For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
1 Kings 5, 2 Chron. 2
King Solomon honored David’s wishes by making his father’s desire his own mission. He didn’t just do the work for David; he really put his heart toward the task. He wanted the temple to be the best because it was built for a God like no other. Even with that, though, he understood that the temple would benefit God’s people more than it would God. No matter how great or big it was, it could never contain God. It could, however, serve to remind the people of God’s greatness and help them to properly honor Him in their worship. I’ve never really been into big, ornate cathedrals and such. In thinking on Solomon’s desires for God’s temple, however, I can see some merit in them. There is something to be said for both doing your best work for God and for building something that inspires the awe of God’s presence.
1 Kings 6, 2 Chron. 3
I don’t visualize things very well, so I was doing a little search to see what Solomon’s temple might have looked like. In my search, I ran across a site posing the question of whether or not Solomon’s temple was what God had in mind. We know that God gave Moses very specific instructions for building the portable tabernacle they carried with them through the wilderness. But what about the temple Solomon built? Though there were certainly similarities between the two structures, there were obviously many differences as well.
I only find one clue that suggests that God was behind the design of this great temple as well. In 1 Chronicles 28, King David gave Solomon the plans for all the temple buildings. These plans contained details, right down to the weights of gold for the various articles. They even spelled out the divisions of the priests and Levites for temple service. As noted, “The plans contained everything he had in mind” (1 Chron. 28:12a). The CSB and a few other translations note that what David had in mind, he received from God’s Spirit. Given that David wrote many of the Messianic prophesies, it makes sense that God’s Spirit would have revealed the temple plans to him as well. So I do believe that, just like the wilderness tabernacle, Solomon’s temple was built according to a very specific, God given plan.