Good Morning Friends,
“You know that because of the wars waged
against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the
Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. But now
the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.
I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD
told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in
your place will build the temple for my Name.’ So give orders that cedars of
Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your
men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling
timber as the Sidonians.” (1 Kings 5:3-6)
Even before Solomon became king of Israel he
knew what the primary task of his reign would be – to build a temple to the
glory of God. It was the dream of David to see a great temple – and a project
that God did not allow David to bring about because he had been such a man of
war. David’s reign wasn’t the right time for the temple to be built. But God
had promised David that when his son was king that dream would become reality. Before
David died he set aside a huge portion of his vast wealth for the construction
of the temple and asked the people of Israel to join him in making an offering
for it. The financing was ready – that wasn’t something Solomon would have to
tackle for himself. David did everything he could to pave the way for Solomon
to fulfill the dream of the temple.
In today’s text, Solomon gets started on the
project. As Solomon made those initial plans for the temple it is obvious that
he considered this task to be of utmost importance. Solomon wanted to construct
the finest temple he could to honor God and to demonstrate His place in the
nation of Israel. By asking to purchase cedars from Lebanon Solomon was showing
his commitment to use only the best materials for the Lord. The cedars of
Lebanon were of world renown for their quality. No scrub oaks for the temple
Solomon would build – only the cedars of Lebanon would do. The lesson is clear
– what we do for God we should do with our best – our best efforts, our greatest
sacrifices, our finest resources. God richly deserves them all.
One other lesson that comes from Solomon’s
letter to Hiram – Solomon was not asking for a gift from the people of Lebanon
so that the temple could be built. The people of Israel would pay for what they
were asking from Lebanon – not wages on which they would skimp – but whatever wages
Hiram considered right for his men. God’s people weren’t looking for handouts
from those who did not worship God – they would make the sacrifice themselves
to build God’s temple. That lesson reminds me of David’s heart about the same
issue. When he was seeking a place to make a sacrifice to God, Araunah offered his
threshing floor as a gift. David made this reply, “No, I insist on paying the
full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt
offering that costs me nothing.” (1 Chronicles 21:24) David would not offer to God
that which cost him nothing – neither would Solomon – neither should we.
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment