Archive for September 25th, 2009
September 27, 2009: Solomon Builds the Temple
The text for this lesson is 1 Kings 5:1–6:38.
Key Points
- Though He was hidden, God resided within the Old Testament temple; Jesus is the unveiled, human Most Holy Place and is truly accessible to all, enfolding believers in the arms of His Word and Sacraments.
- Law: In my sin, I want to keep God at a distance; I don’t want Him to see who I really am.
- Gospel: God, in His love, draws me near to Him; in Jesus, He tabernacles (dwells) among all believers through Word and Sacrament.
Context
David desired to build a “house of cedar” for God, to replace the tent in which his Lord had been residing (2 Samuel 7:1–29). But the Lord declared it would be Solomon who would build such a house. Work on the temple was begun 480 years after Israel left Egypt, around 967 BC (1 Kings 6:1), and was completed seven years later (1 Kings 6:38). It consisted of two main parts: the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) and the Holy Place. It was a sight so dazzlingly beautiful that it was deemed an “exalted house” for the King of kings (1 Kings8:13). Yet it was only temporary. The Babylonians bulldozed it in 587 BC.
