OVERVIEW:
Solomon’s key men; the kings of the earth come to hear Solomon; the preparation for building the temple; the specifics in building the temple.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we read chapter 4, it’s easy to allow the material prosperity and blessing the people of Israel were enjoying, under Solomon’s leadership, to deceive us. Notice that 4:20 says that the multitude of Judah and Israel were “…eating and drinking, and making merry.” As wonderful as it all was, the fact is, the way they were prospering MATERIALLY and FINANCIALLY, was not commensurate with how their souls were prospering SPIRITUALLY! (See 3rd John 2) Something that is woefully missing in chapter 4 is any mention of how these abundantly blessed people were pursuing God through His word! This is what can be referred to as “the CURSE of God’s BLESSING”. Sometimes we spend so much time relishing in God’s blessings, that we no longer have time for Him! We begin seeking the BLESSING rather than the BLESSER; the GIFT rather than the GIVER; and the THINGS of GOD rather than GOD HIMSELF!
In this chapter, the kingdom of Israel was at its zenith. (4:21 c.f. Genesis 15:18) The peace and prosperity they were experiencing at this time was unequaled in their history. (4:24-25) Its splendor will only be surpassed when the Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ, rules and reigns from His throne in Jerusalem in His millennial kingdom!
As 4:22-34 provide us a description of the nature of Solomon’s kingdom and his incredible accomplishments, note, first of all, that it is all unbelievably impressive! His unsurpassed wealth (4:22-23), the vastness of his kingdom (4:24-25), the governmental administration he established, the elite staff he had assembled and the manner in which he provided for them (4:26-28), the “wisdom and understanding” that God had lavished upon him (4:29-31), his skill and giftedness in composing songs and proverbs (4:32), and the grasp and insight he had concerning nature (4:33-35), were all humanly beyond compare!
Secondly, note, that all of these impressive characteristics listed in 4:22-34 concerning Solomon and his kingdom, provide us with keen insight as to the “type” of wisdom for which he besought the Lord, and with which he became supernaturally endowed. It was not SPIRITUAL wisdom that would give him deep insight into God and His word, but rather a PRACTICAL wisdom that would give him, as J. Sidlow Baxter noted, “…administrative discernment, sagacious judgment, intellectual grasp, aptitude for the acquisition of knowledge, a practical wisdom in the directing of affairs.” The intention of making this observation is certainly not to cast disdain upon Solomon’s choice of wisdom, because even God commended his choice! But it is possible for us to become so enamored with all of his illustrious achievements, that we become blind to the fact that in all of this extravagant and detailed description concerning Solomon in this passage, it is all void of anything related to the passion of his heart for the word of God, or the God of the word, as was so easily observed in his father, David. Solomon, at least at this point, was certainly a good man who loved the Lord, and as we will see, will become one of the most perfect types of Christ in the entire Bible. It is these kinds of spiritual omissions, however, that will ultimately cause the “wisest man who ever lived” to “foolishly” become one of the most perfect types of antichrist in the entire Bible!
After establishing the organizational structure of the government of the kingdom in chapter 4, Solomon immediately turns his attention to establishing the physical structure of the King’s Temple in chapter 5. The magnitude of the project can begin to be understood by noting that the grand total of men identified in chapter 5 as those who had been contracted to fulfill a role in the undertaking was over 183,000! (c.f. 2nd Chronicles 2:17-18)
Chapter 6 details the dimensions, materials, and actual construction of the temple. One of the interesting observations concerning Solomon’s temple is the fact that it was not a large structure. Though its footprint was exactly double that of the tabernacle, the temple was only 120 feet by 60 feet, or approximately 36.6 meters by 18.3 meters. As Dr. John Kitto acknowledged, “The importance of the Temple of Solomon, which we have been led to regard as one of the wonders of the ancient world, consisted not in its size, but in the elaborate, costly, and highly decorative character of its whole interior and furniture, and in the number, extent, grandeur, and substantial masonry of its surrounding courts, chambers, walls, and towers. Indeed, it is not too much to presume that these outer constructions, forming the massive ring in which the costly gem of the temple was set, cost as much as the sacred building itself, immense as was the quantity of gold bestowed upon it.” Notice that 6:21 says, “So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold!” Be reminded that in the dispensation of the church age, the Lord no longer dwells in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24), but has made our bodies His very temple! (1st Corinthians 6:19) May we, likewise, be “overlaid” with “pure gold”. (See 1st Corinthians 3:12)
Notice, also, that the chapter ends in 6:37 with the statement, “So was he (Solomon) seven years in building it.” Keep in mind, the number seven in the Bible is the number of completion and perfection. The temple was “completed” in the seventh year, in accordance with God’s “perfect” instruction.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through SOLOMON, as “all people” and “all kings of the earth” come to hear the wisdom of Israel’s king — 1st Kings 4:34 (Philippians 2:9-11 – Christ will one day rule the world as Israel’s king in His millennial kingdom, and every knee will bow before Him.)