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Solomon and the Temple
LEVEL6
LESSON5
SOLOMON ANDTHE TEMPLE
King David lived an exciting andadventurous life. He ruled over the
nation of Israel forty years while still ayouth. God trained David to be king ofIsrael and worked patiently with himthroughout his life. As king, David receivedvaluable training that will help him to ruleover the nation of Israel in the WorldTomorrow (Ezekiel 37:24-25).
David's full and vigorous life lastedseventy years.
SOLOMON BECOMES KING
Adonijah, at the time David's oldest son,decided that his father was too old andinfirm to rule Israel. Adonijah decided thathe should be the one to succeed his father.Following the ways of his late brotherAbsalom, Adonijah rode about in fancychariots trying to impress the people. Hetalked Joab, the army commander, andother influential men like Abiathar thepriest, into backing his claim to the throne(I Kings 1:5-7).
Apparently David was unaware ofAdonijah's plot to become king untilBathsheba and the prophet Nathan told
ABOUT OUR COVER . . .Model of Herod's Temple and Antonia Fortress as itmight have looked in Christ's day, is part of the HolyLand Hotel exhibit in Jerusalem.
Photo by James Capo
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him. They reminded David of his promiseyears earlier to make Solomon the nextking. "All Israel," they told him, "iswatching to see who you will name as yoursuccessor. Unless you take immediateaction, Adonijah, who is telling the nationhe will be the next king, might succeed intaking over the throne after your death" (IKings 1:15-27).
David immediately gave instructionsto anoint Solomon as king over Israel.During the coronation ceremony, Solomon was officially anointed king byNathan the prophet and Zadok thepriest. A great celebration followed andthe people shouted, "Long live KingSolomon!" (I Kings 1:28-40.)
At another location, during thecoronation of Solomon, Adonijah washaving a campaign rally to gainfollowers of his own. Upon hearing thenews that Solomon was anointed king,Adonijah became fearful for his life. Heran to the tabernacle and clung to thealtar-regarded as a refuge for thosewho sinned-for protection (I Kings1:41-51).
Soldiers soon arrived and took him toSolomon. Expecting to hear his owndeath sentence for plotting to becomethe next king, Adonijah was shocked to
hear Solomon willing to grant himmercy. "If you will go the right wayfrom now on," Solomon told him, "noharm will come to you. But if youcommit wickedness, you shall die"(I Kings 1:52-53).
DAVID'S INSTRUCTIONS TOSOLOMON
Not long after Solomon became king,David informed him that he was aboutto die, and that he had valuable advicefor him. "Keep God's commandments,statutes and judgments that you mayprosper in all that you do," David said."And remember God's promise that ourfamily will continue on the throne ofIsrael as long as we live according to Hislaws."
David then instructed Solomon totake care of some important mattersafter his death. "Be kind to the sons ofBarzillai, who helped me when I fledfrom Absalom. Consider Shimei whocursed me when I was fleeing fromJerusalem and deal with him as you seefit. I promised him that I would not giveorders to have him put to death. But youknow he was guilty. Also rememberJoab and the murders he has committed.He should have been punished by deathlong before now" (I Kings 2:1-9).
Do you remember the terrible thingsJoab had done? Were his crimesdeliberate? Read II Samuel 3:26-29 and20:9-10. On the lines below describewhat Joab did. _
What was the penalty for suchcrimes? Read Exodus 21:14 and writethe answer below. _
Some months after Solomon becameking, David died. With much mourningDavid was buried in a special tomb atJerusalem.
Soon after the funeral, Adonijahagain plotted to take over the throne.When Solomon learned of Adonijah'sconspiracy, he ordered that Adonijah beexecuted at once. Remember Solomon'searlier warning to him, "But if youcommit wickedness, you shall die"(I Kings 1:52).
In time, Solomon fulfilled David'sinstructions concerning Joab and Shimei. Joab, who took part in Adonijah'sconspiracy, was also executed. Later,Shimei was put to death, paying thepenalty for the contempt and disrespecthe had shown David years earlier(I Kings 2:28-46).
SOLOMON ASKS GOD FOR WISDOM
During the earlier years of his reign,Solomon loved God and attempted tofollow the example set by his fatherDavid (I Kings 3:3). During this time,God was greatly blessing Solomon andthe nation of Israel.
On a special occasion, Solomon wentto the city of Gibeon where thetabernacle was and there made manysacrifices to God. That night Solomonwas weary from the many activities ofthe day and fell into a deep sleep. Godappeared to him in a dream and said, "I
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will give you whatever you ask for" (IKings 3:4-5).
