The King of Tyre (Hiram’s King) gave orders that cedar and juniper logs to be cut. Juniper signifies Strength, wisdom, usefulness, and beauty in form of purification and protection. Cedar signifies prosperity and abundance. In verse 6, we see God gave Solomon rest on every side, that he had no adversary or disaster (What a gift).
Sidonians skilled at felling trees worked on this for whatever wages. [ Hence, Tyre and Sidon, Jesus referenced that if the gospel had been preached there; they would have repented]. Supplies arrived from men who hauled them from Lebanon to the mediterranean Sea and float them as rafts by the sea to the place specified by SOLOMON. ADONIRAM (my lord is exalted) was in charge of forced labor. Ashiram, King of Tyre supplied, Solomon all the cedar and juniper wanted. Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cans of wheat as food for his household, 20,000 baths of pressed olive oil. Craftsmen from Solomon (300,000 men sent to Lebanon, in shift of 10,000 a month, so they spent one month in Lebanon, 2 months at home, 70000 carriers and 80000 stone cutters in the hills, as well as 3300 foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers).
At the king’s commands they removed from quarry large blocks of high graded stone that provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple.
*BUILDING THE TEMPLE*
I kings 6: 4, 80 years after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, THE SECOND month (April – mid), he began to build the TEMPLE of the LORD.
Temple built was 60 cubit long, 20 wide, 30 high, only bricks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
The word of the Lord came to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people, Israel.” - 1 kings 6: 11
So, Solomon built the temple and completed it (verse 14). The inner sanctuary, the most holy place had gourds and open flower, everything was cedar no stone was to be seen within the inner sanctuary set the ark of the covenant of the LORD THERE (verse 19) on the walls all around the temple. In both, inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim’s, palm trees and open flowers. It also covered, the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple of gold (vs 29).
Solomon spent 7 years building the temple (verse 38), the foundation for the temple of the lord was laid in the 4th year, month of Ziv. By the 11th year, in the month of Bul (which means produce), the 8 months, the temple was finished in all “in details according to the specification then he started building his palace.
Excerpts:
We can pray for peace as God builds us from within.
We can pray for rest from every side that no adversary and disaster will reach us.
There is a way that when the rich have money, we used it to get forced labor, this is why Jesus said a greater than Solomons wisdom is here, when Jesus came, he spoke up about how people use knowledge and wealth to tie heavy burdens on others but won’t lift a finger to move them (Matthew 23:4). Having knowledge like Solomon puffs up a man 1 Corinthians 8:1, Proverbs 30:2 Every man is brutish in his knowledge. So, it makes man merciless because it causes you to think you are better than others. Hence, Paul says let no man think himself better than other. Romans 12:3 and when we think this this its unlike Jesus because “Philippians 2:8-10 says Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
(Jesus took burdens more than we could carry 1 Peter 2:24). His knowledge did not impede his humanity and compassion. However, once a man has an upper advantage than another, he uses it even to the detriment of others and so we see Solomon. The man who built the law temple to be perfect was not perfect, but the perfect temple is built a perfect savior, Jesus. No heavier burdens on people, no forced labor.
The design of the temple Solomon describes with cedar and juniper is Jesus. It’s a wonder he hung on a tree (prosperity and abundance). He is a perfect temple who stands in front of a tree.
The inner place describes the Holy spirit.
Songs:
