It took 13 years to
build the house of the forest of Lebanon, so called because of the immense
cedar pillars set into the design.
Its purpose is never stated,
but some commentators speculate that it would have included a banqueting hall, a
judgment hall, living quarters, kitchens, and possibly an armory as it had 200
gold targets or shields.
It means that 20 years
of Solomon’s reign was dedicated to his two primary building projects. However,
he had other projects.
He built the House of
the Forest of Lebanon, his own palace, a palace for the daughter of Pharaoh, a
porch of pillars (called Solomon's portico, to the east of the temple court), a porch for holding court (the royal porch to the south of the temple, between the temple and the palace), the fort of Millo, the wall around
Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
He also built Baalath,
Tadmor, and his storage cities, and all of the support systems for his horses
and chariots. I Kings 7:1-12; I Kings 9:15-19.
His palace was 100
cubits long (150 feet, 30 meters) and 50 cubits wide (75 feet, 25 meters).
The primary building
materials were cedar pillars and hewn stone, cut with costly stone saws.
Back to the house had
pillared porticoes and was divided into numerous sections. Again I feel a
picture does more justice than a complex explanation.
I have searched for a
decent image of the complex, but although biblical descriptions offer much,
consensus perspective on the overall layout remains elusive. Little remains of the
structure today.
In New Testament
times, the church of Jerusalem met in Solomon’s portico, a pillar concourse
that linked his royal estate to the temple compound.
No doubt, it was there
to compete from an image perspective, with the great cities of his world. It symbolized
a steady, albeit gradual, shift in his faith from God to himself. He drifted
more and more from a faith of the heart and the character of God.
In the narrative is a
description of his brazen sea or laver, a huge water bath of 10 cubits (15
feet, 7meter) diameter, set on 12 carved
oxen, with three each facing the cardinal points. The brass of the basin was
about 6 inches or 10 centimeters thick.
Also discussed here
were the two primary pillars, possibly influenced in design by the Philistine
temple destroyed by Goliath, which was flawed by its over-reliance on two
pivotal pillars. The pillars of the 1st temple were massive and were also
named, as Jachin and Boaz.
Jachin means "One and only", implying unity and Boaz symbolises the redemptive love of God characterized by Ruth's kinsman-redeemer.
The ideas are so well echoed in Ephesians 3 and 4, notably that we have one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism and we are rooted and grounded in love.
They were symbolic of the two pillars of Christ's own ministry: Grace (love) and Truth (in God). Thus, they represented our kinsman-redeemer and the object of his redemption: the church.
Jachin means "One and only", implying unity and Boaz symbolises the redemptive love of God characterized by Ruth's kinsman-redeemer.
The ideas are so well echoed in Ephesians 3 and 4, notably that we have one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism and we are rooted and grounded in love.
They were symbolic of the two pillars of Christ's own ministry: Grace (love) and Truth (in God). Thus, they represented our kinsman-redeemer and the object of his redemption: the church.
There were also ten smaller lavers set on bases with sets of 4 wheels, all ornately carved.
Hiram assisted with the molding of the basins, the candlesticks, shovels and altars, which were all molded in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
I will let the images
tell the rest of the story.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
Images: www.preceptbiblestudy.files.wordpress.com; atrivialdevotion.com
