0:01 First Kings chapter seven. Does anyone remember how first Kings chapter six concluded? Well, it's right there, so you remember now, don't you? First Kings chapter six concluded with the summation of the time that it took to build the temple, and it was how many years? Seven years.
0:22 It took seven years to complete the Temple Of Solomon. And right at the outset of chapter seven, we are given another summary, not concerning the temple, but concerning a different structure, and that is the building that Solomon built for his own house. And in verse one, we read, Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house. Now there is some debate about what this might mean Because right next to this verse, the the preceding verse, we're told about how long it took to build the temple, and immediately we're told how long it took to build Solomon's own abode. How many here believe that it was a bad thing that it took Solomon longer to build his own house?
1:09 No one. Wow. How many believe that it was a neutral thing? It didn't indicate really anything concerning Solomon's priorities or his heart posture? Wow.
1:20 No one as well. Alright. Well, here's what the debate is. This perhaps is not a good thing because it speaks about misplaced priorities. Here we have a man who seems to be much more invested, much more dedicated in terms of his time, his resources, perhaps even his attention to something that was personal, something that belonged to himself, something that was, not necessarily connected to the work of God.
1:47 And they would just make that conclusion based on the amount of time that Solomon gave to this structure. And they would also maybe point to the book of Haggai where Haggai tells us of a generation of Israelites that neglected the house of God altogether, for the sake of beautifying their own homes and bringing upgrades and renovations to their own places. And the prophet comes on the scene he says, you have misplaced your priorities in life. You've put your home, your little empire, your own comfort and pleasure while the house of God lies in ruins. Change things up.
2:20 Consider your ways. Others would say that's not necessarily so, primarily because the scripture doesn't really give commentary on Solomon's heart behind this. And you can also make the case, well, yeah, as much as it took him time to build his own house, which house did he build first? The house of god. And you can also make the case that the fact that it took him seven years means that he put extra urgency and dedication to completing the house of god and he was not so urgent concerning his own home.
2:51 And so it's not clear. We can't be exactly dogmatic about Solomon's spiritual condition at this point or his mindset behind building his own house, but there is a lesson. There is an overarching truth with Solomon's house, and we have to just be patient to wait at the end of this section to see what it is. It also helps to know that Solomon's house is not the only thing that he built. It's not the only thing that we're told about here in this chapter.
3:19 Look here at verse two, and let's read down to verse eight. He built the house of the forest of Lebanon. Its length was a 100 cubits, and its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. And it was built on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams of the pillars. And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row.
3:45 There were window frames in three rows and windows opposite window in three tiers. All the doorways in the windows had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers. So you don't just have Solomon's house. Now you're told about this different house called the house of what? Of the Forest Of Lebanon.
4:03 Keep that in mind. So we have another structure, structure number two. Then we have something else in verse six. And he made the hall of pillars. Its length was 50 cubits and its breadth 30 cubits.
4:14 There was a porch in front with pillars and a canopy in front of them. So number three, you have the hall of pillars. So it's another structure. Then you have a fourth structure. Look at verse seven.
4:25 And he made the hall of the throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the hall of judgment. It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters. Then we come to verse eight, and yet another structure, his own house where he was to dwell in the other court back of the hall was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had taken in marriage. And then it goes on at the end of this section about the materials concerning these houses.
5:01 We don't know if these homes, if these buildings, if these halls and palaces were significantly separate from one another or if they were closely connected in some kind of a compound or a complex. That detail is not given to us. What is clear though is that we have information concerning each of these structures, and the details that we are given are, in in the mind of God, enough for us to draw some truths out of for our own sanctification. And so I want us to, for a moment, look at verse two again and look at the house of the forest of Lebanon. We aren't told what the purpose of this place was, But the name kinda gives you the impression of what the experience was like when you walked into this place.
5:41 The pillars were surrounded and covered with cedars. And the impression that you might have had when you stood in that awesome place was that you were in a forest. You can just imagine the smells. You can imagine the sights. You can imagine the detail and the rows of cedars.
5:58 It was like as though you were in some kind of a field with long and tall trees. But it's not until you go to chapter 10. So you can turn there. Look at chapter 10 for a moment. And when you go to verse sixteen and seventeen, you'll see here that Solomon added some things to this house.
6:16 He added some things. And what did he add? He added beautiful shields and other weaponry there. King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold. 600 shekels of gold went into each shield.
6:30 And then we read, and he made 300 shields of beaten gold, three minas of gold went to each shield, and the king put them in where? The house of the forest of Lebanon. And so there there are these these shields that are there, and it could be that the purpose of this place was that it was an armory. And that is inferred at an in another place, and I I want you to see this because this is where we're gonna get some actual insight for our own walk with the Lord. If you go to Isaiah twenty two eight, this is confirmed.
6:59 So go to Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah chapter 22 in verse eight. What's happening in chapter 22? The Lord is describing the siege that was encroaching upon Jerusalem, The enemy coming and surrounding this holy city. And what the Lord is doing there through an oracle is he's describing the response of the people of Jerusalem as a reaction to the enemy now coming in and coming closer to their own safety, to their livelihood, to their families, to the house of worship. And here's one of the responses that the Lord highlights of the people in Isaiah 22 verse eight.
7:37 It says here, he has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day, you look to the weapons of the house of the forest. So there were more than just shields. There were actual weapons there. Again, just confirming that this was very much likely an armory that held and contained weapons for the people of Judah.
