A Hammer, a Chisel and a Spear

1 Kings 6:7 And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. NKJV

In chapter six we learn about the building of Solomon’s Temple. David had desired to build the temple but he had shed too much blood in the sight of God. Solomon on the other hand, was a man of rest and was given peace and quietness from the LORD all the days of his life (1 Chr 22:8-10). David couldn’t build the temple but it didn’t prevent him from helping to prepare for its construction (1 Chr 29:1-9).

The construction of the temple began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign; four hundred and eighty years after the children of Israel had come out of Egypt. This is a very important verse in Scripture because it helps us to have a timeline of some of the events in the Old Testament. Solomon ruled from 971 to 931 B.C., so the temple construction would have begun in 967 B.C., which dates Israel’s exodus from Egypt in 1446 B.C.

The temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide and forty-five feet high, making the temple twice as large as the tabernacle. It was constructed out of stone, with chambers all around causing the temple to have a much larger appearance. These chambers were on the north, south and west walls of the temple; they were not attached to the temple itself but rested upon the temple’s narrow ledges. There is much that can be written of the temple’s construction but there are a few things that I would like to point out.

Verse seven has always struck me as a great accomplishment because I was a brick mason for over twenty years and I have never worked on a job where there was no sound of a hammer, a chisel or any iron tool. To be able to quarry the stones to such precise measurements and to have the temple assembled without the sound of any of these tools was quite an accomplishment indeed. However, this verse also caused me to think about Jesus, in that there was the sound of a hammer, a chisel and an iron tool upon the temple of our Lord when He was crucified upon a tree.

Jn 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Another thing that I marvel at concerns the inner beauty of the temple. The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen. The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple (1 Kgs 6:18,22). Once again this reminds me of Jesus. Isaiah tells us, “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Is 53:2). But beautiful He is, for although for a time He had taken on human form, He was and is God incarnate.

Ps 96:6 Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Finally, the last verse tells us that Solomon completed the temple in seven years. Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible and in Christ Jesus there is complete perfection.

Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel Lake Villa

Rest on Every Side

1 Kings 5:4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. NKJV

The relationship that began between Hiram, king of Tyre, and David continued on into the reign of Solomon. If you recall, Hiram had sent men and supplies to David to build hima house and it was through this gift that David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel (2 Sam 5:11-12). Hiram also sent servants to Solomon, after hearing that he was anointed king in his father’s place, for Hiram had always loved David. Solomon responded by sending word to Hiram, saying, “The LORD my God has given me rest on every side.” He also reminded Hiram of his father’s inability to build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet. Therefore, when Solomon proposed to Hiram that he help supply the materials needed to build the temple, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people.” Not only had David passed on his faith to his son but it is apparent by Hiram’s word that David had also influenced his friend to have an understanding of the things of the LORD.

A deal was struck and Hiram provided servants, cedar and cypress logs; the logs were transportedby floating them down the Mediterranean Sea to Israel. In payment for all the labor and material, Solomon annually provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred bushels of pressed olive oil. This arrangement came as a result of the wisdom that the LORD had given to Solomon, for there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

Solomon also showed wisdom with his own Israeli labor force, by using thirty thousand men in a rotation of ten thousand men a month. This would give his laborers two months rest for every one month of work. I am sure the work was very hard but having two months off would have helped the morale of his work force and given each man the ability to care for his own lands and household.

Let’s close out today’s devotionary by looking at the word rest.

1. Solomon’s rest was a result of a promise from God.

1 Chr 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.

2. Solomon wrote about a future rest in the days of the Messiah.

Ps 72:7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

3. This rest will come to all nations during Jesus’ millennial reign upon the earth.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

4. This rest is available to each of us right now through faith in Jesus Christ.

Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel Lake Villa

The Days of Solomon

1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. NKJV

Like his father David, Solomon would go on to rule over Israel for a total of forty years but unlike David, those years would be years of peace and not war. The chapter begins by giving us a list of Solomon’s administration and the twelve governors who providedfood for the king and his household; each governor made provision for one month of the year. This would have been quite an undertaking since the king’s daily provisions were: one hundred and fifty bushels of fine flour, three hundred bushels of corn meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from pastures and one hundred sheep, besides all the deer, gazelles, roebucks and fatted fowl. They also brought barley and straw for the king’s forty thousand horses and steeds. During this time, God supplied all the provisions that Solomon and the children of Israel needed. Solomon’s kingdom was large, ruling over all the kings that were west of the Euphrates River, as far as the border of Egypt. The children of Israel became as numerous as the sand of the sea as each man dwelt safely under his vine and his fig tree, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

God also gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. In other words, Solomon’s capacity for learning was so large that it was as the sands of the sea. We might say that he had an ocean of wisdom and knowledge in his mind. Solomon’s wisdom excelled beyond all the men of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt; he was wiser than the most renowned men of the world at that time, speaking three thousand proverbs and writing one thousand and five songs. He also studied trees and plants (Dendrology and Botany), animals (Zoology), birds (ornithology), creeping things (entomology) and fish (ichthyology). Men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon had great glory, but all his wisdom, knowledge and glory pales in comparison to the wisdom and the knowledge and the glory of Jesus our Lord.

Matt 12:42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

1 Tim 6:15b He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

One day, in the days of our King, Jesus, we will also dwell safely under our vine and our fig tree, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

Mic 4:4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5b But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel Lake Villa

Ask Anything

1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” NKJV

Solomon was one of the great kings of Scripture. His name meant peaceful and although his father was a man of war, he would be a man of peace. The prophet Nathan sent a message from God to David and Bathsheba concerning their son in which he called Solomon, Jedidiah, a name meaning, beloved of the LORD (2 Sam 12:24-25). Solomon also loved the LORD, walking in the statues of his father David and although he was not perfect, he had a wonderful beginning as king over Israel.

A couple of his early flaws, which we see in this chapter, were that he married outside of the nation of Israel and he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Although he was worshipping God at these high places, he was not worshipping God in the prescribed manor. Both of these flaws would prove to be key factors in his apostasy from the faith in his later life.

Although Solomon wasn’t worshipping God in the prescribed manor, God came to him in a dream at the high place of Gibeon. Jesus will often reach out to us right where we are at. However, His desire is to lift us up and bring us into a proper relationship with Him, and not to leave us where he had found us.

In the dream, God asked Solomon, “Ask! What shall I give you?” What would you do if you were in Solomon’s place? Our first instincts would be to ask for long life, riches or victory over our enemies. Perhaps these were Solomon’s first thoughts as well but he asked for an understanding heart to judge God’s people, that he might discern between good and evil. The Hebrew word for understanding is shama` (shaw-mah’); which means to hear, and in this case to hear, intelligently. Solomon viewed himself as a little child; some believe that he may have only been in his late teens when
he took the throne. He desired to rightly judge the people of God, to be able to discern between good and evil and he knew that the only way that he could do this was with God helping him.

God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He not only blessed him with a wise and understanding heart but He also blessed him with riches and honor; the things that he did not ask for. Then God put a condition upon him, saying, “If you walk in My ways, to keep My statues and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” God was willing to give Solomon long life, but sadly Solomon would fail to do the things that the LORD asked of him, proving that faith in God is more important than all the wisdom or riches of this world.

The chapter closes by telling us about one of Solomon’s wise judgments between two mothers, who each claimed a baby boy as her own. I will let you read to see how Solomon’s wise judgment in this matter revealed who the real mother was.

What would you ask, if God came to you in a dream tonight, saying, “Ask! What shall I give you?” Would you seek long life, riches, fame or the wisdom to continue in a right relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel Lake Villa

Prove Yourself a Man

1 Kings 2:2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. NKJV

In David’s final words to his son there is an appeal to Solomon to walk worthy of the call that the LORD had placed upon his life. Solomon was to:

Be Strong: Sometime before David’s last words to his son, when he was giving instructions to Solomon about building the temple, he said unto him, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God – my God – will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD (1 Chron 28:20). The Hebrew word for strength in both of these verses is chazaq (khaw-zak’), it not only means to be strong, but to fasten upon. I have discovered that true strength is always connected to our  faith in Jesus. It is when we fasten upon Jesus, that we also strengthen our walk and witness in this world.

Prove Yourself a Man: Our world has a huge misconception of what it means to be  a man today. The world says that real men are athletic, career oriented, able to handle his drugs or alcohol, conqueror of women and true only to himself. I am
sure that we could each add to this list, but I think it sums up the worlds misconception of what it takes to be a man. In my own life, I have had a great example of true manhood in my father. The above list may have described some of his earlier characteristics, but that all changed when he gave his heart to Jesus at the age of twenty-eight. Toward the end of his life, with his physical strength failing, he would testify, “God made me a better man.” Dad had come to understand that true manhood or womanhood is not connected to physical beauty or strength, but in our walk and relationship to God, through faith in Christ Jesus His Son.

Keep the Charge: Keeping the charge of the LORD our God is connected with our walk in the LORD. In verse three we learn that we are to walk in God’s ways, to keep  His statutes, His commandments, His judgments and His testimonies, as they are written in the Law of Moses. For Solomon and for us, this is an impossible task but it wasn’t for Jesus. Only Jesus was able to keep the charge of His Father and because of Jesus’ work on the cross and our faith in Him, we are given the Holy Spirit of God to enable us to walk in the ways of God and to help us keep the charge of the LORD our God.

In the Davidic Covenant, God made a conditional promise to David in 2 Samuel 7,  that if his sons/descendants would ‘take heed to their way, to walk before Him in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’ (1 Kg 2:4). Faithfulness to the LORD promised prosperity for Solomon, but also a future for his sons and the generations to follow.

The chapter closes with David instructing Solomon to deal with some unfinished business. In regards to Joab and Shimei, he was not to let their grey hair go down to the  grave in peace and for Barzillai, he was to show him kindness for the kindness that he had shown to David. Not only would Solomon deal with these three men but he would also have to deal with his elder brother, Adonijah, who still had an eye for the throne.

As we close, I am encouraged by David’s last words to his son, to continue on in my own faith, being strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to prove myself a man, to  keep the charge of God in my life; knowing that doing so will set an example for
 my own children and grandchildren who follow after me.

The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel Lake Villa

They Anointed Him King

1 Kings 1:39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” NKJV

As we begin 1 Kings there is another attempt by one of David’s sons to proclaim himself as king, but this time the attempt is thwarted by a prophet, a mother, a priest, a soldier and the newly anointed king.

Verses one through four inform us about David’s failing health and a beautiful young virgin named Abishag. She was sought for throughout all the territory of Israel to care for and serve the aging king, but the Bible is clear to point out that the king did not know her intimately. Nevertheless, she will become part of the story of Adonijah’s rebellion in chapter two.

Adonijah was the brother to Absalom, who had previously failed in his attempt to become king. The Bible tells us that Adonijah was also a very good looking man and like his brother he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. This time Adonijah, whose name means “Jehovah is my Lord,” would be able to sway Joab, the commander over David’s army, and Abiathar, the high priest, to follow in his rebellion. It was at the stone of Zaheleth where Adonijah invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants and where sacrifices were made to exalt himself as king. However, there were a few people that Adonijah didn’t invite, such as Nathan the prophet, Benaiah a chief warrior, David’s mighty men, Zadox the priest and Solomon his brother.

Once Nathan was made aware of Adonijah’s rebellion, he immediately went to Bathsheba to seek her help in thwarting his plans. Bathsheba went to David first, to remind him of the vow that he had made to her, swearing by the LORD his God that Solomon would be king. She then told him of Adonijah’s rebellion, knowing that her and her son’s lives were in danger. Afterwards, Nathan came and confirmed all the words of Bathsheba. It was decided that Solomon would be anointed as king and they called Zadox the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to perform the ceremony. Once anointed, a horn was blown and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon.” The joy of the city was so great that the earth seemed to split with their sound. When Adonijah’s guests heard what was going on, they were afraid and forsook him. Adonijah went immediately, in great desperation, to the tabernacle, to seek refuge by laying hold of the horns of the altar, receiving pardon from King Solomon, if only he would prove himself worthy, but sadly he would be found wanting.

As I look at this chapter, the key significance between Adonijah and Solomon was that Adonijah proclaimed himself as king without the LORD’s anointing and Solomon was proclaimed king with the LORD’s sacred oil that was taken from the tabernacle. The oil meant that Solomon was sanctified or set apart by God to be king over Israel. It is also apparent that God had already preordained that Solomon would be king after David. I love this about our LORD because Solomon was a child that was born from parents who had originally sinned against the LORD by having an adulterous affair, but now having found forgiveness, they lived to see their fourth son anointed as king.

Today, we know that Jesus is the Anointed One and although we may have, in times past, sinned against our Lord, we can find forgiveness and a life that is blessed through the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit upon our lives, who set us apart in service to our King.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel

Sin Costs

2 Samuel 24:24a Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” NKJV

The chapter begins by telling us that the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” Although God was angry at Israel, He used David as an instrument of His wrath. In 1 Chronicles 21 we learn that Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number the people. This second account doesn’t negate the first but rather expands upon it, reminding us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). I believe, much like in the story of Job, God allowed Satan to come against Israel; in the long run He was working out a plan of redemption for David and his people.

David gave the command to number the people and even though Joab wasn’t seen as a righteous man, David’s words were abominable to him (1 Chron 21:6) However, David prevailed and Joab and his men went out to count the men of war, which took them nine months and twenty days to complete. By counting the men of war, David seemed to be measuring his military might, thus placing his reliance upon has numbers instead of the LORD. David hadn’t always thought this way. cf Ps 20:7

After the totals were given, David’s heart condemned him and he confessed, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” In the morning the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, who told David, “You have three options: seven years of famine, three months of fleeing before your enemies or three days of plague in your land.” David chose the plague, saying, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” David understood that although God’s judgment may be severe, He is also just, unlike man who doesn’t know true justice. He also knew that God is merciful and in God’s mercy there is opportunity for salvation.

The plague began, and from Dan in the far north, to Beersheba in the extreme south, seventy thousand died in Israel. When the angel came to Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” In Chronicles we learn that when David saw the angel having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem, that he and his elders, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. David became an intercessor between God and his people, saying, “Surely I have sinned, and have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be
against me and my father’s house.” This is a great reminder for us that our sins have consequences and sometimes we end up hurting the ones we love most.

God heard David’s prayer and directed him to erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah (Ornan) the Jebusite. Araunah tried to give his king the land and the animals, but David would have none of that, saying, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” What Satan had intended for evil God turned to good by receiving David’s offering, by which David understood that this place would one day be the place where the temple would be built.

Sin costs, but it is God who has paid the price of our sin through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Jesus did this on the very mountain where David interceded for his people.

 
The Cleansing Word Is the teaching ministry of Pastor John Pennell of Calvary Chapel