From 2 Chronicles 2-5
Solomon begins to build the house of the LORD. The temple. At the start of the passage we find out the temple will be built on a place that has special significance. Are there any places you have been that hold special significance for you?
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
Solomon has been established in his kingdom. He has asked and been granted wisdom for governing the kingdom. In today’s passage he begins to build the temple of the LORD.
3 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. (2 Chr 3:1–2)
The location of the temple to be is important for a couple reasons. There the LORD appeared to David. So it has special significance for Solomon his son.
Mount Moriah is also the place where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac (Gen 22).
So the place where the temple will be built has special significance.
3 These are Solomon’s measurements for building the house of God:
the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.
5 The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold and made palms and chains on it.
6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim.
7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls. (2 Chr 3:3-7)
As in many other scriptures, the text serves as an accurate record of the buildings details. In this case dimensions. To build it there is a lot more going on behind these scenes. Footings for example.
The house is made of wood, but inlaid with gold.
8 And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold. 9 The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. (2 Chr 3:8-9)
One talent was about 34 kilograms. Six hundred talents is about 20.4 tonnes of gold. Solomon overlaid the Most Holy Place with 20.4 tonnes of gold. Wow.
10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood and overlaid them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave. 14 And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it. (2 Chr 3:10-14)
A cubit is about the length of an average forearm. Twenty cubits is approximately 6 meters. I think of all I could check out in the temple I would want to see the cherubim over the ark the most.
What would you want to see?
15 In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. (2 Chr 3:15–17)
The chains would have been quite amazing carrying all those made up pomegranates.
There are several Jachin’s in scripture. Not a huge amount of attention is given them. One is the son of Simeon and leader of the Jachinites (Gen 46.10; Ex 6.15; Num 26.12). The other two are priests (1 Chr 4.24; Neh 11.10; 24.17).
Story of Israel
“The site is full of meaning. There David had seen both the wrath and the mercy of God (1 Ch. 21:16). So had Abraham long before (Gn. 22:14 RSV, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided,’ or (mg.) ‘he will be seen’; Gn. 22:2 is the only other mention of Moriah in the Bible)” (Carson, D.A. et al. eds., 1994. New Bible commentary: 21st century edition 4th ed., Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
Story of Jesus
The temple is also the place where a man named Simeon would hold the baby Jesus. The gospel records;
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Lk 2.22-32)
Sometimes places can have very special significance in the lives of God’s people.
Are there any special places where you have met the LORD?
Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