7:57 Now God making this an observation about how they looked to the house of the forest in a time where they were being surrounded by their enemies. Was this a good thing or a bad thing for them to look to that? Good thing or bad thing? Bad. And that's confirmed.
8:14 You're still there. Right? Look at verse 11 of Isaiah chapter 22. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. Now look at the wording here.
8:24 But you did not look to him who did it or see him who planned it long ago. So he's using mirroring language here. Right? You look to the house of the forest in times of trouble. You didn't look to me.
8:42 You didn't turn your attention to me. You didn't come desperately to me. You didn't come broken and contract to me. You look to yourself. You look to yourself to rescue yourself, to solve this, to escape this.
8:56 And so this is not commendation. This is condemnation, but we have to be careful. God is not condemning the idea here that you and I should not utilize human resources or humans in times of distress. What the lord is highlighting here is something you're very familiar with. This is not nothing new for you.
9:12 That ultimately, where is your trust? Ultimately, where do you put your faith? Who is the one who you ultimately put all your hope in? And here's the lesson about the house of the forest of Lebanon. You know what the lesson is?
9:27 Be careful making an idol of something that you made. Be careful of putting too much hope, too much glory, too much trust, too much of your identity in something that you created, something that you purchased, something that you've accumulated over the years. And that can be material, that can be knowledge, that can be information. Who is primary as your source of help? Who is primary in your source of times of need?
9:54 Who is the one that you draw from? And the lord is saying, despite the fact that you have these things, these things that I've even I I recognize and and I didn't condemn you for, you've misplaced your trust ultimately, and you failed to look to me as your reaction. You failed to see me in all of this, and that's something for you and I to consider. God longs for your heart and mind to cling to him above everything. And, unfortunately, that wasn't the case for the nation of Israel.
10:21 Now we come back to first king seven. So we dealt with the house of the force of Lebanon. Now we come here in verse six and seven where we're told of one hall of pillars, but then we're told of this hall of the throne or hall of judgment. This is pretty self explanatory, is it not? This is where Solomon would sit and hear and receive cases and would pronounce judgments upon those cases.
10:44 Nothing else is added here unless, again, you go to first Kings 10 and you're told of one added detail that's assumed to be part of the hall of judgment. Look at it in verse 18 of first Kings chapter 10. The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top. And on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrest, while 12 lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps.
11:25 The like of it was never made in any kingdom. You could just imagine the splendor and the dazzling beauty, even the sense of authority and reverence. Just by the side of this throne, you had two lions as armrests. You had these lions sitting on the steps leading up to the throne, and this is where Solomon would sit as people would come to receive his wisdom. And first Kings 10, the description of the throne that was most likely in the Hall Of Judgment, Hall Of The Throne, is where the queen of Sheba visited Solomon.
12:02 And she saw the different artifacts, and she saw the organization, and she saw the ambassadors, and she saw the house that he built, and he's and she saw the place of worship. And what are we told about her reaction? What happened to her? It took her breath away. She was absolutely spellbound by what she had just perceived.
12:22 She heard about it, but now that she saw it, she was just swept off her feet. And it's so sad to read the glory of this man's throne and everything else around it because in a very short amount of time, it's all gonna be buried. That throne will be vacant. It will be destroyed, and it will be forgotten. Why?
12:45 Because the character of the man who sat on this throne did not match the glory of that throne. At least his character did not last. When it came to the end of his life, he betrayed God. He turned his back on God, and Solomon's failure would be the trigger that would cause the downward spiral of the Davidic dynasty. And this is heartbreaking.
13:10 Right? You see all this blessing. You see all this adornment, all these things that point to the glory of God, and it's, as you read in Jeremiah, destroyed by the enemy. And it's not until you come to the early books of the New Testament where the student of the Hebrew scriptures would be revived by another promise, a promise that was made long ago in the days of David, but then was reintroduced to people who had lost hope, lost all that glory for centuries. And it was through an angel who came to a Jewish young lady.
13:43 And let me read this to you. The angel Gabriel comes to Mary, and she tells him about he tells him about this baby in her womb, gives the name of the baby, but he also says what will be given to this son. Does anybody remember one of the details of what will be given to the son of David named Jesus? Well, let me read it to you in Luke one. If you wanna write it down for notes for later, you can.
14:05 Luke one thirty one. Just listen. Just listen, though. Just pay attention to this. Imagine being visited by this creature from heaven and being told this.
14:12 Luke one thirty one, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. There's just something about that name. You know that song? You shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high, and the Lord God will give to him the what?
14:32 The throne of his father David. He will be given the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end. There is this boy who would be born and he was born. His name is Jesus.
14:50 He's a son of David, but he's also the son of the most high, and he would be given the throne of his father David. That throne that was beautified by Solomon, that was eventually destroyed because of unfaithfulness and apostasy, but then would be resurfaced again. And Jesus will sit on it, and no one will take it from him. Nothing will ever ever change the fate of the authority of this son of David, the promised one. And here's the thing, as infinitely beautiful as that throne will be, far more majestic than the throne of Solomon.
15:29 Right? The one who sits on it will be the object of our amazement more than anything else. It's not gonna be the material of that throne, the design of that throne. It's gonna be the one who occupies that throne that will keep our gaze uninterrupted forever and ever and ever. Christ will be the center of our amazement.
15:50 Christ on that throne will be the one who will draw out our affections and our adorations. Christ will be the one that when you and I see him, because we will see him. You know what's gonna happen? I'm sure he'll take our breath away. He will take our breath away.
