they are not permanent, if 
they are not stable in the land, then He neither will be either. 
He will be transient alongside of His people. He will be in 
that tabernacle where His people are. Notice he continues, verses 
7 and 8, the call of David to make sure that that stability 
in the land was provided so that Solomon could build the house 
for God. Verse 7, wherever I have moved 
about, about with all the children of Israel, excuse me, verse 8. Now therefore, thus shall you 
say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took 
you from the sheep fold, from following the sheep to be ruler 
over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever 
you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before 
you and have made you a great name like the name of the great 
men who are on the earth. So you see, God used David to 
go about and to fight the wars for Israel, to render ineffective 
and to render useless the enemies of Israel so that Solomon his 
son could rise up and build this house. Verse 10, Moreover, I 
will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, 
that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more, 
nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them any more as previously, 
since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, 
and have caused you to rest from all your enemies, And the Lord 
tells you that He will make you a house. So God says, once I 
have settled Israel in the land, once they have that stability, 
then you can build the house for me. It's truly a beautiful 
thing that God is doing here. When he says that he'll build 
a house for David, this is a reference to the dynasty. It is a reference 
to the kingdom of priests that would come from David. And then 
it's at that point, verse 12, when your days are fulfilled 
and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seat after 
you who will come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. 
He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the 
throne of his kingdom forever. So in 1 Kings 6, verse 1, while 
it is simply a passing reference to the specific timing involved 
concerning the building of the temple relative to the exodus 
of Israel out of Egypt, it is a testimony to the covenant faithfulness 
of our God. We need to pay attention to such 
things. He not only delivers Israel, but he settles Israel. 
He not only provides freedom for them, but he also provides 
permanence to them. And then from that point on, 
in verses 2 to 10, we are given the particulars concerning the 
exterior of the temple. Now the dimensions, according 
to an 18-inch cubit, this would be 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, 
and 45 feet high. And then the particular things 
that are mentioned. Vestibule is a difficult word 
for me tonight. I think other translations have 
porch or portico. That's a lot easier to pronounce 
than vestibule. I'm getting it now. But that's 
the thing highlighted in verse 3, the windows in verse 4, and 
then the chambers in verses 5 and 6. Notice as well in verse 7, 
there's a reference to an absence of tools being used. That harkens 
back to Exodus chapter 20, when God said, do not use tools with 
reference to the construction of the altar. There's also a 
reference in Deuteronomy 27 and verses 5 and 6. And then verse 
8 indicates the stories of the temple. There are three stories. And G.K. Beale has done a very 
excellent book. I highly recommend it. It's a 
bit of a technical read. It takes some brainpower to stick 
with it, but it's called The Temple and the Church's Mission, 
and it's just a phenomenal study on the whole doctrine of temple, 
how it begins in Eden and it ends in the New Jerusalem. And 
what we find is that Eden was a garden temple. But oftentimes, 
temples were three-story structures, and what they did was basically 
encapsulate the entire cosmos. You have Earth, you have heaven, 
and then you have the heaven where God is. It's a cosmos. It's the entirety of creation. 
And you see that sort of thing as you move through the various 
study with reference to temple. Noah's Ark, Beal argues, was 
a temple. It was a dwelling place of God 
with his people. It was a three-story structure 
that does reflect the entire cosmos. Even the dress or the 
garments that the priest wore was representative of the same 
sorts of things. Very fascinating study concerning 
temple. But when we look at this particular 
situation, as I said, we see the description of the exterior. Verses 9 and 10 finish the exterior 
with reference to the paneling and the chambers. So basically, 
you have a rectangular building. I was going to draw it on there 
today. just forgot or got sidetracked and didn't draw it. Probably 
a good thing because you don't want to see my drawing, but it's 
basically just a rectangle. One room was the main sanctuary 
and then you had the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. Now that 
Holy of Holies is a square. Right? It's very definitive. 
