Solomon Builds a Temple for the Lord - The Book of 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles

In this Bible Story, the Temple of God is finally built. David’s dream to see God’s home amongst the people of Israel has finally been fulfilled through his son Solomon. This story is inspired by 1 Kings 5-9 & 2 Chronicles 2-7. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Kings 8:23 from the King James Version.

Episode 115: Because of the work that his father David had done, Solomon had the privilege of building alliances and trade routes for the prosperity of Israel. And during the time when kings would usually go to war, he, his men, and the kings in alliance with him, worked together to build the temple of God. After seven years, the beautiful temple, the hope of the nations, was complete. God’s presence filled it and Solomon, though he was king of Israel, bowed before the King of Kings and worshiped Him.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and he said, Lord God of Israel,
there is no God like THEE in heaven above or
on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy
servants that walk before THEE with all their heart. First
Kings eight twenty three. My God, as I enjoy the

(00:23):
vastness of your glory and splendor, I will be mindful
to continue building the business, ministry, department, company, and family
that you've called me to build. As I build, I
will make sure that, like Solomon, I will construct my
life off of your blue print and the blue print

(00:44):
or specifications you've set for others. When the temptation comes
to play it small or hold back from giving my all,
I will look to to day's reading in First Kings
and Second Chronicles to remind myself that you deserve nothing
less than my best. So today I commit my all

(01:07):
to you. I declare that you will receive nothing less
than my best in all that I do. When excellence
seems to be out of reach, I declare that you
will bring the right people into my life to elevate
everything that I touch. I acknowledge that whatever I build
will serve as a monument to you and your glory. Therefore,

(01:33):
I will not stop until the world sees the beauty
and splendor of what You've placed inside of me. In
Jesus name, thank you for making prayer a priority in
your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned
for today's story, brought to you by Bible in a

(01:54):
Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Solomon builds a temple for the Lord. In our last story,
we peered into the dreams of Solomon. God asked him
to request anything and it would be answered. Instead of
asking for riches, long life, or victory, Solomon asked for
wisdom and a kind heart to lead his people. God

(02:28):
granted this to Solomon and gave him more than he
could have ever asked for. Now we see Solomon putting
his wisdom to good use as he seeks to build
the Great.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Temple of God.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Inspired by the Book of First Kings and Second Chronicles.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with the day's episode of
the Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, we
heard how God appeared to Solomon in a dream and
offered to give him whatever he desired. Rather than ask
for riches or long life, Solomon asked God to give
him wisdom and discernment so that he could lead God's people. Well.

(03:08):
This pleased God so much that God promised not only wisdom,
but wealth, fame, and prosperity. Today we'll learn how Israel
experienced a time of great peace and celebration, something they'd
never really had before. And in this new era, Solomon
the Wise King was set about accomplishing the vision his father,

(03:28):
David had to build a great house for the Lord.
So let's listen now to today's word.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
It was a time of peace in Israel. David the
Great Warrior had vanquished many of Israel's enemies. As a result,
Solomon had the privilege of building alliances, trade routs, and libraries.
Conflict was replaced by communication. Bloodshed was replaced by brotherhood,
so much so that when it came time for Solomon

(03:58):
to begin building the Temple of God, he had the
aid of other nations. King Hiram of Tire offered up
his cedar beams in Cyprus from Lebanon, as well as
men to aid in construction. All was falling into place
for Solomon, and the spirit of God was pleased with
his work. Springtime waltzed into the land like a joyful song.

(04:21):
Solomon and his work force had worked day and night
unto the Lord. The sun was gentle and the breeze
was kind. Spring flowers bloomed in an array of colors
and smells. It had been four hundred eighty years since
the people of Israel were delivered out of slavery, and
for the first time, Israel began to feel permanent. The

(04:41):
people watched as the massive temple was built before them.
This was a symbol of their freedom. Solomon looked up
at the temple. The sun reflected off of its roof.
Beautifully nearly finished, Solomon could finally step back to appreciate
the work. God spoke in the coolness of mid day, saying,
remember what this temple means. Obey me and I will

(05:04):
fulfill my promise to your father. I will live among
you and will never abandon you. Solomon closed his eyes
and took a deep breath. He was content. Solomon stepped
inside the temple to finish the interior. The entire inside
was paneled with fine cedar. The floors were smooth cypress.

(05:24):
The inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, was at the
far end of the temple. It was thirty feet deep
and its walls were carved with immaculate floral designs. The
entire interior was then overlaid with solid gold, and gold
chains protected the entrance. Two fifteen foot cherubim were made
of wild olive wood and placed there in the inner sanctuary.

(05:48):
Their wingspan spread across the room valiantly. Palm trees, flowers,
and gold filled the hallways, and the double doors were
pure olive wood. Finally, after seven years of planning, building
and refining, the Temple of the Lord was complete. It
stood as a beacon of hope and sanctuary to all

(06:09):
who entered Israel. Solomon stood in the temple courtyards in
awe of the temple's beauty. He turned back towards the
main entrance and watched as the priests of Israel raised
the Ark of the Covenant and brought it into the temple.
The entirety of Israel gathered for a festival and watched
as the presence of God filled the temple. In an instant,

(06:30):
the glorious presence of the Lord came upon the Holy
of Holies like a cloud, and the priests stood in wonder.
Solomon fell to his knees before the temple. People stood
and watched as their king bowed before him. No king
in the land ever bowed to anyone. Yet Solomon would
bow to God, for it was God who was above all.

(06:53):
Solomon looked to the heavens and said, here you are, Lord,
your permanent home. He then rose to his feet and
turned to the people. He raised his hand before them, smiled,
and declared, Praise the Lord, Praise the God of Israel.
It was my father's greatest wish to build this temple,
but war kept him from building it. But here it is.

(07:16):
The crowd erupted in cheers. Shouts of joy and praise
filled the skies. Solomon burst into laughter as he spoke,
tears streamed down his face. He looked to heaven again
and said, there is no one like you in all
of heaven or on earth. Please keep your promises to us,
by your unfailing love, carry out your promises. We know

(07:39):
that there is nothing that can contain you, not even
this temple. But we ask that you meet us here.
Solomon placed his hand on the altar and spoke to God.
God would continue to meet with his people in the temple,
although not even the vastness of the temple could contain him.
As for Solomon. His wealth and influence would expand beyond
any king in the East. His poetry, philosophy, and theology

(08:02):
would be sought after by princes and nobles from far
off lands. Peace filled the land, God filled the land.
Although struggle awaited the people of Israel, they enjoyed their
moment of bliss and the glory of their God.

Speaker 3 (08:19):
As we begin today's lesson, the Kingdom of Israel is
reaping the benefits of David's many battles. Solomon rules over
a nation that, rather than engage in battles with its neighbors,
is forming alliances and establishing trade. It was an era
of hope and prosperity, and Solomon knew that the time
was right to begin building God's Temple. His father had

(08:43):
wanted so badly to build the House of God, but
was prevented from doing so because he had blood on
his hands. He had been a man of war. Though
God had prevented David for accomplishing the task, he promised
that his son would build the temple. So now, in
the fourth year of his rule, Solomon began to fulfill
that vision. Because of Israel's alliances with neighbors and the

(09:07):
peace they were experiencing, Solomon was able to enlist labor
and materials from other nations. King Hiram of Tire sent
the best seedar in cypress woods to begin the construction,
along with laborers who worked alongside of Solomon's own men
to erect the temple. And what an impressive temple this
would be. It was so much more than just a building.

(09:30):
It was a symbol, a sanctuary for the people, a
sign of God's presence and their freedom, a freedom that
God promised and delivered to them. It was a precious thing,
but the people and Solomon needed a reminder not of
what it symbolized, but who it was for. So God
spoke to Solomon, saying in First King six verses twelve

(09:52):
and thirteen, concerning this house that you're building, if you
walk in my statues and obey my rules, and keep
all my commandments and walk in them, then I will
establish my word with you, which I spoke to David,
your father, and I will dwell among the children of Israel,
and will not forsake my people Israel. God is a

(10:15):
holy father. He knows his children, and he knows that
these children of Israel needed to remember him in the
newfound prosperity that they had been given unless they once
again turn away into their own desires and interest and
even idols. As impressive as it was from the outside,
this temple was even more so on the inside. Filled

(10:38):
with gold and finest wood in the best craftsmanship, it
was truly a home befitting the most High God. And finally,
after seven years of building, the Great House of the
Lord was completed. God's presence, the Ark of the Covenant,
was brought into the temple. All that was left to
do was to celebrate this momentous occasion with a great

(10:59):
thatstay stable. God displayed his awesome presence by entering the
Holy of Holies like a cloud. The people and the
priest were filled with wonder and awe. Solomon then bowed
before the Lord, demonstrating that he was just an earthly
king and that the one true King, the one worthy
of praise and submission, was God Almighty. It was something

(11:22):
truly amazing for a king to do, as no other
nations king would dare bow to another. But Solomon, like
his father, understood that God was above all and worthy
of all praise and adoration. In humility, he asked God
to come and meet his people in that place, the
house that he had built for God. He also knew

(11:44):
that the temple, though great and glorious, was not enough
to contain God's greatness. One day, God's presence would come
in an even more remarkable way, opening the door for
him to dwell not in a house of gold and cedar,
but in the heart of man. Dear God, thank you
for this powerful passage of scripture, for your presence in

(12:08):
our lives. Just as you in dwelt your temple so
long ago, May we now the temple of your spirit
be a sanctuary for your presence. Lord, Fill us with
your spirit that we might live for your glory in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

(12:28):
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com
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(12:48):
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