16:05 You know, there's some people who, have different personalities when it comes to worship. Right? Some are more quiet and reserved, and that's fine as long as your heart is worshiping, I guess. But I can't wait to see the day where we all see him. I have a feeling that no matter what your personality is, there's gonna be a lot of expression of amazement in that moment.
16:27 And so we see this throne. We see this hall of judgment. We see that Jesus was given this throne, and he will realize that when he comes back again physically. So we have the hall of judgment, but this is probably the most concerning project in verse eight of first Kings chapter seven. I don't wanna belabor this point, but it's worth mentioning still even briefly.
16:53 Says his own house where he has to dwell in the other court back of the hall was like was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for pharaoh's daughter. What are you doing? So in this complex of these magnificent architectural designs and buildings, you have this one hall dedicated to a pagan. This hall would not even be conceived in the mind of Solomon if he had not entered into an illegitimate relationship with her to begin with.
17:31 Is that not true? And already you're seeing something. Here's the principle. You ready? You're already seeing the cost of compromise in Solomon's life here, very early on.
17:41 The cost of compromise at least in one area. So he marries this woman, tries to build this marriage alliance, and then somewhere along the line, it became more than just a marriage. Now perhaps out of her desire or out of the overflow of his affection, he wants to create this hall just for her. And you can imagine what maybe went through Solomon's mind justifying this price tag. Well, it's not so significant.
18:06 We have all this material anyway. We're told that silver was like stone in the days of Solomon, and so we can add to this. We can we can we can make space for this. It's not a problem. Sure.
18:17 We could have preserved more time and more resources for other things, but what's the big deal? And that's how people think when they live in compromise sometimes. But is that where it ends for Pharaoh's daughter? Is that where it ends for Solomon? Is it?
18:30 No. No. No. Come back to here, first Kings chapter 11. This is where it ends.
18:38 First Kings 11 verse seven, then Solomon built so he's building. He didn't end building here in first Kings chapter seven. He's gonna build something near the end of his life. Then Solomon built a high place for Hamash, the abomination of Moab, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites on the mountain East of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
19:04 So check out this progression or digression. Solomon sought to build a political alliance through marriage with pharaoh's daughter. And then from there, he builds a hall for pharaoh's daughter, and then he builds pagan temples for not just pharaoh's daughter, but for many of his foreign wives. So it started with building a relationship with Egypt and went to building a place for pharaoh's daughter, and then it came to a place where he built a series of sanctuaries for them to worship at. It's very difficult to pump the brakes when you're justifying sin in your life.
19:43 Very difficult. And you think you can build something and maintain it and hover and say you're not gonna go any further than this, but something happens with sin. It's so powerful that the fangs of it dig so deep and and it creates a havoc in your life that you'd never anticipated. You went from building this relationship, justifying it. Well, this is good for us.
20:05 God told me that we're gonna be a nation of peace, then maybe I gotta help him out to now you joyfully and completely without any concern building a place where God alone is supposed to be worshiped for other gods to be worshiped. So we see that in verse eight. Now look at this in verse nine. Are you there in first king seven? Here's really a summary of all these structures.
20:29 We're told all these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws back and forth even from the foundation to the coping. And from the outside to the great court, the foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. And above were costly stones cut according to measurement. And cedar, the great court had three courses of cut stones. And we're told here, all around in a course of cedar beams, so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.
21:05 What phrase repeats itself? Costly stones. Costly stones. Costly stones. So this is no small feat.
21:13 This is a great accomplishment. This took a lot of wisdom and engineering and time and effort, and it's completed. And all the things that went into it made even royalty like the queen of Sheba breathless. And I'm sure if you and I stood in the midst of all of these things, we also would be very much in awe, very much impressed with the mind of this architect who put all these things together. So you get one idea from the reaction of the queen of Sheba.
21:43 Do you know how Solomon felt about all of this, though? Do you? Oh, very good, my friend. Yes. You know your bible well.
21:52 If you wanna know how Solomon felt about his accomplishments at least at a certain point in his life, go to Ecclesiastes two. Look at verse four. He actually talks about this. He's talking about the very thing that you and I just covered. And And notice what he says in Ecclesiastes two four.
22:10 It's kind of a journal entry, though it's not he knew it wasn't meant for himself. But he says this as an entry into this amazing piece of literature, holy scripture. Ecclesiastes two four. I made great works. I built houses.
22:27 I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. And then he goes on to give a catalog about the things that he has done. I built houses. First Kings chapter seven. You saw some of those houses.
22:38 And then you go down to verse 11, and here's his heart in reflection of those accomplishments. Then I concerted all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. That's pretty depressing. Spend thirteen years of your life putting these things together, and then when you reflect on it, you thought, what a waste of time. Now that is not to say, and I don't believe Solomon is even saying here, that he believed there is no fulfillment or sense of satisfaction that comes with crossing a line where you see the desired outcome of your great effort and your great sacrifice.
23:27 That's not what Solomon is speaking about here. What he is speaking about here is that as you shake off the adrenaline and as you you feel those sense of rushing, accomplishing, fulfillments, occupying your bosom. Right? It fizzles out. It fizzles out.
23:45 And what he is essentially saying in Ecclesiastes, and he says throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, there is no lasting pleasure in all of this. There is pleasure. It's not lasting. It evaporates. You and I know what that's like because you most of us in here have reached certain milestones in life.