Verse 20. The inner sanctuary was 20 cubits 
long, 20 cubits wide, 20 cubits high. Do you know when New Jerusalem 
is described having come down from heaven? In Revelation 21, 
it's described how? It's a square. It's a cube. It's 
that structure. It's what God or what Adam forfeited 
in the garden. It's recovered by the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Temple is a primary concept in 
the Bible because it's God dwelling with his people. That's the significance 
of temple, and that's the significance of the narrative here. So that's 
the exterior of the temple. Notice, secondly, the emphasis 
on obedience to the law of God. If you were to read this particular 
chapter, and you went from verse 10 to verse 15, you would not 
miss a beat. It would just flow exterior of 
the temple, interior of the temple. But there's this intrusion. That's 
what Davis calls it. It's an intrusion or it's a disruption 
in the text. There's this building program 
going on as readers. We are seeing, we are studying, 
and let's just suppose for a moment we're all architecturally inclined 
and we want to hear every detail. I just think about people that 
are into that sort of thing, they're chomping at the bit, 
now what goes where and how did it go there, and they're really 
excited. But we want to interrupt this 
construction project for a word from God, is basically what verses 
11 to 13 are. Notice, then the word of the 
Lord came to Solomon, saying, Concerning this temple which 
you are building, if you walk in my statutes, execute my judgments, 
keep all my commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform 
my word with you, which I spoke to your father David. And I will 
dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people 
Israel. When verse 14 says, So Solomon 
built the temple and finished it, this is Hebrew narrative. 
It's no contradiction. He says here in verse 14, it's 
finished, but later on it's finished. When was it actually finished? 
This is a technique in Hebrew narrative. He's building, we 
get this word from the Lord, he's building, and it just encapsulates 
the entire thing. So don't think there's contradictions. 
The author forgot he wrote that he finished it, and then he wrote 
it again. But it's very intriguing. When 
we see this particular intrusion, it ought to indicate to us something 
very important. It ought to indicate to us something 
very crucial. And this disruption or intrusion 
emphasizes the importance of God's law to the king and to 
Israel as a whole. And I think this is very significant 
for a whole host of reasons, not least of which is the necessity 
of obedience. In other words, as God's people, 
we are called upon to obey God. Now, in this particular covenantal 
context, it was a bit different than what we find in the New 
Covenant, as our Lord Jesus perfectly obeyed and perfectly fulfilled 
all the demands placed upon Him, and by virtue of God's grace 
and faith in Him, all of His obedience becomes our obedience, 
but as Christians, as justified by faith believers, we must obey 
God, we must follow the Lord, we must keep His commandments. 
Jesus says so in John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep 
my commandments. In this particular context, in this particular covenant, 
there was a conditional element. In other words, if you do not 
obey, you will be cut off. Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 26, 
the curse is associated with violating the covenant. And so 
God says we are building this temple, this is the dwelling 
place with God and men, but obedience is absolutely crucial. You cannot 
have God in your midst and go after harlots. You cannot have 
God in your midst and go after Baal. You cannot have God in 
your midst and worship at the feet of Molech. You need to be 
faithful. You need to be obedient. And 
this is what is highlighted in this particular instance. It's 
not the first time. Go back to chapter 2, verses 
1 to 4. When David exhorts Solomon on 
how he is to secure the kingdom, the first necessity is obedience 
to God's law. Notice in 1 Kings 2.1, Now the 
days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged 
Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth. Be 
strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man, and keep the 
charge of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to keep 
his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, 
as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in 
all that you do and wherever you turn. that the Lord may fulfill 
His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take 
heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart 
and with all their soul, He said, you shall not lack a man on the 
throne of Israel." Again, chapter 3, verses 10 to 15. After Solomon asks of God for 
wisdom, this pleased the Lord. And in verse 11, God said to 
him, because you have asked this thing and have not asked long 
life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have 
asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding 
to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words. 
See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that 
there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any 
like you arise after you. And I have also given you what 
you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall 
not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if 
you walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments 
as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. 
So you see, when we see this interruption, this intrusion, 
this disruption in 1 Kings 6, 11 to 13, it ought not to surprise 
us. This is a constant refrain for 
the kings of Israel. This is a constant refrain for 
the children of Israel. Obey God. Do not think for a 
moment that you're going to dwell in the midst of a holy God when 
you're engaged in unholy conduct. Don't think for a moment that 
you can become idolaters, and blasphemers, and Sabbath breakers, 
and insubordinate to authority, and murderers, and adulterers, 
and thieves, and liars, and covetous, and somehow have this communion 
with a God who is absolutely, positively, without spot, holy. You must obey. That's why it 
is emphasized in this particular instance. You are going to have 
this temple. You have permanence. You have 
stability. Don't mess it up. Don't forfeit 
it. Don't lose it. Another thing 
I think verses 11 to 13 do is highlight for us, New Covenant 
Christians, how internalized Old Covenant religion was. I 
think there's this common misconception that the old covenant was simply 
about temples, and altars, and sacrifices, and as long as you 
did the right thing, or as long as you showed up in the right 
place, or as long as you did those things that were part of 
Israel's religious life, everything was okay. No, it was always a 
heart religion. It always required obedience 
from the heart. You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Micah 6, 
verse 8, He has shown you, O man, and what does the Lord require? 
That you simply show up at the temple? That you simply bring 
your sheep or your goat? No, that you do justly, that 
you show mercy, and that you walk humbly before your God. 
This is a very important aspect of Old Covenant religion. The 
theological reminder that Israel's relationship with God was not 
only connected to the temple. You see, this is how they would 
ultimately interpret it. We spent time developing this 
in our studies in Matthew 23 and 24. I attempted to show that 
when Jesus says that your house is left to you desolate, that 
carried with it a lot of background, a lot of old covenant situations 
where the same sorts of things happen. The children of Israel 
forgot verses 11 to 13. Instead of obeying God, instead 
of approaching God with a heart of faith, they thought, or they 
concluded, that as long as the temple was standing, everything 
was okay. That's Jeremiah's first temple 
sermon in Jeremiah chapter 7. He goes to upbraid and indict 
the nation of Israel. And in the prophet Micah as well, 
they thought or they reckoned that as long as that temple was 
standing, everything was all right in terms of God and Israel. They missed verses 11 to 13 in 
1 Kings chapter 6. They missed Solomon's prayer 
of dedication in 1 Kings chapter 8. Old covenant religion was 
never simply about externals. Certainly there are externals, 
and I'll argue later that structure and formality does not kill worship, 
but actually facilitates worship. I mean, there's this sense where 
today spontaneity is the only way to worship God. Well, you 
can worship spontaneously, but God is not against liturgy. God is not against order. God 
is not against discipline. In fact, He commands it. Paul 
says he's not a god of confusion, but he is a god of order. But 
it's not simply the structure. It's not simply the facility. 
It's not simply the externals. You need to have the heart. Now, 
I tread with caution here because I didn't see this in any of the 
commentators, but it certainly jumped out at me that there's 
some sort of a trajectory or movement in the passage. We have 
the exterior and then the interior. But it's almost as if the author 
is saying, before you move from the exterior to the interior, 
you better make sure your heart is right. You better make sure 
that your life is faithful. You better make sure that you 
esteem the God of heaven and earth, that you are entering 
in to meet in worship and in praise and in adoration. There's 
a structural order here, exterior, heart, interior. Now, it doesn't 
mean you could be a wretch and hang out, you know, on the exterior, 
but there does seem to be a bit of a movement, and at least in 
my mind, in terms of the structure of the narrative, it indicates 
or it highlights or it accents the place of this internal heart 
religion. We move from exterior to interior 
with reference to the temple, and we must make sure that the 
heart is right. Now note, thirdly, the construction 
of the interior of the temple. As I mentioned, there's a layout. 
Particularly, you've got a portico, or a porch, or a vestibule, and 
then you've got that main room, that main sanctuary, and then 
you have the inner sanctuary, that holy of holies. So we call 
this the holy place, and this would be the holy of holies. 
Now, remember, the holy of holies was only accessed one time out 
of the year. Leviticus chapter 16 deals with 
that. It was the day of atonement. 
One time a year, the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies 
to make atonement for the nation of Israel. But in terms of the 
layout that we find in this particular chapter, there's a lot of references 
to botany. Notice the sorts of decor that 
are indicated. Verse 18. The inside of the temple 
was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was 
cedar. There was no stone to be seen. Notice as well, verse 29. Then 
he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner 
and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, 
and open flowers. And then in verse 32. The two 
doors were of olive wood, and he carved on them the figures 
of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them 
with gold. And he spread gold on the cherubim 
and on the palm trees." A lot of shrubbery, a lot of trees, 
a lot of plant life or botany. Now one commentator suggests 
that this would indicate to the Israelite worshipper that God 
was sovereign over the land. God was sovereign over fertility. Remember one of the competing 
gods in Canaan was Baal and they thought Baal was the storm god 
and the god who brought fertility to the land. So this commentator 
suggests that what we have is the reality that God is sovereign 
over growth and over fertility and over those sorts of things. 
