1KINGS 7: 1-12 The Building King

1Kings 7: 1-12 The Building King

INTRODUCTION:

• The story of King David is the story of a king fighting battles.

After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from Philistine control. He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. David captured seventeen hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses and kept a hundred chariots. When the Arameans of Damascus came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went. David took the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. King David also took huge quantities of bronze from Betah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities. When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Toi and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Joram had items of silver, gold, and bronze with him. King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued ​— ​from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah. David made a reputation for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people. — 2 Samuel 8:1-15 (CSB)

• If King David’s story is about fighting battles and defeating enemies, his son King Solomon’s kingdom is about building, about a kingdom at peace.
• We have seen so far, the completion of God’s house.
• This week we will learn about his second building project.
• Both kingdoms, although different, are foreshadowing of the greater King and greater Kingdom to come. The Kingdom of the LORD Jesus.
• King Solomon’s main building project was detailed in the last two chapters, “a house for the name of the LORD”.
• What can we learn from this second building project? Open your Bibles to 1Kings 7.

SCENE 1: His (1-12)

1. Bad or ?
   • VIEW 1: This is self-aggrandizement due to the size of the house and the fact that it took longer to build his house than the LORD’s house.

They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. — Psalms 49:6 (CSB)

Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; because you know better, stop! As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky. — Proverbs 23:4-5 (CSB)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. — 1 Timothy 6:10 (CSB)

• VIEW 2: There was nothing wrong with this endeavor. The writer makes no indication of a problem. Bringing glory to God’s King is also bringing glory to God and His Kingdom. Later in history a wicked son follows his godly father, King Josiah. That son also builds a large house. This is what the Prophet Jeremiah had to say about it.

Woe for the one who builds his palace through unrighteousness, his upstairs rooms through injustice, who makes his neighbor serve without pay and will not give him his wages, who says, “I will build myself a massive palace, with spacious upstairs rooms.” He will cut windows in it, and it will be paneled with cedar and painted bright red. Are you a king because you excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink and administer justice and righteousness? Then it went well with him. He took up the case of the poor and needy; then it went well. Is this not what it means to know me? This is the Lord’s declaration. But you have eyes and a heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression — Jeremiah 22:13-17 (CSB)

For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —in heaven and on earth and under the earth —and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9-11 (CSB)

1. The .
   • THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON: Historically known for the treasury and the armory explaining its size being larger than the temple. The building probably had large windows allowing for natural light during the day.
   • THE HALL OF THE PILLARS: Historically believed to be a portico for the House of the Forest of Lebanon due to the same physical length.
   • THE HALL OF THE THRONE: This building is also referred to as the Hall of Judgement and was the most important structure even though not a lot of details are known. This was the place where God’s chosen King had his throne. It corresponded to the Most Holy Place in the temple.
   • This was a place where King Solomon would “judge”. This has the meaning of punishing evildoers or setting things right.
   • This is the place where King David’s prayer for his son in Psalm 72.
   • The complete fulfillment of this hall is found in Revelation 20.

Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. — Revelation 20:11-15 (CSB)

• THE ROYAL RESIDENCE: The palace and a separate place for Pharoh’s daughter whom we met in 1Kings 3.

1. The .
   • “Costly stones” is used three times in verses 9 through 11.
   • We should not miss the significant difference between the buildings built in 1Kings and a modern-day church project. These buildings had a significant spiritual foreshadowing that does not occur today. Why is this?

But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. — Matthew 27:50-53 (CSB)

EMERALD CITY:

1. To give God’s King glory is to give God glory. This brings up an important doctrinal question, “Who is Jesus?”

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.” Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name? ’ what should I tell them? ” God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation. — Exodus 3:11-15 (CSB)

Then the Jews said, “Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say,‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be?” “If I glorify myself,” Jesus answered, “my glory is nothing. My Father ​— ​about whom you say, ‘He is our God’ ​— ​he is the one who glorifies me. You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The Jews replied, “You aren’t fifty years old yet, and you’ve seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple. — John 8:52-59 (CSB)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. — Colossians 1:15-20 (CSB)

Revelation 5

Council of Nicaea (AD 325)

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

1. Solomon’s house and the Temple were built on “costly stones”. Years later another costly stone was laid in this same city.

Therefore the Lord God said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable. — Isaiah 28:16 (CSB)

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.” — Matthew 21:42-44 (CSB)

As you come to him, a living stone ​— ​rejected by people but chosen and honored by God ​— ​5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected —this one has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. — 1 Peter 2:4-10 (CSB)

Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)

Lets get building.