24:03 And it's exciting, and you have celebrations around it. And then what happens? It's just old news. And then you look for the next thing, and then you get to that milestone, and then what? You get accustomed to it, and you realize, okay, this is life, then you go for the next thing.
24:17 And this is how people enter into crises in their lives because they see the pattern of life. You gain this, you win this, you get there, and then what? There's still a vacuum in your soul. And then what? It didn't bring you further enough.
24:35 Now you're searching and looking for the next thing. And there are people who live like that. There are people who have so made their life about just making one thing done after another, building one thing after another, accomplishing one thing, opening one thing after the other, and they're just trying to get the next rush in life. And Solomon does us a favor. He goes, you're wasting your time because it's not gonna help.
25:00 Let me tell you what will bring lasting pleasure. Let me tell you something that through all your activities and responsibilities, even your hobbies and your desires, something that must be as a foundation of your existence. What does he say at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes? Fear God and keep his commandments. You want to live a vain free life?
25:19 Fear God. Who would have thought? Yeah. Fear God. Why?
25:24 Because let me tell you something about the fear of God. Scripture says the fear of the Lord, it gives you many things, and one of the things that it gives you is friendship with the Lord. And it opens up a fountain of other blessings. Fear God and keep his commandments. Live consciously wanting to please the Lord, and you will know the greatest, most lasting, undisturbed satisfaction.
25:47 And so Solomon says, I did all this stuff, and I just kicked back and looked at it all and thought, vanity. Vanity. I wish some of you young people here who have your life ahead of you would believe that ahead of time. Oh, life will get so much better once I get married. Okay.
26:05 Okay. Then you get married. Okay. Life will get so much more excited once I have a baby. Okay.
26:09 Life will get so much better if I have more than one baby. K. Life will get much much better if I have my forever home. K. Did you did you not catch on yet?
26:18 They did not click yet. To be honest, if you ask my testimony, I had a midlife crisis at 20. Seriously. Tell myself, I'm in a rat race. This is what and I just as though I can predict the future, see the future, and that's not predicting.
26:35 I just I looked around and I said, this is the this is the way of all mankind. By God's grace, rescued me from a vain life. And so this is what Solomon is expressing here, and this is the conclusion that we make at this section. But now we revisit the temple. So we come back to first Kings chapter seven.
26:53 Look at verse 13. We come to the temple furnishings. The the this is the last touch on the temple before Kings chapter eight first Kings eight where we have the dedication of the temple. But interestingly, we're introduced to a new character in our study, and it's found here in verse 13 of chapter seven. And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram Hiram from Tyre.
27:14 And look at the description of this man because this is not the same Hiram that he had an alliance with. This is not the king of Tyre. How do we know that? Verse 14. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze.
27:31 And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work. You have another prophetic picture here. One that's built upon the relationship that King Hiram had with David. Because King Hiram from Tyre is Tyre a place in Israel?
27:52 No. It's what? It's a place in Lebanon. Right? And now you have a Lebanese, at least half Lebanese, half Lebanese, half Jew that's being sent from Hiram.
28:02 Solomon accepted his workmanship to work on the house of God. Here's the prophetic picture. Yet again, we're receiving a foreshadowing of a temple to come where Jew and Gentile will be part of. You, me, the church of Jesus Christ, not to work on this temple necessarily, but to actually make up the temple. Jew and Gentile.
28:23 I mean, think about this. Think about the relationship the Jews have with the Gentiles. And in the crowning glory work of the nation of Israel, you have a Gentile participating in it? That can't be about anything, but a nudge for the future of what's gonna be realized in the new covenant. But with this prophetic picture, you got a practical lesson here.
28:45 Yeah. I read this and I thought to myself, why do I need to know this? Why do I need to know that here I'm from Tyre was the son of a widow? K. Jew, Gentile.
28:55 I get it. That's exciting. I'm I'm reading the old testament. I understand what Jesus is doing today, what he promised he would do in building his church and keeping his church, but we're told here that he was a son of a widow. It's very simple, I think.
29:08 Just get get a little insight into this man's history. Being in a family where you didn't have a father, would it be easy or hard at this time? Very hard. Very challenging. It'd be challenging today if you lost a loved one, if you lost a parent.
29:27 And yet with the difficulty and the challenges that this young man must have faced in life, we're also told that he was a very dedicated, hardworking, accomplished man. He was full of wisdom, full of wisdom, understanding, skill of making any work in bronze. And so this man didn't allow the challenges, the disappointments in life to distract him to the degree that he did not identify his gifting, what he believed his purpose was. He was what? He was full of wisdom.
30:01 That's given by somebody. It's given by God. And here's this individual who knew pain, but he didn't allow that pain to paralyze him. Unfortunately, you have some, and I'm not discrediting or nor am I diminishing the pain that some of us have felt in life. The loss of someone, the loss of something.
30:20 But there are some people who are wallowing in their past wallowing in their past. And they have literally gone virtually nowhere since that significant event in life. They're in the same place, and they wallow and they reflect on that, and they're triggered by certain things, certain times of the year, and they just relapse whether that be in sin or in depression or wherever the case be. And again, I don't wanna sound insensitive here, but I want you to look at an example from this man. Here was somebody who did not allow a tragedy in his life to suck the hope out of him or to crush the zest in life.
31:03 Because here's the point out of this. When you look at this and you read this, you have to understand that whatever suffering you and I endure, it does not disqualify us from the lord using us. Isn't this god still has a purpose for you. He still has something ahead for you. Yes.