I like what Beal does. Beal says that this is reminiscent 
of the Garden Temple in Eden. And he also makes this link. 
Notice in 1 Kings chapter 4, specifically verse 33. Also, he spoke of trees, from 
the cedar tree of Lebanon, even to the hyssop that springs out 
of the wall. He spoke also of animals, of 
birds, of creeping things, and of fish. Beal says that this 
sets Solomon out as an atom. He's an atom-like figure with 
this knowledge of the land, with this knowledge of the animals. 
He's an atom-like figure that's building a temple for God, And 
all of the botanical decor is reflective of or reminiscent 
of that garden temple in Eden. So hopefully at least tonight 
you'll want to go out and buy G.K. Beale's book, The Temple 
and the Church's Mission. But it's very fascinating stuff. 
He shows the connections throughout scripture. It's truly mind-blowing. 
If you never really studied the temple or thought about temple, 
it's really a good thing to think about or study. But the bulk 
of the emphasis in verses 14 to 36 is on the inner sanctuary. It's on the Holy of Holies. Certainly 
the main sanctuary, the main room is spoken about or spoken 
of, but the focus is upon that Holy of Holies. It indicates 
its separation from the main hall in verse 16. Then he built 
the 20-cubit room at the rear of the temple from floor to ceiling 
with cedar boards. He built it inside as the inner 
sanctuary, as the most holy place. The measurements I've already 
mentioned are given in verse 20, and it's a square. Its decor 
is described in verses 20 and then again in verses 29 to 30. The doors are described in verses 
31 to 32. The altar is described in verses 
20 and 22. And then the attendants are described, 
these cherubim. And there's probably several 
reasons why they had these cherubim in there. Some suggest they were 
guardians. over the Ark of the Covenant. 
They could have been the chariot of God Most High. He rides upon 
the cherubim. There's a whole host of things 
or a whole host of suggestions with reference to these cherubim. 
But the emphasis falls in this latter description concerning 
the interior of the temple. on that most holy place. Remember 
that for Israel, the temple wasn't simply a shrine to their God, 
but it was a place where they met with their God. And the way 
that they met with their God was through sacrifice. That inner 
sanctuary, or that Holy of Holies, was basically the backbone of 
Israelite religion. That Day of Atonement, that Leviticus 
16 ceremony, certainly typological of the atonement that we have 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, but for Old Covenant Israel, it was 
effectual. It was, you know, because of 
the virtue of Jesus Christ and its retrospective benefit upon 
those worshipers, this was the real deal. And without that inner 
sanctuary and without that altar, there was no sacrifice and therefore 
no access to God. You got to Baal through copulation. You got to Baal through fornication. You got to Baal through orgies. 
You didn't get to Yahweh that way. You got to Yahweh through 
a bloody knife and a smoking altar. You got to Yahweh through 
atonement. You got to Yahweh because your 
sins were forgiven. not winked at, not applauded, 
not celebrated, nor rewarded, for that is precisely what happened 
in Baalism. When they wanted Baal to fertilize 
the land, they would fornicate. The idea being that Baal would 
look down and see them fornicating, and then Baal and his girlfriends 
would fornicate as well, and that would result in storms and 
the fertilization of the ground. You see, that's not how you worship 
Yahweh. You come to Him as a holy, holy, 
holy God. And without that inner sanctuary, 
without that altar, without the sacrifice on the altar, there 
was no access to God Almighty. That's why the emphasis falls 
on the description of the inner sanctuary with reference to the 
interior of the temple. And then in verses 37 and 38, 
we get the completion of the temple. It took seven years and 
six months. Looking at the particular months 
that are referenced here, it was seven years and six months 
that it took to build it. Now, what do we learn from this 
brief survey of the construction of the temple? In the first place, 
as I said, the fulfillment of God's promises. God promised 
Abraham that there would be a land. Joshua and David secured that 
land for Israel. As well, there was a promise 
of God to David regarding a son of God who would build a house 
for God. That is realized here in 1 Kings 
chapter 6. Solomon is a son of David, a 
son of God, who builds a house for God. And then thirdly, the 
promise of stability in the land with a central sanctuary for 
worship. This whole idea of a central 
sanctuary goes back to Deuteronomy chapter 12. And one of the primary 
reasons for a central sanctuary was to prohibit idolatry. God knows the human heart well. 
