Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / January 6 - 1 Kings 6

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January 6 - 1 Kings 6 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is Monday.
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  It is the 6th of January. Wait for it. 2025.
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  Yes, the new year has finally arrived.
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  I don't know whether you get a little bit confused as you head
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  into that last week of the year when you keep on referring to
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  the next year as this year because in your head you kind of
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  moved on but just waiting for the calendar to tick over.
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  But here we are, definitely ticked over moving ahead and you
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  might be thinking 2025, what am I going to do?
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  I reckon there might be some renovations for our place in
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  this year. If that's you, well, you should
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  not listen to this. Because as far as renovations
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  go, as far as opulent, incredible plans go, today's
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  reading takes the cake. Today's reading is all about
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  Solomon planning to build a temple for the Almighty God of
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  the universe. And how on earth do you get an
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  interior decorator to make this place fit for not just a king,
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  but fit for a God? Well, that's what he attempts.
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  So it is quite, quite impressive.
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  So that is what we're going to read today as we continue
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  reading through the Book of First Kings.
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  And in this particular part of the book we are hearing about
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  the heyday of Israel, these incredible days where Solomon,
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  living in God's favour, is going to do some awesome things.
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  So friends, wherever you are, whatever's going on in the early
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  part of the year, welcome, settle yourself in and let us
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  hear the story of God's favour for his earthly king.
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  As we read together First Kings chapter 6,
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  it was in mid spring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth
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  year of Solomon's reign, that he began to construct the Temple of
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  the Lord. This was 480 years after the
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  people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land
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  of Egypt. The Temple that King Solomon
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  built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet
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  high. The entry room at the front of
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  the temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width
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  of the temple. It projected outward 15 feet
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  from the front of the temple. Solomon also made narrow
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  recessed windows throughout the temple.
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  He built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the
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  temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building.
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  The complex was 3 storeys high, the bottom floor being 7 1/2
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  feet wide, the 2nd floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 10 1/2
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  feet wide. The rooms were connected to the
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  walls of the temple by beams resting on ledges built out from
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  the wall, so the beams were not inserted into the walls
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  themselves. The stone used in the
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  construction of the temple were finished at the quarry, so there
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  was no sound of hammer, axe, or any other iron tool at the
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  building site. The entrance to the bottom floor
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  was on the South side of the temple.
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  There were winding stairs going up to the second floor and
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  another flight of stairs between the second and third floors.
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  After completing the temple structure, Solomon put in a
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  ceiling made of cedar beams and planks.
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  As already stated, he built a complex of rooms along the sides
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  of the building, attached to the temple walls by cedar beams.
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  Each story of the complex was 7 1/2 feet high.
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  Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon concerning this
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  temple you are building. If you keep all my decrees and
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  regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfil through
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  you the promise I made to your father David.
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  I will live among the Israelites and will never abandoned my
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  people. Israel, Sir Solomon finished
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  building the temple. The entire inside, from floor to
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  ceiling was panelled with wood. He panelled the walls and
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  ceilings with cedar, and he used planks of Cyprus for the floors.
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  He partitioned off an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place,
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  at the far end of the temple. It was 30 feet deep and was
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  panelled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
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  The main room of the temple outside the Most Holy Place was
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  60 feet long. Cedar panelling completely
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  covered the stone walls throughout the temple, and the
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  panelling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open
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  flowers. He prepared the inner sanctuary
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  at the far end of the temple, where the Ark of the Lord's
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  Covenant would be placed. This inner sanctuary was 30 feet
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  long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high.
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  He overlaid the inside with solid gold.
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  He also overlaid the altar made of cedar.
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  Then Solomon overlaid the rest of the temple's interior with
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  solid gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance
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  to the Most Holy Place. So he finished overlaying the
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  entire temple with gold, including the altar that
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  belonged to the Most Holy Place. He made two cherubim of wild
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  olive wood, each 15 feet tall, and placed them in the inner
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  sanctuary. The wingspan of each of the
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  cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 7 1/2 feet long.
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  The two cherubim were identical in shape and size.
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  Each was 15 feet tall. He placed them side by side in
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  the inner sanctuary of the temple.
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  Their outspread wings reached from wall to wall while their
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  inner wings touched at the centre of the room.
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  He overlaid the two cherubim with gold.
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  He decorated all the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main
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  room with carvings of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
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  He overlaid the floor of both rooms with gold.
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  For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made double doors
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  of wild olive wood with five sided door posts.
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  These double doors were decorated with carvings of
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  cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
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  The doors including the decorations of cherubim and palm
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  trees were overlaid with gold. Then he made 4 sided door posts
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  of wild olive wood for the entrance to the temple.
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  There were two folding doors of Cypress wood and each door was
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  hinged to fold back upon itself. These doors were decorated with
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  carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all
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  overlaid evenly with gold. The walls of the inner courtyard
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  were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between
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  every three layers of finished stone.
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  The foundation of the Lord's temple was laid in mid spring in
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  the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon's reign.
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  The entire building was completed in every detail by mid
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  autumn in the month of Bull during the 11th year of his
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  reign. So it took seven years to build
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  the temple. Lord, what a magnificent image
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  we see here of this temple that You instruct your servant
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  Solomon to build for you. And there is no way that we
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  could possibly comprehend how on earth we go about making a place
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  that is adequate or fit for you, our king and our God.
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  But this, this was their best attempt.
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  And Lord, it blows our minds that You now choose to live in
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  us. Your Holy Spirit indwells us,
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  and while we, just like this temple, are far from fit to be a
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  place for Your Spirit's dwelling, well, here You are.
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  Because it's not about what you feel you deserve or require for
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  your presence, but it is about your relationship with us, Your
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  people all throughout time. Lord, we see you reaching out
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  and finding ways to forge connection with us, and it is
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  the most incredible gift. And so we just thank you, Lord,
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  that You would continue to reach out to us, to draw near to us,
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  to live in US, and to be a part of our lives ultimately to draw
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  us back into your perfect presence for eternity.
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  Oh, what a gift that is, Lord. So we just lift you up and we
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  thank you for your incredible attention and kindness and
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  presence. We love you and we praise you
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  and we pray all of these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.