Wednesday, June 12, 2013

June 12 – 1 Kings 7 & 2 Chronicles 4

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Kings 7 & 2 Chronicles 4. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.
Photo Credit: bibleQ
Our reading today began with Solomon constructing his personal palace. In reading the details of Solomon’s palace we first might get the idea that Solomon built a much bigger and better home for himself than he did for God. However that is not necessarily the case. I want to turn to the words of James Smith, Old Testament professor and scholar. He writes ….

The palace complex dominated the outer court which surrounded the temple mount. This complex was thirteen years in construction. This longer period spent on the palace does not argue for selfishness on the part of Solomon. On the contrary, his piety caused him to build the temple first. The temple construction was much faster because (1) David had gathered enormous quantities of materials in advance; (2) Solomon employed a special force of laborers on the temple; and (3) the temple was small in comparison to the palace complex. The place complex consisted of five major buildings. 1. The house of the forest of Lebanon. 2. The porch of pillars. 3. The hall of justice. 4. The palace. 5. House of Pharaoh’s daughter. [1]

Solomon’s palace may have been bigger than the Lord’s Temple, but we have to remember it served a different purpose. God’s Temple was the place where God resided and offerings to God were made. The palace was the home of Solomon, it was the treasury and armory for the nation, it was a gathering place for people waiting to see the king and for court appearances, it is where court proceedings took place, and it was the home to Pharaoh’s daughter. So while much larger, we must remember it served more than one purpose. The palace had to be large to serve its role.

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[1] Smith, James. The Books of History. Joplin: College Press, 1995. 435. Print.

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