If we worship wherever we hanker to worship, we're going to end 
up worshiping the wrong thing. And so God mandated, God said 
or stipulated in Deuteronomy 12 that when you get to the land, 
there will be a central sanctuary, and that would not remove, unfortunately, 
the idolatry out of the hearts of Israel, but it would certainly 
help to centralize and stabilize the worship of Israel. House 
says, he's a commentator, Solomon starts building the temple 480 
years after the Exodus. This reference reminds readers 
that the permanent worship center is one more proof that God has 
given Israel the promised land. The tabernacle was a portable 
shrine, but the temple reflects permanence. See, I don't know 
that we get this because we have permanence. We grow up in permanence. We're not wanderers. We're not 
warriors. We're not watching combat on 
a daily basis. I don't know that we always appreciate 
the sorts of things that go on in the Middle East. Rockets being 
launched. from neighborhood to neighborhood. 
I mean, that's completely foreign and contrary to us, isn't it? 
I've never seen a rocket in my neighborhood. I was woken up 
on New Year's Eve, or New Year's whatever it was, when they were 
lighting fireworks outside of my window. I couldn't imagine 
if RPGs were flying around. You see, brethren, we don't understand 
what it is to be transient and to be wanderers and to continue 
to hear promises from our God that we're going to have permanence 
and we're going to have stability. They got permanence and they 
got stability. Probably every description of 
every piece of every furniture that was within this temple was 
just wonderful news to these people. No longer a tent. You 
mean we don't have to take it down? We don't have to put the 
poles in it? We don't have to carry it across 
the Jordan? We get to stay in the land? We get to stay with 
our God? And even more so, our God is 
going to stay with us? This is blessed for the people 
of God. As well, not only the fulfillment 
of God's promises, we need to see in this the faithfulness 
of God. I think this is a lesson. I've said we need to understand 
it again. God's timing is not our timing. We are too often too impatient. 
We pray and we, you know, I prayed and I didn't get what I wanted. 
It's almost like asking for, you know, Christmas gifts. I 
wanted a new bike and I didn't get it. And Christians conduct 
themselves that way. I prayed and it just didn't work. Have you ever heard that? Has 
it just been my experience? You know, I tried prayer, but 
nothing happened. It's the slot machine mentality. Put the quarter in, pull the 
handle down, and out pop the blessings. Again, that has more 
in common with Baal. You could manipulate Baal. When 
you had your orgies, then you would hopefully see Baal rain 
upon the earth. You don't manipulate Yahweh. 
You don't manipulate God. Just because you pray for something 
doesn't mean you're going to get it right away. You are to 
persevere. What does Jesus teach us in Luke 
chapter 18? He teaches us that parable concerning 
the importunate widow. She comes to the unjust judge. 
She asks for a verdict rendered to her. And she wearies him by 
her continuing prayer. And this man who does not fear 
God nor regard men says, I'm going to go ahead and answer 
her request, lest she drives me nuts. That's the Jim Butler 
version. And what does Jesus conclude 
from that? And shall not God avenge his 
own elect who cry to him day and night? You see, brethren, 
we need to believe that what God says is true. And I think 
more often than not, the proof is in the pudding with reference 
to our prayer life. We can be those people who say, 
I've tried. and it didn't work. Or we can 
be those people who faithfully persevere in the secret place 
and in the corporate place, realizing that God is faithful. Do you 
remember Teacher Zhang? It sounds familiar to me. I'm 
sure we've been following Chris since he's been in China. If 
he's mentioned Teacher Zhang before, we've prayed for him 
before, either in this room or in Denbo Transport or wherever 
it was when we heard of that man. God saved him. You see, 
we cannot put God to our specific demands. It's the other way around. We are His creature. He is not 
our creature. And I think this is absolutely 
crucial. As well, with reference to God's 
faithfulness, there is an expected faithfulness on the part of God's 
people. Again, our situation is not one-for-one 
with reference to the Old Covenant situation Israel faced. But the 
same things are upon us in our New Covenant relationship. We 
are justified freely by grace, but we are justified so that 
we may live in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. We must 
obey God. I don't know where antinomianism 
ever came from. I mean, I get it. I know it. 
