![]() All of the people of Israel knew that the Tabernacle was a special place for God. The Tabernacle was the place where the priests came to offer sacrifices and to worship the Lord. Ever since the time of Moses the Ark of the Covenant had been kept in a special tent – the Tabernacle. Inside the ark were the two tablets of stone on which were written the 10 Commandments. This is the box that was made during the time of Moses. The Ark of the Covenant was a special box made from gold. Lead the discussion into the idea that the kind of building is not the important thing. You might even have the children describe or draw their ideal church building. If we focus our spiritual lives on a beautiful church building then we have missed the MOST important part.įind pictures of all different types of church buildings and bring them to class. The Lord is still not limited to a physical building ( 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 and Ephesians 2:19-22). Today the Lord shows His presence in the hearts of believers. The Lord showed His presence in the temple. Even Solomon understood that the Lord was not limited to a building ( 8:27). The Lord made it known that his presence was there ( 8:10-11) but his presence was conditional. ![]() And the temple they built was indeed magnificent. Solomon and the Israelites sought to provide a worthy dwelling place for their God. The Lord told Solomon that He would reject the temple if Solomon or his descendants did not walk in the ways of the Lord ( 9:6-9). He particularly wanted Solomon to take note of the MOST important reason that the temple was built – GOD. Perhaps the Lord did not want the new message to be lost in the fanfare. Considering this, it is interesting to note that the Lord waited until all of the crowds had been sent home ( 8:65-66) before He appeared to Solomon with a special message. This was a special time in the history of the nation of Israel. The two weeks ( seven days followed by seven more days) of festivities to dedicate the temple were glorious and filled with fanfare and ceremony. These labourers quarried and transported all the stone for the temple ( 2 Chronicles 2:17-18). Solomon also conscripted more than 150,000 labourers from the descendants of the previous inhabitants of the land. The shifts alternated monthly so that the men spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home during the years it took to harvest the timber ( 1 Kings 5:13-14). Solomon conscripted approximately 30,000 men from all of Israel to help harvest the timber from Lebanon. Therefore, the job fell to the one who was not known for his military prowess, but for his godly wisdom, King Solomon. The house of God’s peace was not to be built by a warrior king. Even though David was Israel’s most godly king, God did not want David to build the temple. One of David’s greatest desires had been to build a temple for God. Building the temple symbolized this peace and stability. After the war-torn years of the judges, Saul, and David, Israel finally began to enjoy the “rest” God had promised. The construction of the temple was probably the most significant event of Solomon’s reign. The palace and temple would end up taking 20 years ( 1 Kings 9:10). With his claim to the throne firmly established, Solomon now began his building projects. ![]() Your visualization of the splendour of the temple will help you get the story across to your children.Īpproximately four years had passed since Solomon became king. Please take time to read through today’s scriptures carefully. ![]()
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