31:17 Things happen in your life that perhaps you would wish would be different, but you have to understand here that if you're not careful, you can buy into the line, the temptation that life is over. There's no point of existing. I'm just gonna cruise along, and that would be wrong. You have to be careful with that because you can miss out on so much more what you have believed was taken from you or that you lost. This man was a hard worker.
31:44 This man had a gift. This man exercised that gift. And what I love about his story is that he clearly had a reputation because Hiram recommended him. King Hiram recommended him and sent him to Solomon. Think about this.
31:56 This is so exciting. You have this man who was half Jew, half Gentile, living away from Israel, and he's just he's just doing his thing. He's creating. He's putting things together, and he's working in obscurity. And all of a sudden, a knock comes to his door.
32:13 King Solomon requires you. They're building a house for the God of Israel, and they're asking for you to be the project manager. So I believe this man was faithful. I believe this man in hiddenness was excellent in his work, and the lord called for him. That's amazing to me.
32:38 That that blesses my heart. So, yes, this man had a painful past, perhaps, a difficult life maybe, but he was someone who was focused, who was someone who understood that he still had a purpose in life, and god saw this man, recruited this man, promoted this man, and used this man to be part of one of the most fascinating projects in human history. Don't be paralyzed in your pain. Yeah? Don't be.
33:07 Don't reflect on the past so much where it's like driving and looking in the rear view mirror. You're bound to get into some accident at some point. And if you're a Christ follower, keep your eyes on him. Realize that you're still here means he still has something for you. And more than that, he's able to recycle that pain and that suffering and utilize it for his glory.
33:29 So now we're introduced to this man, and then we're told in great length what projects he was a part of, works of bronze. And so you're there. Right? You're looking at it, and you're just like, this is a this is a lot to take in, and it is. But what helps in my personal study is I try to look for separation of thoughts, and then I remove those sections in my Bible, and I separate them, maybe even mark it sometimes.
33:52 And I say, okay. This is one section. This is another part. So they're they're more digestible. And so what you have here in the beginning is Hiram building two pillars.
34:01 The there are two pillars of bronze. And then in verse 23, he builds the sea of cast metal. And then in verse 27, you read that he makes these 10 stands of bronze. And then in verse 38, you read that he builds these basins of bronze that would be on these stands. So really all these verses summarize four projects in essence.
34:21 And then at the end, you get a summary of the other things that he's accomplished. But let's look here from verse 15 down to verse 22. I won't read all of it, but let's summarize it in verse 21. He builds these two bronze pillars. He set up the pillars of the vestibule of the temple.
34:36 He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Yaqeen. That's the Hebrew pronunciation. And he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. And on the tops of the pillars was lily work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
34:50 Now we're told that these pillars again were placed at the front, the entrance of this structure, the the house of God. They weren't necessarily supporting anything. They were more decorative. Again, everything that was built in a temple was designed and blueprinted from heaven. This is not left to subjective artistic interpretation.
35:11 God asked for every single detail to be done the way he desired, including these pillars. So god desired that these pillars would be named. You heard this at the conference. If you're at the conference a few months ago, I wonder if anybody remembers the names the meaning of the names of Jachin or Jachin and Boaz. Very good.
35:37 He will establish. Jachin means he will establish. And Boaz? Yes. He is swift is a a definition of it, and many people believe that another way of understanding Boaz is in him is strength.
35:51 So you're not wrong there, Anna, as well. So many believe that one one of the ways of understanding the name Boaz, especially in this context is, in him is strength, and with that you have his partner, his twin, in him or he shall establish. So that is kind of the message of these billboards, these towering pillars. When you would come to the house of God, you would notice, oh there's He will establish and there is in him his strength. That's what you're confronted with.
36:21 Right? As you stand in the shadow of these awesome objects. And they were meant to say something about the temple. The temple was established by God, and the temple will be sustained by God. Not just the temple, but the Davidic dynasty.
36:36 Remember those that promise for generational authority and rule and reign. He will establish, and he will in him there is strength. That's what you would see. But there's also a personal application to this. You know, many times in scriptures, certain individuals were referred to as pillars.
36:55 Even in Jeremiah chapter one, to comfort this young prophet, the Lord tells him, I'm gonna make you an iron pillar. And all these people that try to oppose you, they're gonna deal with somebody as stubborn and as strong as an iron pillar. You read even in Revelation that the Lord promises that those who overcome will be pillars in the house of God. And so there's something even about these pillars that's supposed to convey a personal message, and I believe the message is this, that as you would come to the house of God, at least at this time in history, you would realize in the house of God, I will know establishment. I will know God's strength.
37:33 If those resources, if those spiritual blessings were true in the old covenant, is it not more true in the better covenant? The covenant that you and I are enjoying? I I know you're spiritual. I know. And I know you're so strong, and you're so wonderful, and the Lord speaks to you all the time, and you can you can just coast through this life and float, and everybody's blessed when they just get a touch of the fringe of your garment.
37:56 I get it. But you will not know a level of establishing. You will not know a level of grace and strength unless you know a relationship with the house of God. You won't. No matter how high you think you are, no matter what you know, no matter what you discover, no matter how great your personal walk with the Lord is, there is a blessing reserved within the sphere of God's house.
38:24 Every time I walk in here on a Wednesday night, every time I come here, like tonight on a Friday, every time I walk here on a Sunday, without anything even but just the presence of God's people, I know strength. Here's my family. I'm not alone in this walk. Yeah. In this crazy world, there are other people here who love God.
38:43 And then we sing together, and there I am standing in the front just having your voices cascading and I hear the truths being proclaimed in song and we're fulfilling Colossians teaching one another the things of Christ, the things of the gospel. Are you not strengthened in the house of God? I hope so. I hope that this place provides that kind of sense of fortitude. It should.
39:04 That's the design of the house of God. And it's a it's it's a counter work when the house of God becomes a place where our strength is depleted, and there's lack of stability and reliability on one another, when the pulpit is no longer faithful with the word of God, then then things get get crazy. But that's the message of these pillars. That's what you would see when you would walk in. And then you come here and you read something else.
39:32 This is quite amazing. You read here in verse 23 of the sea of cast of metal. Let's read it together. Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, 10 cubits from brim to brim and five cubits high, and a line of 30 cubits measured in circumference.
39:49 Under its brim were gourds for 10 cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. It stood on 12 oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. Its thickness was a hand breadth, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily.
40:18 It held 2,000 baths. You know what that measurement is? Most people estimate around 12,000 gallons of water. That's a lot of water. And so it was built you saw the image.
40:31 If you remember taking snapshots with your memory, it's like this pool. It's like this giant bowl that had a lip and had these these bowls, right, that it sat on three facing each direction. We won't talk about the bulls, but here's my question to you. What do you think the purpose of this was? Was it decorative merely?
40:51 No. It wasn't like the pillars. There was a functional purpose behind them. Any idea? Ceremonial cleansing.
41:00 Yes. Actually, here's a key verse in understanding this bible study as we come to a close in a moment. It's in second Chronicles chapter four verse six where you're told the exact reason why this thing was made. And not just this thing, but the basis that we're gonna read about in a moment. So here's why this sea, appropriate word, of cast metal was created by the lord and through his servants.
41:23 It says here in second Chronicles four six, a parallel account to this. He also made 10 basins in which to wash. That's what we're going to read in a moment. And set five on the south side and five on the north side. And these, they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering.
41:38 Now here's what's the purpose of this cast metal of the sea. And the sea was for the priest to wash in. So this pool of water was dedicated for the cleansing, the outward cleansing of the priest who administer in the house of God. How that was done practically, I'm not sure. We're not told of a ladder.
41:58 I'm not sure if there was little things there. Maybe some even believe that out of the mouth of the the the bulls there, they were able to rinse off. We're not told exactly why, but we just know that they were to wash here regularly, daily. And you look at this and you think to yourself, okay. Well, that's the purpose of it, but what's the significance for me?
42:16 Well, here's where it gets really interesting. Is this sea of cast metal, is this unique to the temple? Think of some of the artifacts, the structures of the tabernacle. Was there anything that served the same purpose in the tabernacle? The basin.
42:36 Right? So there was a labor that was available to wash. So you would walk into the tabernacle, not the temple, and you see this altar. And then behind the altar, you would see this labor, and it was also intended to wash in. And now you come to the temple and you have something that's serving the same purpose, the much more grand, much more spectacular.
42:55 This is the temple. Right? And they were also to wash in this as well. And when you think about this even further, you wonder, well, what were they supposed to wash? Anybody anybody know what they were supposed to wash here when they would come to this place?
43:15 Well, if you want the reference, you can turn there in your own time. It's in Exodus 30 verse eighteen and nineteen. This is about the purpose of the laver in the tabernacle, the former structure, not the new one. And the laver, they would the Bible says very specifically, they would wash their what? They would wash their hands.
43:35 They would wash their hands and their feet. That's in verse 19. So they would wash their hands and their feet. This is what the priest had to do regularly whenever they would enter into their service. But this was not the only washing that the priest experienced as priests, as ministers.
43:55 This was the regular ongoing washing that they would have to participate in. But there was an initial washing. There was a one time washing that any priest who entered into service in the house of God had to undergo. And it's not here. It's in Exodus 29 verse four.
44:12 We're told there that upon the ordination of the priest, they were to be washed. And this washing is not like the washing of the laver and of the sea of cast metal. This was a shower. So you were washed from head to toe. You were washed from head to toe when you entered into service.
44:29 When you're consecrated to the lord, you were cleansed from top to bottom. But that was a one time thing. The regular washing was that of your hands and feet. Does this language sound familiar? No.
44:41 Yes. There was a one time washing, and then the priest had to go through a regular washing. What did Jesus tell the disciples in the upper room in John 13? When he began to wash their feet, Peter, like Peter would, oh, don't wash me, Lord. You can't do it.
45:00 If you if you don't let me wash, you have no part of me. Then he goes on to say in John thirteen ten that you've all been cleansed. You've all been washed except for your what? Your feet. What is he speaking about there?
45:12 He's speaking about the one washing that you and I experience upon salvation. It's the washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit. That's a language that Paul uses in Titus three five. You and I, when we got saved, we experienced the washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Do you need that more than once?
45:30 I hope not. You don't need to be saved more than once. You don't need to be washed by that regenerating power more than once. That's an initial thing. That's the thing that consecrates you.
45:41 That's the thing that takes you from a rebel to what? A chosen people, our royal priesthood. Right? But Jesus tells the disciples in the upper room, but you still need to be washed. You still need to be washed.