I mean, in terms of every sin we commit is antinomian in essence. There's an actual doctrine of 
antinomianism, that God does not call us to obey his law. It's all fulfilled by Jesus. 
Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can go out and murder people. 
It means we need to follow what God has commanded to us, and 
insofar as we do, we will know the nearness of God. Now, I'm 
not saying that when we obey God, we're manipulating Him and 
He'll draw near to us, but I think all of us can testify those times 
when we are closest with God are typically those times when 
we're walking with God in obedience to Him, right? I don't think 
it's magic. What do you mean? If I obey God, 
I'm going to, you know, sense his presence more? Typically, 
it can be the case. You take a Paul, for instance, 
or you take a Job, for instance, or you take our Lord Jesus, for 
instance. Jesus, who obeyed absolutely 
perfectly, nevertheless cried, My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me? You see, it's not formulaic. 
It's not manipulative. But as a general rule, when the 
people of God walk with their God in obedience, They know more 
of the nearness of God than they otherwise would. And then finally, 
we see the worship of God, the worship of God. And there's just 
a few things we ought to point out. First of all, God is transcendent. That means he is wholly other. He is removed from us. The word 
holy has the concept or the connotation of moral purity, but its first 
referent is separation. God is holy. He is separate from 
us, but he's also imminent. And imminent means that he is 
near us, he is present with us. And you see this in the concept 
of temple. Temple doesn't house God. When 
we get to 1 Kings 8 and Solomon's prayer, he says as much. Heaven 
can't contain God, let alone an earthly temple. We don't think 
for a moment that once these walls were constructed and once 
the gold was laid, well, God moved from heaven and now He 
dwelt. No, it was the visible representation of God's presence 
among His people. But nevertheless, it was a visible 
representation of God's presence among his people. Yahweh draws 
near to his people. God is to be found in the midst 
of his people. God realizes the covenantal promise, 
I will be their God, they shall be my people. As well, we ought 
to appreciate the importance of a central sanctuary. Now, 
this differs from our situation today. You know, there's no need 
for us to board a plane and fly to Jerusalem and visit the church 
there. No, there's local churches to 
be sure. But in this Old Covenant situation, 
with the context that they found themselves in, God knew what 
was best and he provided for them this one place where they 
could centralize their worship and find stability. As well, 
mentioned before, structure does not kill but rather facilitates 
worship. I like the way House says it, 
that the centralizing of worship in this one place is intended 
to bring order and uniformity to Israel's religion without 
suppressing love and devotion to God. See, that's just faulty 
to say, well, all that structure and all that discipline and all 
that just, you know, squeezes God right out. You should just, 
you know, let go and let God. Again, I think that has more 
in common with Baal. The religion of Yahweh was one 
of the mind. You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You let go 
and let bail. That's not the way you worship 
Yahweh. You think, you know, you come near, you draw nigh. We don't see him, we hear the 
word, we respond to the word. And then this, as I mentioned 
earlier, demonstrates the glory of God. I want to read an extended 
quote by Dale Ralph Davis, because there's a lot of gold in this 
passage, isn't there? There's a lot of gold. Everything's 
covered with gold. Again, Revelation 21 is reminiscent 
of this, right? What are the streets paved with 
in heaven? Well, it's a temple. It ought to be paved with gold, 
brethren. I mean, there's consistency between what we find in Revelation 
21 and what we find right here. But with reference to the gold, 
Davis says, what should we make of all this gold? Someone always 
bellyaches about such needless extravagance. Their question 
is always, why this waste? And then he refers to Matthew 
26. Remember that instance, the woman takes all of that costly 
perfume and pours it upon Jesus, and Judas says, oh, but this 
could be sold and the money given to the poor. Judas was the prototypical 
social justice warrior, the prototypical social gospeler. Imagine, this 
is Davis again, they say, what social services could have done 
with all that revenue? But why must we gag on the gold? There is no negative tone in 
the text about it. If anything, a sense of wonder 
pervades the passage. Moreover, we must remember that 
many an ancient temple functioned as a national treasury, as a 
repository of national assets. Why should such assets be stashed 
away in a dark room when they could be part of a splendid decor? 