If God were to give you whatever youwanted, what would you ask for?Solomon asked God for wisdom withwhich to rightly and justly rule God'speople. An understanding heart and theability to discern the difference betweengood and evil are qualities of anexceptionally good ruler. Solomon knewhe needed these qualities in order toproperly judge the nation of Israel(I Kings 3:6-9).
God was very pleased at Solomon'srequest and decided to give him greaterwisdom than any other man who hadever lived before him or who would livein the future. Because Solomon's requestshowed a sincere concern for the peopleinstead of a desire for personal wealth,God also promised him great wealth andhonor. In the dream God also promisedSolomon a long life if he would continueto obey Him as his father David haddone (I Kings 3:10-14).
When Solomon awoke the nextmorning, the full impact of the dreamhit him. It was such an outstandingexperience that as soon as he returned toJerusalem, he made more burnt offerings and peace offerings, and gave aspecial feast for all his servants andgovernment officials (I Kings 3:15).
SOLOMON'S WISE JUDGMENT
The people of Israel soon heard aboutSolomon's judgments and marveled athis wisdom. The wisdom God gaveSolomon enabled him to solve problemstoo difficult for other people to solve.
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Consider Solomon's wisdom in thefollowing story of two women, found inI Kings 3:16-28.
One day, two women of low charactercame before Solomon with a seriousproblem. The first woman said, "Thetwo of us live in the same house. Each ofus had a baby. I had mine first and threedays later hers was born.
"While asleep one night, she accidentally laid on her baby and smothered it.When she discovered it was dead, shecame into my room while I was asleepand stole my child from me. Then sheput her dead son next to me.
"When morning came, I thought mybaby was dead. But when I took a closerlook at the baby, I knew it was notmme.
"The other woman switched babies,but she denies it. She stole my livingson!"
After thinking for a moment,Solomon said, "Bring me a sword! Wewill settle this at once." To be just,Solomon had to determine who wasthe real mother. "Divide the livingchild in half. Give half to eachwoman," he said.
The first woman spoke up quickly."Oh no! Please spare the child! Give herthe baby. Don't kill it!"
The other woman said, "Go aheadand divide it. Let it be neither hers normine."
Upon hearing these words, Solomonknew the truth. "Give the child to thewoman who wants him to live. She is thereal mother." Solomon knew the baby'sreal mother would want the child to live.
He found a way to get the women toexpose their true feelings.
Reports of this matter, as well asothers that had to do with Solomon'sdecisions, spread around the nation.People could discern that God wasguiding Solomon and giving him greatwisdom. Solomon's fame soon spread toother nations as well. Kings and peoplefrom many nations came to hear himspeak and ask him for advice.
Because God had given Solomon anexceptional mind, good sense and anunderstanding of people and things, hehad more wisdom than any of the otherwise men of his day. As Solomonobserved and studied things, he greatlygrew in knowledge. He certainly musthave known a great deal about history,mathematics, plants and animals. Hestudied music, wrote over a thousandsongs, and also wrote hundreds of
proverbs, many of which are preservedin the book of Proverbs in the Bible(I Kings 4:29-34). Solomon also wrotethe books of Ecclesiastes and Song ofSolomon which also contain valuableadvice for us today.
Many of Solomon's proverbs show thequalities of a wise ruler. Take time tostudy the book of Proverbs and thenmake a list of the traits of a good ruler.Ask your parents to check your list.Here is a list of scriptures to help youget started: Proverbs 20:28; 24:23; 25:5;28:16; 29:4; 29:12; 31:3-9.
SOLOMON'S POWER, WEALTHAND FAME
Solomon enjoyed a peaceful andprosperous reign. Nearby kingdomssuch as Moab, Ammon, Syria andDamascus were under Solomon'sauthority and paid tribute to him. His
King Solomon's merchant caravans were constantly adding to his wealth.
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kingdom extended from the EuphratesRiver on the north and east to Egypt andthe Mediterranean Sea on the south andwest (I Kings 4:1-21, 24).
God certainly kept the promises Hemade to Solomon in the dreamwisdom, wealth and honor. We do notknow just how rich Solomon actuallybecame, but there are legends eventoday of great mines of gold, diamondsand other precious substances. Perhapssome of these legends are true; God'sword does not tell us. Today, over 2,000years later, there are men who searchfor Solomon's "lost mines," as well ashis other treasures.