45:52 You need to allow me to wash your feet. As you walk in this world, you're gonna accumulate dust and dirt and little pebbles in your toes, so you need to be washed. And that's speaking about sanctification. And I see that beautifully here in the picture of the priest. They were washed when they were consecrated unto the Lord, but when they walked into the service of the Lord regularly, they needed to undergo washing.
46:12 At that time, it was through the sea of the cast metal. What's the object of washing in your life and mine now? The word of God. The word of God. Ephesians five uses the language of being washed with the word.
46:27 Washed with the word. And like the priest may suggest to you that that's a daily washing. Yeah? That's a daily washing. You know why it's important?
46:39 Because if the priest didn't wash, eventually, they would disqualify themselves. They would disqualify themselves from service. The one means that god provided for the priest was this sea of cast metal. That was the only thing that was designed and ordained by God for them to be cleansed, preparing them for service. The one means by which you and I are washed and made ready as vessels for the master's use is the word of God.
47:05 You can't afford to not allow the word to wash you. Yes. You had a one time washing. That's not enough. You don't need it more for salvation, but you do need it for service.
47:15 You wanna be used by God? You need a close relationship with the word of God. Listen. This is so important. It's not just a pastor's job to know the word of God.
47:25 Worship leaders, worshipers, you need to know the word of God. You need to know the word of God. Sunday school teachers, Those who volunteer in any capacity. You as a Christian, you need the word of God. All of us as priests have the same demand placed upon us that we are to come and allow the word to rinse our hands and our feet as we walk through this world.
47:46 There is no other way for you to be cleansed and made ready for the master's use. No. No. No. Sitting down in your room for fifteen minutes and plugging in emotional worship music is not the same as letting the word to cleanse you.
48:04 Get in the Bible. Let it renew you. You may not even get it, but understand that apart from it, you're not gonna be cleansed. You will understand it, but understand the supernatural force of the scriptures. God has designed this thing for you and I to know a renewing, and on top of that renewing, a preparing for the work of the Lord.
48:28 I got that out of my system. And so this is what it was used for. Correct? But now notice this in verse 27. He also made 10 stands of bronze.
48:40 Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. Pause. Do you remember the image? Did you see it? They were like these little carts.
48:48 They're on the south side and the north side. Let's continue reading. This was the construction of the stands. They had panels, and the panels were set in frames. And the frames and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim.
49:02 On the frames, both above and below the lions and the oxen, there were wreaths and beveled work. Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze. And at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit.
49:23 Its opening was round as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were crave carvings or yes. Carvings and its panels were square not round. And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were on one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.
49:41 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. There are four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were one piece with the stands. And on top of the stand, there was a round band half a cubit high.
49:57 And on the top of the stand, it stays, and its panels were one piece with it. And on the surfaces of it stays it stays. And on its panels, he carved cherubim lions and palm trees according to the space of each with wreaths all around. After this manner, he made 10 stands. All of them were cast alike of the same measure and the same fork.
50:15 God loves details. That was a mouthful, wasn't it? It's a lot of information about these stands that have no relevance to our immediate context. And every time I come to a text like this that demands a lot of attention and reading into these little details, I just remind myself this one truth. God, you care about the details of that which reflects you.
50:38 That that has been consecrated until you care about every detail, every time whether it's the tabernacle or the temple. I I come to this truth. If you care about these things in the house of worship, then I am your house of worship today. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, so to speak. You care about every detail here.
50:55 Every detail. God cares more than just you making sure you don't sleep in on Sunday and get here and stay awake during the sermon. That's not your Christian existence. Every single detail of you and I ought to be consecrated and beautified to reflect him. Verse 38, and he made 10 basins of bronze.
51:15 So now these basins were to be placed on these stands, and they were portable. Right? They can be moved around. Now what's the purpose of these basins? Each basin held 40 bats.
51:26 Each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the 10 stands. So I asked you the question, what was the function of the sea of cast metal? We concluded it was to what? To wash the priest regularly. Now my question is this.
51:39 What was the purpose of these 10 basins? I'll give you a hint. It was in the same verse that we were told about the purpose of the sea of cast metal. Very good. So you if you need to see it for yourself, it's in second Chronicles four six again.
51:55 And we can read it again just so make sure we're saying the truth here. It says here in that verse, he also made 10 basins in which to wash. Okay. Wash what? And set five on the south side and five on the north side.
52:08 In these, they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering. Specific sacrifice, a glorious sacrifice. A sacrifice that required every single piece of that beast to be placed on the altar and for it to be swallowed up by flames and to create an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Okay. So the the burnt offerings were supposed to be washed in preparation before they were sacrificed.
52:36 How were they washed? And is that question even important? How were the burnt offerings washed? Well, it is important if you see the prophetic significance of sacrifices in the old testament. Who is the ultimate picture of these sacrifices?
52:49 Jesus Christ. So it is important. If there is answers to these questions, I wanna know them because I wanna see how it points to my lord. I don't want just a history lesson. I want to know what this says about Christ.
53:04 So does anybody have any idea? And if you can get this, I will give you an imaginary medal. How were the burnt offerings washed? Or what details are we given concerning how the animals in preparation for the burnt offerings were washed? Okay.
53:28 Let me let me add it add this detail, or add this question rather. Out of all the books of the Old Testament, what book would describe how these sacrifices were to be washed? It's okay. Okay. That's a good guess.
53:44 Not necessarily so, but that would make sense in in some in in a way of imagination because you think, okay. The whole thing is being sacrificed, maybe the whole thing needs to be watched. Yes. It's not Joshua. It is Leviticus.
