We’ve got a God that wishes to be with us. He revealed this primary by His presence within the Tabernacle, then within the Temple. After that, Jesus got here and lived among the many individuals and when He died, He despatched His Spirit to dwell within the hearts of each believer which is His presence with us as we speak. However all of this factors us to a day after we will dwell in His bodily presence eternally and His glory is not going to overwhelm us.
With every manifestation, His presence has develop into extra everlasting, extra private, and extra enduring. Once we invite God to make His dwelling with us, we discover relaxation, stability, consolation, and safety. Once we permit His Spirit to fill us as He crammed the Temple on the day of its dedication, we start to provide His fruits and we flourish
The Constructing of the Temple – (1 Kings 6:1-38; 7:13-51) (2 Chronicles 3:1-5:1)
Solomon started constructing the Temple within the fourth 12 months of his reign, through the second month (April–Might). This was 480 years after the Israelites left Egypt. Students usually place the Exodus round both 1446 B.C. or 1491 B.C. Moses obtained phrase to construct the Tabernacle only some months after they left Egypt, and it was erected “on the primary day of the primary month, within the second 12 months after they departed” (Exodus 40:1-2). I adhere to the 1491 B.C. date, so all subsequent dates replicate that chronology. Both approach, the distinction of 45 years shouldn’t be vital.
So, the Tabernacle was erected 15 days shy of a 12 months after the Exodus, in 1490 B.C. Solomon took the throne in 1015 B.C. and started development of the Temple in 1011 B.C. Not like the touring tent the Israelites used for nearly 5 centuries, this is able to be a everlasting place for them to satisfy with the Lord. It was constructed on Mount Moriah — the place the place Abraham provided Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18) and the place David provided sacrifices to cease the plague that stumbled on Israel after he ordered a census for egocentric achieve (2 Samuel 24).
The Temple
The constructing itself was 90 ft lengthy, 30 ft large, and 45 ft excessive — precisely twice the scale of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:15-30). The stones have been pre-cut and formed on the quarry, then fitted collectively onsite in order that no hammers, axes, or instruments have been heard throughout development. Solomon constructed this sanctuary with excessive reverence. As soon as the construction was framed in stone, he lined the inside and exterior with cedar from Lebanon, imported by way of his alliance with King Hiram of Tyre.
The cedar had a decorative background of buds and open flowers; on it they engraved extra cherubim, palm timber, and blossoms, and overlaid all of it with hammered gold. 2 Chronicles 3:5 provides that they overlaid the Holy Place with cypress wooden, so presumably it was used for accentuation and trim, whereas cedar was used for the partitions. The partitions have been additionally embellished with golden chains, palm timber, and valuable stones, and the ground and ceiling have been lined with cypress planks overlaid with gold. The gold used for the nails within the Temple weighed 1¼ kilos every, and its home windows had intricate, creative frames. Since gold is just too delicate to penetrate wooden, these have been in all probability simply ornamental nail heads.
The Inside Structure
The Temple had two important rooms, with an higher chamber above them. The again room — the Most Holy Place — was an ideal dice (30 × 30 × 30 ft). The entrance room — the Holy Place — was 60 × 30 ft and certain additionally 30 ft excessive. So, the remaining 15 ft of the constructing fashioned an attic of cedar beams and planks. The gold on the partitions of the Most Holy Place weighed 23 tons.
Heavy olive-wood doorways separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place, and delightful gold chains have been hung throughout its entrance, serving each as ornament and as a reminder that the realm was restricted to the excessive priest solely annually on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). The doorways had the identical engravings because the partitions and have been additionally overlaid with gold. In entrance of them hung a veil similar to the one within the Tabernacle – woven of violet, purple, crimson, and tremendous linen, embroidered with cherubim (Exodus 26:31-33). Within the Tabernacle, this curtain was all that separated the 2 rooms, however as a result of the Temple was a everlasting construction, it had doorways as properly. But the veil nonetheless marked the sacred separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, serving as an additional barrier reminding the monks to not enter.
The Most Holy Place
Contained in the Most Holy Place stood two cherubim manufactured from olive wooden, overlaid with gold. Every was 15 ft tall with wings 7½ ft lengthy, making a 15-ft wingspan. Their outer wings touched the partitions, and their inside wings touched one another, overlaying the width of the room. They stood on their ft, dealing with the excessive priest as he entered.
Phoenician and Mesopotamian artwork typically depicted cherubim as creatures with animal our bodies and human faces, however as a result of these cultures worshiped animals, the exact options of the Temple cherubim are unknown. What we do know is that cherubim symbolized guardianship. Just like the cherubim that guarded the Backyard of Eden after Adam and Eve have been expelled (Genesis 3:24), these cherubim guarded the Ark of the Covenant, the place the presence of the Lord dwelt between the 2 cherubim on the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17-22).
The Holy Place
Solomon additionally overlaid the altar of incense with gold, which was produced from cedar. Then Huram, the grasp craftsman from Tyre, crafted all of the golden furnishings (2 Chronicles 2:12-14). For the Tabernacle, Bezalel made just one Desk of Showbread and one Lampstand (Exodus 37), however Huram made ten of every — 5 on both aspect of the Temple. He additionally made 100 gold bowls, together with wick trimmers, tongs, snuffers, firepans, basins, ladles, censers, and hinges for the doorways, all from pure gold to be used contained in the Temple. (beneath image doesn’t present the entire room. Ought to have 5 lampstands and 5 tables, however that is the overall concept)
The Aspect Rooms
Across the Temple Solomon constructed three tales of small rooms, every 7½ ft excessive. The primary story was additionally 7½ ft large, the second 9 ft large, and the third 10½ ft large. Every ascending story was 18 in wider than the one beneath, in order that the second flooring sat on a 9-in ledge on both aspect of the underside story, and the third flooring on a 9-in ledge on both aspect of the center story. This design allowed the aspect rooms to relaxation on offsets as a substitute of piercing the primary Temple partitions for help. A doorway on the south aspect led to a spiral staircase connecting the tales. Solomon positioned inside all of the gold, silver, and sacred objects devoted to the Temple by David (2 Samuel 8:10-11).