Many people served in Solomon'scourt and ate in his palace. To feedeveryone in the palace, the provisions forjust one day included 240 bushels of fineflour, 480 bushels of meal, 30 bulls and100 sheep and goats. To this were addedvarying numbers of deer, antelope andfowl (I Kings 4:22-23).
Thousands of soldiers were in Solo-
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mon's army. He had 40,000 stalls ofhorses for his chariots, and 12,000horsemen. It took a fortune to feed,clothe and house the vast number ofservants and soldiers.
WORK BEGINS ON THE TEMPLE
During this time of peace and greatprosperity, Solomon decided to beginbuilding the Temple which had longbefore been planned by David, throughGod's inspiration, down to the smallestdetail.
Solomon remembered the skilledartisans and carpenters from Tyre thatbuilt David's palace about thirty yearsearlier.
In a message sent to Hiram, king ofTyre, Solomon reminded him of David'sdesire to build a temple that would bededicated to God. Solomon told him ofGod's promise that David's son would bethe one to build it. Solomon then said,"Please send us your best craftsmen andI will pay them and provide laborers to
Huge foundation stones for the Temple were slowly moved into place atop Mt. Moriah.
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assist them. We will also need fir andcedar trees from the forests of Lebanonfor the temple" (I Kings 5:1-6).
Hiram was very pleased with Solomon's request. In time, the specially-cuttimber arrived in Jerusalem. In payment, Solomon sent large amounts ofwheat, barley, oil and wine to Hiramand his workers.
The construction of the large andfabulous Temple of God requiredthousands of laborers. Over 3,000foremen supervised the construction ofthe Temple. Solomon employed over30,000 Israelites to work with thetimber. They were divided into threegroups. Each month 10,000 would helpcut timber while the other two groups of10,000 rested.
This large group of laborers and hiredcraftsmen skillfully cut the timber andcarefully squared, smoothed and polished the massive stones required for thebuilding. Each stone was ready toassemble before it was brought toJerusalem. This was because Solomonwanted no harsh sounds from hammers,axes, or iron tools to be heard as theTemple progressed on Mount Moriah(I Kings 6:7).
The main building was about 126 feetlong, 42 feet wide and 63 feet high. Tothe main building Solomon addedchambers for the priests and rooms forstoring treasure. With the porches,stone-paved court, towers and outsidewalls, the entire structure coveredseveral acres.
The inside walls of the Temple weremade of cedar and fir overlaid with gold.
Floors inside the Temple were alsooverlaid with gold (I Kings 6:22, 30).The Temple was decorated with gold,silver, precious stones, carved figures ofpalm trees and open flowers, and withcolorful linen.
Elaborate and expensive furnishingsfilled the Temple. Candlesticks, bowls,spoons, basins for washing, and censersfor burning incense were all speciallydesigned and made from gold, silver orbrass.
The Temple took seven years to build,and was finished in the eleventh year ofSolomon's reign (I Kings 6:1, 37-38;II Chronicles 3:1-2). It was undoubtedly the most beautiful building everconstructed. Were such a buildingconstructed today, it would cost literallybillions of U.S. dollars!
SOLOMON DEDICATES THE TEMPLE
When the Temple was finished,Solomon planned a great dedicationceremony. The dedication was heldduring the seventh month of the year(according to God's calendar). It tookplace just before the Feast of Tabernacles (I Kings 8:1-2).
The priests moved the ark of God andall the holy vessels from the tabernacleto the Temple. They placed the ark in aspecial inner room called the Holy ofHolies, behind a heavy curtain called aveil (I Kings 8:3-8). (For a descriptionof the ark and its contents, read Exodus25:10-15 and I Kings 8:9.)
Above the ark in the Holy of Holieswere two gleaming gold statues ofcherubim. These statues were 21 feet
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Holding his hands toward the sky, Solomonpraised God for His greatness and asked Him
to bless His people.
high, stood side by side, and their fourwings spread out over the ark.
THE GLORY OF THE ETERNAL
Solomon and the people sacrificed somany sheep and oxen during the dedicationthat the number could not be counted (IKings 8:5). As the sacrificing continued,the people sang and worshipped. Themusicians stopped performing when amysterious cloud suddenly filled the
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Temple. The priests also stopped theirduties when the cloud appeared.
The cloud was sent by God as a signof His presence, and to show Solomonand the people that He was very pleasedwith the Temple and their rejoicing.