54:01 And in Leviticus chapter one, the introduction of the whole book, you're being told about how to give a burnt offering. And you're even told in Leviticus one how a burnt offering was to be prepared in washing before it was sacrificed. And that's where you're gonna get the insight about why and how these things were used. Okay? So Leviticus one, people are already turning there.
54:20 I love that. Yes. Go there. You don't need permission. Go ahead.
54:24 Leviticus chapter one. And if you want the verse, look at verse nine. Oh, we can begin at verse eight. Let's go to verse eight. And Aaron's sons, the priest, shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood that is on the fire on the altar.
54:42 This is about the burnt offering. And in verse nine, but its entrails and its legs, he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So there are two components of that animal that were to be washed with water. Entrails, the stuff inside, and the legs.
55:06 The process is not told, but we trust the Lord gave them the insight about how they were to be cleansed. I think about that. Okay. Out of all the things of the burnt offering, which ultimately points to the person of Jesus Christ who became a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The two things that were to be cleansed, so to speak, that were to be purified, that were to symbolize cleanness so that it can be without spot or blemish in its totality are what?
55:33 The entrails. Where are those things found? They're inside. Are they hidden? Yeah.
55:39 Before you cut it open, they're hidden. The entrails. And then the what? The legs. Are those internal?
55:46 No. They're external. Right? And so what you have here is a picture of a purification that took place from the inside and from the outside. And when you think about how these sacrifices point to the Lord Jesus Christ, you get a truth concerning the extent and the totality of his purity.
56:09 The Lord was not just pure in the way he walked. The Lord was not just pure in the way he lived. The Lord was pure from the inside out. He did not sin in his thoughts. He did not sin in his affections.
56:21 He did not sin in his ambitions. He did not sin in his reactions. He did not sin in his meditations. He did not sin in his motives. He was completely pure inside and outside.
56:35 Because of that total inward and outward cleansing, he was indeed a pleasing aroma to the father and a complete and worthy sacrifice for all time. So who would have thought that in first Kings chapter seven and Leviticus chapter one, you would get a gospel truth? That's the glory of the Bible study of the Old Testament. And so these basins would be used to cleanse these parts of the burnt offering. And then we come here to this next part.
57:06 We'll skip a few verses and go to verse 40 as we get a summary of Hiram's work. We're told Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for king Solomon on the house of the Lord, and here's the description of what he did. The two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars, and the two latest works to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars, and the 400 pomegranates and the 200 latest works, two rows of pomegranates for each latest work to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars, the 10 stands, and the 10 basins on the stands, and the one sea, and the 12 oxen underneath the sea. And then he goes on to speak about different things that he had built and how he built it.
57:49 Verse 46 tells us where he built it. Verse 48 tells us what Solomon also made. So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord. The golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the presence, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side, five on the north before the inner sanctuary, the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold, the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes of incense, and firepans of the pure gold, and the sockets of gold for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple. And here's the exciting part.
58:19 Here's where we're ending. I'm just gonna read it. Thus, all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and store them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord. I love how David is mentioned here at the end of this chapter.
58:43 He could not participate in the direct construction of this place, but his heart so longed to be somewhat involved. And so he dedicated things and prepared things, and his heart's desire to honor the Lord outlived him. He's gone. David is long gone. David was buried.
59:02 But we see what he did in his life went beyond his life, and in some sense touched another generation and blessed another generation. And that could be true of you and I. We can serve the Lord, and we we are not in control of that, but our prayers can outlive us. Our efforts here can outlive us with our children and the the lives that we touch here, the younger disciples in this house, younger brothers and sisters. You never know what your heart forgot today will affect tomorrow.
59:33 You never know that, and you can't determine that. Oftentimes, God will not show that, and he has many reasons for that. But I just love how David is mentioned here, and and what we're going to enter into now is though everything was put into place, though everything was awesome, there was something that was needed, and that was the presence of God. Let's pray. We do thank you, Lord, that with a lengthy and heavy text like this, we can sense the tender voice of the shepherd.
1:00:04 And we thank you, Lord, for this house on Friday nights that is filled with students who are eager to understand the whole counsel of God. And we thank you, Lord, that your word is for all time. And the grass will wither, the flower will fade, but the word of the Lord will endure forever. We thank you that in our hands, we have the complete and necessary revelation of who you are. And we thank you, Lord, that through these times together, not only are they in our hands, they get into our hearts.
1:00:35 And we pray that they would be lived out. And we pray that we would reflect the master who is pure inwardly and outwardly, Lord. We want to be completely holy. And, Lord, we know that holiness is not a scary word. It is a blessing to live a holy life.
1:00:51 And we know that the desire for holiness comes from you because before that, we did not want it. Lord, for those who might be paralyzed in their suffering, be paralyzed from their past, may they see this example in Hiram as an inspiration to believe that you have a future for them. For those here who might be flirting with compromise and they don't see the price tag yet. May they not have to see the price tag before they repent and know from your word that they are not mature and fully assured in all the will of God, renounce their sin and turn to you and live for your glory. May those who might understand the truth of the word, but not convinced that it satisfies and are consumed with personal projects and dreams and ideas that are temporal.
1:01:38 Lord, may they see that although those things are not necessarily wrong, Lord, to participate in anything apart you of being the priority is an idol. Help us, Lord. Guide us, Lord. We seek you now as we worship you in Jesus' name. Amen.
