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1 Kings 6 Continuation…
Promise given concerning the temple (11-13).
There are two important elements God was insisting in this passage.
1. God will dwell among His people when people come together in the Temple. (V. 13)
2. But, God living among His people is contingent upon the obedience to His commandment. (V.12) Read Lev. 26:3, 11–12.
None employ themselves for God, without having his eye upon them. But God plainly let Solomon know that all the charge for building this temple, would neither excuse from obedience to the law of God, nor shelter from his judgments, in case of disobedience. – Mathew Henry Concise Commentary.
The temple itself, for all its splendor, does not change anything about the nature of the divine-human relationship. This was something that the Israelites were apt to forget after the temple had been built and had become a centrally important aspect of national life (cf.Jer. 7:1–34). God is not as impressed with structures as he is with obedience, a point made later by Stephen in his speech to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:47-50; and the beauty of temples is never any guarantee that God will not leave them or bring judgment on them (cf. Luke 21:5–6). – ESV Study Bible Notes.
Particulars respecting the temple. (14-38):
Vs. 16,19-32: inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place….Of all the parts of the Temple, there was a special emphasis is given to the Holy of Holies or The Most Holy Place. At the end heaven is the ultimate place. On earth, wherever God meets His people is the Most Holy place. Thus the importance was given to the place where God dwells and meets His people.
The following is taken from Mathew Henry Complete Commentary as well as Concise dictionary.
See what was typified by this temple.
1. Christ is the true Temple. Jn. 2:21 .
God himself prepared him his body, Heb.10:5 .
In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead; in him meet all God’s spiritual Israel; through him we have access with confidence to God.
2. Every believer is a living temple. 1 Corinthians. 3:16 Every believer is built upon Christ as its Foundation, and will be perfect in due time.
3. The gospel church is the mystical temple. Eph. 2:21.
It grows to a holy temple in the Lord, enriched and beautified with the gifts and graces of the Spirit. This temple is built firm, upon a Rock. Even strangers and foreigners are built up a habitation of God, Eph. 2:19, Eph. 2:22 .
4. Heaven is the everlasting temple. Rev. 21:21.
The cherubim there always attend the throne of glory. The temple was uniform, and in heaven there is the perfection of beauty and harmony. In Solomon’s temple there was no noise of axes and hammers. Everything is quiet and serene in heaven; all that shall be stones in that building must in the present state of probation and preparation be fitted and made ready for it, must be hewn and squared by divine grace, and so made meet for a place there.
Vs. 37-38: the house was finished. The house of the LORD was built in 7 years. But…. See 7:1
1 Kings 7
Solomon’s buildings. (1-12): Let us discuss on these two seemingly opposite views…….
All Solomon’s buildings, though beautiful, were intended for use. Solomon began with the temple; he built for God first, and then his other buildings. The surest foundations of lasting prosperity are laid in early piety. He was thirteen years building his house, yet he built the temple in little more than seven years; not that he was more exact, but less eager in building his own house, than in building God’s. We ought to prefer God’s honour before our own ease and satisfaction. – Mathew Henry Concise Comme…
1 Kings 7:2–5 The House of the Forest of Lebanon, just the first of the several buildings of the palace complex, was much bigger than the temple (cf. 6:2). The temple had quite a bit of cedar of Lebanon in it (6:9–10, 15–16, 18, 20, 36); this building, however, had so much cedar (7:2–3, 7, 11, 12) that it could be named after the forest from which the cedar came—even though it was apparently designed only as a treasury or armory (cf. 10:17, 21; Isa. 22:8). This confirms that the king was much more concerned about his palace than about the Lord’s temple. – ESV Study Bible.