TOPIC: IT IS A MATTER OF PRIORITY
Text: : 1 Kings 7:1-12
7:1 But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.
7:2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was [a]one hundred cubits, its width [b]fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars.
7:3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row.
7:4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers
7:5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.
7:6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.
7:7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to [c]ceiling.
7:8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.
7:9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court.
7:10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits.
7:11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood.
7:12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the temple.
STUDY:
King Solomon can be described as a master builder when we consider the complex nature of his palace which comprised of the House of the Forest of Lebanon (vv. 2-5), the Hall of Pillars (v. 6), the Hall of Judgement (v. 7), a lavish open court containing other buildings, and his own house (vv. 8-12). As a master builder, Solomon had to set his priority right by ensuring that he started with the temple project which was a house built for God, before embarking on his palace complex which took him thirteen years to complete (v. 1). Solomon built for God and God had to build for Solomon, so to speak. Solomon’s desire to complete the Lord’s house before building his own house is commendable.
We have many desires that compete for our attention and we must remember that God’s work is priority. The Scripture enjoins us to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and the basic necessities of life will be ours too (Matt. 6:33). Who knows whether Solomon would have succeeded in building his palace if he had not built God’s house first. We read in Haggai 1:2ff how God rebuked His people for building their houses instead of rebuilding His temple. When we put God first, He will provide for our deepest needs (cf Matt. 6:33).
Prayer:
Father, help me to build my life in the faith according to your pattern.
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