Solomon held his hands toward thesky and voiced a prayer with suchvolume that it could be heard bythousands. He praised God for Hisgreatness. He told God he knew theTemple was nothing in contrast to thewhole universe God created anddwells in. Nevertheless, Solomonreminded God that He said He wouldput His name on the Temple. He thenasked God to especially hear theprayers of His people, bless them,rescue them, and forgive them whenthey repent of their sins and turn toGod (I Kings 8:12-53).
At the conclusion of the prayer, Godsent a blinding bolt of fire that instantlyconsumed the wood and animal flesh onthe altar!
God's acceptance of the Temple wasso dramatic, that the following Feast ofTabernacles was an exceptionally happyone. The people greatly rejoiced. One ofSolomon's proverbs was especially fitting for the occasion. "When therighteous are in authority, the peoplerejoice . . ." (Proverbs 29:2).
SOLOMON'S PALACE
After building the Temple, Solomonstarted work on his own palace. It was atall building and very costly. The mainsection of the palace was more than 200feet long, over 100 feet wide, and as high
as a modern six-story office building.Solomon's throne room was beautifullydecorated with gold and many colorfulprecious stones.
The palace contained dining rooms,game rooms and many guest rooms.Beautiful porches and gardens surrounded the building. You may want tosketch on a separate piece of paper whatyou think Solomon's house might havelooked like.
Besides the Temple and the palace,Solomon was involved with many otherconstruction projects. Ecclesiastes 2:4-9lists some of Solomon's projects.
GOD'S PROMISE AND WARNING
After Solomon finished the Templeand the royal palace, God appeared tohim a second time and said, "If you willobey me and keep my commandments asDavid your father did, then I willestablish the throne of your Kingdomupon Israel forever. But if you or yourchildren turn from my ways to paganreligions," God warned, "I will turnfrom you. The temple will fall into ruins,and people passing by will ask why Iallowed it. They will learn that thishappened because Israel forsook theirGod" (I Kings 9: 1-9; II Chronicles7:12-22).
After this reminder, Solomon renewedhis determination to obey God. He wasthankful for the abundance and greatprosperity God had given to him and thepeople. But Solomon had certain strongdesires that could cause him and the nationmuch trouble if they were not controlled.
Solomon's many building projects,
including the Temple, palace and otherpublic buildings were very costly. Somuch money was eventually owed toKing Hiram for materials and labor thatSolomon decided to put a heavy tax onIsrael (I Kings 9:15). Heavy taxes likethese helped contribute to the nation'seventual downfall.
You may remember that years earlier, God warned the people of Israelwhat it would eventually mean if theywere to have a king. In I Samuel8:11-17 God described some of thethings their kings would do. Read thisdescription and see how much of itapplies to Solomon.
A VISIT FROM THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
As time passed, Solomon turned hisattention to increasing his wealth. He andKing Hiram sent fleets of ships on longvoyages to major ports around the world.The ships returned with many valuablesincluding spices, apes, peacocks, gold,silver, ivory, rare kinds of wood, and allkinds of valuable and unique objects (IKings 10:11-12,14-15,22-23).
In time, reports of Solomon's vastwealth and wisdom reached the Queenof Sheba. She visited Solomon andasked him riddles and questions to testhis wisdom. She gave Solomon manyservants, gold and jewels worth millionsof dollars as a gift of friendship.
The Queen was surprised to discoverfor herself that the reports aboutSolomon were really true. She greatlyadmired him (I Kings 10: 1-10; IIChronicles 9: 1-9). Before she left,Solomon allowed her to select whatever
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she wanted from among his manypossessions. He then added many itemsin addition to those she requested(I Kings 10:13; II Chronicles 9:12).
SOLOMON TURNS FROM GOD
As long as Solomon obeyed God, he wasblessed. But Solomon had a growingweakness-a desire to have many wives.He was especially attracted to foreignwomen from other nations, even thoughthey worshipped false gods (I Kings 11:1).
When Israel had come to Canaan yearsbefore, God had told the Israelites not tointermarry with those of other nations. Godknew that intermarriage with foreignerswould result in the Israelites being drawninto the worship of idols and other falsegods (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy7:1-6; I Kings 11:2).
This is exactly what happened toSolomon. Solomon's 700 wives and 300concubines, or secondary wives, eventually turned him from the true God. Hebecame more and more concerned withphysical things and with trying to pleasehis wives (I Kings 11:3).
As Solomon grew older, he allowedhis heathen wives to talk him intobuilding small temples for their pagangods. He built them in plain view of thetemple he built for God years earlier.This was a terrible insult to the GreatGod who had so richly blessed him(I Kings 11 :4-10).
Solomon was no longer seeking toobey God. He began to pay a heavyprice for his sins. Apparently Solomonforgot that God blesses those whocontinue to obey Him.
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God became very angry with Solomon, and told him, "Because of yourdisobedience and idolatry, I will take theKingdom of Israel from you!" God'swords shocked Solomon. "But forDavid's sake," God continued, "I willnot do it while you are alive. Your sonwill inherit the throne of Israel, but Iwill then take it from him and give it toone of your servants. It is only forDavid's sake, and the sake of Jerusalemmy chosen city, that I will allow your,
Solomon allowed his heathen wives to offersacrifices to their pagan gods on altars built
within sight of God's Temple.
c.8iii>osoiiicoCD»,.0c:o
~~
son to reign over the tribe of Judah" (IKings 11:9-13).
God then stirred up Solomon's enemies, Hadad the Edomite, and Rezon,captain of a Syrian army. These menwere adversaries of Israel, especiallyduring Solomon's latter days (I Kings11:14-25).
To fulfill His prophecy, God sent theprophet Ahijah to deliver a message to aman named Jeroboam. Ahijah toldJeroboam that God would allow him torule over ten of the tribes of Israel. Inhis excitement Jeroboam quickly spreadthe news among his family and friends.Solomon soon heard the news andangrily sent soldiers after Jeroboam tokill him. However, Jeroboam escaped, sothat God's Word would come to pass (IKings 11:26-40).
SOLOMON'S DEATH
After reigning forty years as king ofIsrael, Solomon died. He lived aboutsixty years, ten years less than his fatherDavid.
Do you remember what God promisedSolomon in the dream just after hebecame king? (I Kings 3:14) "And ifthou wilt in my , tokeep my and my_______ as thy father Daviddid , then I will thy___." Solomon might have livedmuch longer had he continued to obeyGod and keep His commandments.
Before he died, Solomon designatedhis son Rehoboam to succeed him. Aswe shall see in the next lesson, God didtake away the throne over all of Israel
from Rehoboam, and allowed him toreign only over the nation of Judah inJerusalem.
CONTINUAL OBEDIENCE NECESSARY
Solomon knew God's truth and keptHis commandments during his earlyyears as king. God greatly blessed himwith wisdom, riches and honor. ButSolomon did not continue to obey Godall his life.
One of the most important lessons wecan learn from Solomon's later life, isthat in order to live happy andsuccessful lives, we must continuallyobey God throughout our lives. It is onlythe overcomers who continue to obeyGod throughout their lives that are theones who will receive eternal life in theKingdom of God.
Another important lesson we canlearn from Solomon's life is to alwayskeep our desires under control. What isthe apostle Paul's warning in I Corin-thians 9:27? _
Though Solomon disobeyed God laterin life, we can nevertheless learn muchfrom what he wrote during his earlieryears when God was with him andinspiring him. Be sure to study the bookof Proverbs regularly. It contains valuable advice on many topics of interest totoday's young people. You will learnmany vitally important principles andlessons that will help you to have asuccessful and rewarding life now, andeternal life in God's Kingdom!
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EDITOR IN CHIEF: Herbert W. Armstrong
Produced in cooperation with Imperial Schools.e 1983 Worldwide Church of God for the entirecontents of this publication.
BIBLE MEMORY I Kings 2:2-3I Kings 3:7-9I Kings 4:29·30I Kings 9:3-7
SCORE A GOAL!Answer the questions below by filling in the blanks. Each time you answer a questioncorrectly, draw a line to the soccer ball with the same number as the question. If youanswer all the questions correctly, you will score a goal! The answers are at the bottom ofthe page.
1. David gave instructions to anoint as king of Israel.2. Before his death, David instructed Solomon to keep God 's _
statutes and judgments, so he would prosper.3. Since took part in Adonijah's conspiracy, Solomon had him
executed.4. In the city of Gibeon, the Eternal appeared to Solomon in a _
saying, "I will give you whatever you ask for."5. God granted Solomon greater than any other man,6. Solomon discussed plans to build the Temple with King of Tyre .7. The beautiful Temple required years of hard labor to build,8. After building the Temple, Solomon built his own in which the
main section was about as tall as a six-story office building,9. God promised to make Solomon great, but he also warned, "If you or your children
turn from my ways to religions, I will turn from you,"10. Solomon had a strong liking for women, and had wives and concubines.11. Solomon designated , his son, as Israel 's next king ,
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