INTRODUCTION
Solomon first devoted his efforts to building a house for Yahweh. When that was complete, he began to build his own house (7:1), which included a number of buildings (7:1-12; cf. 9:10). The design of the Solomon?s own house reinforces his status as the son of Yahweh who lives in a house modeled on Yahweh?s own.

THE TEXT
?But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house. He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits . . . .?E(1 Kings 7:1-22).

SOLOMON?S HOUSE
Solomon spent a total of twenty years in building (9:10). There were two main building projects: the temple, which took seven years (6:38), and the king?s house, which took 13 years (7:1). Solomon did not sin by spending more time on his own house than on the temple. Solomon?s work on the temple was like a tithe or firstfruits. Besides, Yahweh is pleased to give His son a glorious house.

The king?s ?house?Econsists of a number of buildings. Though there is not much detail given, we can draw some conclusions about the purpose and architecture of the buildings:

-The ?house of the forest of Lebanon?E(vv. 2-5). This building was larger than the temple (the temple, including the porch, was 70 x 20 x 30 cubits, and this house was 100 x 50 x 30 cubits). Like the ?nave?Eof the temple, it is paneled with cedar and has windows (7:4-5; 6:4). This house is mentioned several other times in the OT (1 Kings 10:16-17; 14:25-28; Isaiah 22:8).
-The ?hall of pillars?E(v. 6). The word for ?hall?Eis the same as the word for the temple ?porch?E(6:3). It is possible that this was a pillared porch or colonnade extending an additional fifty cubits from the front of the House of the Forest.
-The ?hall of the throne?Eor the ?hall of judgment?E(v. 7). The word ?hall?Eis again the word for ?porch.?E The hall of the throne was ?paneled with cedar from floor to floor,?Ea phrase that also describes the nave and inner sanctuary of the temple (6:16-17).

When we put these together, it appears that Solomon?s house was built as a replica of the temple. The ?nave?Eof Solomon?s house corresponds to the Holy Place of the temple; the ?hall of pillars?Ecorresponds to the porch; and the ?throne room?Ecorresponds to the Most Holy Place, which housed the ark-throne of Yahweh. His house is like Yahweh?s: Like father, like son.

BRONZE WORK
The next section of chapter 7 deals with several large-scale bronze furnishings of the temple: the pillars at the doorway; the bronze sea; and the ten ?water-chariots.?E We?ll look at the pillars this morning, and at the sea and water-chariots next week.

1 Kings 7:13-14 tells us about the workman responsible for the bronze work, Hiram of Tyre (different from the King of Tyre). Like King Hiram, he is another Gentile who contributes to the building of the house of Yahweh. The description of Hiram as being ?filled with wisdom and understanding and skill?Ereminds us of Bezalel and Oholiab, the two workmen equipped by the Spirit to work on the tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 35:30f.).

JACHIN AND BOAZ
Hiram first works on are the pillars of bronze that stand at the side of the porch. These pillars are highlighted in the book of Kings and elsewhere (2 Kings 25:13-17; Jeremiah 52:22-23). They are very large. With the capitals, each is 34.5 feet and 18 feet in circumference. According to Jeremiah 52:21, the bronze was ?four fingers in thickness,?Ewhich means that the pillars themselves were hollow. The capitals were of lily design, and were surrounded by a lattice-like network and chains, with pomegranates hanging from the chains, perhaps functioning like bells (vv. 17-20).

There are several symbolic dimensions to the pillars. First, Pillars are symbolic of people (Psalm 144:12; Isaiah 19:10). The association with human beings is strengthened by the fact that they are given names. Second, the fact that they flank the doorway of the house of God suggests that they are similar to cherubim, guardians of the holy place.

Third, the names associate the two pillars with the two main offices in Israel: priest and king. The name ?Boaz?Eis an ancestral name in the Davidic line, and ?Jachin?Emeans ?he will establish,?Epointing to the ?establishing?Efunction of the priesthood in Israel. The link with the priest is strengthened by a couple of details of the pillar construction. The high priest had pomegranates at the end of his robe (Exodus 28:33), and there are pomegranates on the capitals of the pillars (1 Kings 7:18). Further, the high priest has chains around his neck, holding the breastplate to the ephod (Exodus 28:14; 39:15).

Fourth, the pillars are a vertical representation of the temple itself, just as the priestly garments themselves are. One key connection is the use of ?chains?Eboth around the capital of the pillar (7:17) and at the entrance into the Most Holy Place (6:21). Finally, the pillars, like the temple itself, contain garden motifs ?Ea lily-shaped capital and pomegranates. Pomegranates, along with figs, symbolize the fruitfulness of the Edenic land of Canaan (Numbers 12:3; 20:5; Deuteronomy 8:8). In Solomonic times, pomegranates and lilies are found in the Song of Songs, adorning the love-garden (pomegranates in 4:3, 13; 6:7, 11; 7:12; 8:2; lilies SS 2:1-2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2-3; 7:2). The giant bronze lilies, adorned with pomegranates, indicate that the temple is the ?trysting place?Efor Yahweh and His bride.

Catechism for Little Saints

How is Solomon?s house like the temple?
Like the temple, it has a nave, a porch, and a throne room.

What are the names of the two bronze pillars at the doorway of the temple?
Jachin and Boaz.

What do the two pillars represent?
The pillars represent the guardians of Israel, the king and the priest.

For Further Study

Look at Hosea 14:5 with the temple in mind. What is Yahweh promising to do for Israel in this verse?