Beginning the House of Yahweh, 1 Kings 6

INTRODUCTION
Solomon shows his wisdom by judging rightly in the case of the two prostitutes (1 Kings 3:15-28), in the organization of his kingdom (1 Kings 4:1-19), in his vast learning (1 Kings 4:29-34), and in his covenant with Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 5:1-12). Now, he manifests his wisdom by building the house of Yahweh, who equips him with wisdom, understanding, and craftsmanship, as He equipped Bezalel and Oholiab (Exodus 31:1-11).

THE TEXT
?And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon?s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord . . . .?E(1 Kings 6:1-38).

HOUSE OF YAHWEH, HOUSE OF SOLOMON
Two features of the literary arrangement are important. First, 1 Kings 6:1 says that Solomon began building the house of Yahweh in his fourth year, and 1 Kings 7:51 announces that Solomon finished the house of Yahweh. The story of the building of Yahweh?s house thus covers both chapters. Within these two chapters, however, we also read about the building of Solomon?s palace and other public buildings (7:1-12). Given their setting, these are being treated as part of the building of ?the house of Yahweh.?E Solomon, as Yahweh?s son (2 Samuel 7:14), builds his house next door to his heavenly Father?s. During the period of the monarchy, Yahweh?s house extends to the palace of the king, and later, after the exile, Yahweh?s house expands to encompass the entire city of Jerusalem.

Second, the word ?finished?Eis used nine times in these chapters, as Solomon completes each stage of the ?house?E(6:7, 9, 14, 22, 38; 7:1, 22, 40, 51). The same word is used in Genesis 2:1, where it describes Yahweh?s completion of the heavens and earth, and also in Exodus 40:33, where it denotes Moses?Ecompletion of the tabernacle. These connections are not merely verbal. The tabernacle and temple are both ?world models,?Eand Moses and Solomon are ?creators?Ewho imitate the divine Creator.

THE HOUSE
The Bible gives a lot of attention to sacred architecture (Exodus 25-40; 1 Kings 6-8; 1 Chronicles 1-7; Ezekiel 40-48). To understand why, we need to grasp the basic meaning of the sanctuary. First, sanctuaries are houses for Yahweh, palaces of the divine King of Israel. As such, they mark the fulfillment of Yahweh?s promise to ?dwell?Eamong His people. As Solomon told Hiram, he intended to build a house for the ?name?Eof Yahweh (5:5). Yahweh?s presence makes the sanctuaries ?holy?Eplaces, since they are consecrated by His glory.

Second, sanctuaries symbolize the people of God gathered around His throne. The three areas of the sanctuary (court, holy place, most holy place) represent three divisions of Israel (laymen, priest, high priest). Also, when the Babylonians take Israel into captivity, they take the temple furnishings and instruments into exile as well (2 Kings 25:13-17).

Third, sanctuaries are architectural recapitulations of the garden of Eden. Solomon?s temple emphasizes this in the fact that the whole interior of the house is covered with wood, and in the fact that there are fruits, vegetables, and flowers carved on the walls (6:14-18). The fact that cherubim guard the inner sanctuary of the temple is another reminder of Eden (1 Kings 6:23-28; cf. Genesis 3:24).

Fourth, the sanctuaries are architectural ?holy mountains.?E At Sinai, this was evident when the glory cloud that had been on top of the mountain came to rest in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). With the temple, it is indicated by the shape of the building itself, which was a stepped pyramid. This is evident from the side chambers; these chambers get wider as they go higher (1 Kings 6:5-6), which means that the temple itself gets narrower. The temple is shaped like a stepped pyramid.

Finally, the sanctuary is ?humaniform.?E A number of the architectural terms in 1 Kings 6 are also words for bodily organs: The temple has a ?face?E(v. 3), ?ribs?E(vv. 5, 8), and ?shoulders?E(7:39). This metaphorical relation between bodies and buildings is pervasive in the Song of Songs, and these terms point to the fulfillment of the temple in the man, Jesus (cf. John 2).

GLORY TO GLORY
In many respects, the temple and tabernacle all share these dimensions. But the temple is not merely a restoration of the tabernacle. It is a permanent building, rather than a tent, which points to the fact that Israel is finally settled in the land and has rest from all her enemies (cf. 5:4; Deuteronomy 12:10).

Beyond that, the temple surpasses the glory of the tabernacle in a number of respects. It is far larger. The tabernacle was 10 cubits X 30 cubits, but the temple is 60 cubits long, 20 wide, and thirty high. The Most Holy Place of the tabernacle was a 10 X 10 cube, but the ?inner sanctuary?Eof the temple is twenty cubits square (1 Kings 6:20). Solomon also covers much of the interior of the temple with gold (6:20-22, 28, 32). Even the floor was covered with gold (6:30), a substantial improvement over the dirt floor of the tabernacle. Some of the names for the temple areas also highlight the grandeur of the house. The ?holy place?Eis called the ?nave?E(Heb. Heykal ), which means ?palace.?E

All this indicates that Solomon?s temple was a glorification of the tent of Moses. The tabernacle was glorious, but Solomon builds a more glorious house. Israel has moved from glory, to greater glory.

GUARD MY COMMANDMENTS
At the center of this passage, Yahweh?s word comes to Solomon to exhort him to obey and guard the commandments (6:11-13). Verse 12 is arranged in a small chiasm:

Walk
My ordinances and statutes
do
guard
commandments
Walk

Though this brief passage seems to interrupt the account of the building of the temple, it is crucial to understanding the temple?s purpose. Yahweh promises to dwell among the Israelites (v 13) so long as they keep His commandments and ordinances. Yahweh?s presence is not automatic, and if Israel turns the temple into a den of thieves, Yahweh will abandon the house and leave it to be desolated, as He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh.

The same is true of the church today, which is the temple of God. Jesus abandons churches that persist in wickedness, that turn the house of Yahweh into a house of Baal.