Week 13 1 Kings
Today I read about Solomon’s Temple and thought back to the story of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Two building projects, similar like an Amish barn-raising is similar to a company getting a city-contract for low-rental apartments.
Exodus took about seven chapters detailing plans for the Tabernacle. 1 Kings doesn’t record anything about the planning stage.
On Mount Sinai the Lord gave Moses exacting instructions on how the Tabernacle should look. Solomon didn’t go to Sinai and the bible doesn’t say anything about him getting blueprints from the Lord.
Bezalel & Oholiab were given special Tabernacle-building talent by the Lord’s Spirit. Solomon hired Hiram – an accomplished metallurgist but – from what we can tell – not spirit-talented.
People willingly donated materials to build the Tabernacle but the Temple didn’t have much community engagement. Costs were covered by the state and police-enforced labour did all the heavy lifting.
The two projects were different. But it looks like the differences were over-look-able because when Solomon dedicated his Temple to the Lord a cloud filled the temple – a very good sign – and the Lord said: I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple which you have built…My eyes and my heart will always be there.
So it looks like Solomon’s government-contracted bricks-and-mortar project was done with his heart in the right place.
Note: quote from 1 Kings 9:3 (NIV).