King Solomon, the Wisest Man That Ever Lived预览

Solomon built a house for God

“In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.” (1 Kings 6:1)

Solomon became famous for his wealth and wisdom, but also for a huge building project he commissioned: a temple to the Lord God. Solomon's father David had already made plans for this and collected building materials. Solomon carried out these plans meticulously .The temple was very similar in layout to the holy tabernacle that the Israelites had built several generations earlier by order of God Himself. But Solomon's temple was much larger and, moreover, a permanent building.

In fact, the Lord God did not need a building to dwell in. Solomon also realized this: “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27). Yet God wanted to “dwell among the children of Israel” (1 Kings 6:13). Solomon's temple became, as it were, the meeting place for God and His people. People could go there to offer sacrifices and pray.

A temple where you can meet God... We don't have one today. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, believers are described as a temple in which God's Spirit dwells. What does that mean to you? How and where do you experience God most closely? Do you, like Solomon, make an effort to meet Him? What encourages you to do so?