He says, above all, I suggest that the splendor of the temple 
is meant to reflect the splendor of Israel's God. that the temple's 
gold points to Yahweh's glory. It was a world in which kings 
built or refurbished lavish temples as appropriate tributes to their 
gods and goddesses. That's correct. It wasn't just 
Israel that was building shrines to their gods. What Israel does 
in 1 Kings 6 is not outlandish compared to what others were 
doing. It pretty much was consistent in the ancient world. He says, 
in such a world, why should Yahweh look like a discount store deity 
with a government loan house? If there is an indulgence that 
is sinful, there is an extravagance that is godly. And perhaps the 
message of the temple gold is that nothing cheap should be 
offered to Yahweh, but only what is a tribute commensurate with 
his splendor. whether, for example, in formal 
worship, biblical scholarship, or quality of daily work." I 
love that. It's beautiful. He does have 
a footnote that says, now, church building committees should not 
go to 1 Kings 6 and manipulate the people of God to try to have 
them give deep or give big. What the church has more in common 
with is the synagogue. Church worship is more akin to 
the synagogue worship than temple worship. Temple worship had sacrifice. You don't do that in the church. 
Temple worship had incense. We don't do that in the church. 
Temple worship had instruments. I know we still do that in the 
church. Temple worship had things that were unique to the old covenant 
situation that do not carry over into the new covenant situation. 
So hopefully you'll never hear Pastor Porter or myself ask for, 
you know, gold so that we can cover the pulpit. It's not going 
to happen. So Davis makes that observation, 
but I think what he says concerning the temple is absolutely appropriate. The splendor of the temple is 
meant to reflect the splendor of Israel's God, that the temple's 
gold points to Yahweh's glory. And then I said finally with 
that, just look at Matthew 16. We'll close here. Remember the promise of 2 Samuel 
7. David would have a son that would 
be a son of God that would build a temple for God. Solomon was 
a son of David, a son of God, who built a temple for God. But Solomon functioned typologically. He pointed forward to the Lord 
Jesus. Notice these concepts in Matthew 
16 at verse 13. When Jesus came into the region 
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do 
men say that I the son of man am? So they said, some say John 
the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the 
prophets. He said to them, but who do you 
say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, 
you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Now, we know 
from other places in Matthew's gospel that Jesus has been identified 
as son of David. In fact, Matthew 1.1, he's son 
of David, son of Abraham. We already know he's son of David, 
but he's also son of God, according to Peter here in verse 16, and 
elsewhere in Matthew. Now notice verse 17, Jesus answered 
and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is 
in heaven. And I also say to you that you 
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates 
of Hades shall not prevail against it. You see what we have, a son 
of David, a son of God, building the temple for God. Isn't the 
church the temple of God? Aren't we the living stones in 
the temple of God, 1 Peter chapter 2? You see how Solomon functions 
to point us to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, slash 
Son of God, who builds a temple for God. Jesus comes, He's the 
Son of David, He's the Son of God, and He builds the temple 
for God. It's a beautiful thing, the consistency of Scripture 
itself. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the temple. 
We thank you, God, for what it represented in the Old Covenant, 
what it has become in the New Covenant, and what it will become 
in the new heavens and the new earth. There is no temple there 
because God and the Lamb are the temple. We thank you that 
you dwell with your people. We thank you that in the church, 
in this new covenant setting, you are accessed in the church. We come to the Father through 
the Son by the Spirit. We thank you for these privileges. 
We thank you for these blessings. We thank you that you are our 
God and that we are your people. We ask that you would go with 
us now, grant us safety as we travel home, and bring us together 
on the Lord's Day, that we may worship you. And may this temple, 
and may this quote by Davis, cause us to reflect upon your 
splendor and your glory, and may it affect the way that we 
approach you on the Lord's Day when it comes to the worship 
of our great God. We ask these things through Christ 
our Lord. Amen.