Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / 1 Kings 7 Bible Study (Solomon Builds His Palace/The Temple Furnishings) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh
Transcript
- 0:01First Kings Chapter 7. Does anyone remember how First
- 0:05Kings Chapter 6 concluded? Well, it's right there.
- 0:09So you remember now, don't you? First Kings Chapter 6 concluded
- 0:14with the summation of the time that it took to build the
- 0:19temple. And it was how many years?
- 0:21Seven years? It took Seven.
- 0:23Years to complete the Temple of Solomon and right at the outset
- 0:28of Chapter 7 we are given another summary, not concerning
- 0:32the temple but concerning a different structure, and that is
- 0:35the building that Solomon built for his own house.
- 0:38And in verse one reread Solomon was building his own house 13
- 0:43years and he finished his entire house now.
- 0:49There is some debate about what this might mean, because right
- 0:54next to this verse, the preceding verse, we're told
- 0:56about how long it took to build the temple, and immediately
- 0:59we're told how long it took to build Solomon's own abode.
- 1:03How many here believe that it was a bad thing?
- 1:05That it took Solomon longer to build his own house?
- 1:10No one. Wow.
- 1:11How many believe that it was a neutral thing?
- 1:14It didn't indicate really anything concerning Solomon's
- 1:16priorities or his heart posture. Wow.
- 1:20No one as well, All right. Well, here's what the debate is.
- 1:26This perhaps is. Not a good thing, because it
- 1:30speaks about misplaced priorities.
- 1:33Here you have a man who seems to be much more invested, much more
- 1:35dedicated in terms of his time, his resources, perhaps even his
- 1:39attention to something that was personal, somebody that belonged
- 1:42to himself, something that was not necessarily.
- 1:45Connected to the work of God and they would just make that
- 1:49conclusion based on the amount of time that Solomon gave to
- 1:51this structure. And they would also maybe point
- 1:54to the Book of Haggai, where Haggai tells us of a generation
- 1:57of Israelites that neglected the House of God all together for
- 2:01the sake of beautifying their own homes and bringing upgrades
- 2:04and renovations to their own places.
- 2:05And the prophet comes on the scene.
- 2:07He says. You have misplaced your
- 2:09priorities in life. You've put your home, your
- 2:14little empire, your own comfort and pleasure, while the House of
- 2:17God lies in ruins. Change things up.
- 2:20Consider your ways. Others would say that's not
- 2:24necessarily so, primarily because the scripture doesn't
- 2:27really give commentary on Solomon's heart behind this.
- 2:31And you can also make the case, well, yeah, as much as it took
- 2:33him time to build his own house, which house did he built first?
- 2:37The House of God. And you can also make the case
- 2:41that the fact that it took him seven years means that he put
- 2:43extra urgency and dedication to completing the House of God, and
- 2:47he was not so urgent concerning his own home.
- 2:51And so it's not clear we can't be exactly dogmatic about
- 2:54Solomon's spiritual condition at this point, or his mindset
- 2:59behind building his own house. But there is a lesson.
- 3:04There is an overarching truth with Solomon's house, and we
- 3:09have to just be patient to wait at the end of the section to see
- 3:11what it is. It also helps to know that
- 3:14Solomon's house is not the only thing that he built.
- 3:16It's not the only thing that we're told about here in this
- 3:17chapter. Look here at verse 2 and let's
- 3:21read down to verse eight. He built the House of the Forest
- 3:26of Lebanon. Its length was 100 cubits and
- 3:29its breadth 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits.
- 3:32And it was built on 4 rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams
- 3:36of the pillars. And it was covered with cedar
- 3:39above the chambers that were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row.
- 3:45There were window frames in three rows and windows opposite
- 3:48window in three tiers. All the doorways in the windows
- 3:51had square frames and window was opposite window in three tiers.
- 3:56So you don't just have Solomon's house.
- 3:58Now you're told about this different house called the House
- 4:00of what? Of the Forest of Lebanon.
- 4:03Keep that in mind. So we have another structure,
- 4:05structure #2. Then we have something else in
- 4:07verse 6. And he made the hall of pillars.
- 4:10Its length was 50 cubits and it's Bret 30 cubits.
- 4:14There was a porch in front with pillars and a canopy in front of
- 4:18them. So #3 you have the Hall of
- 4:21Pillars, so there's another structure.
- 4:23Then you have a fourth structure.
- 4:24Look at verse 7. And he made the hall of the
- 4:26throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the hall of
- 4:30judgment. It was finished with cedar from
- 4:33floor to rafters. Then we come to verse 8 and yet
- 4:37another structure, his own house, where he was to dwell in
- 4:40the other court, back of the hall.
- 4:43It was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like
- 4:47this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken in
- 4:52marriage. And then it goes on at the end
- 4:54of this section about the materials concerning these
- 4:58houses. We don't know if these homes, of
- 5:03these buildings, of these halls and palaces, were significantly
- 5:07separate from one another. Or if they were closely
- 5:09connected in some kind of a compound or complex.
- 5:12That detail is not given to us. What is clear, though, is that
- 5:15we have information concerning each of these structures, and
- 5:18the details that we are given are in the mind of God, enough
- 5:20for us to draw some truths out of for our own sanctification.
- 5:25And so I want us to, for a moment, look at verse 2 again
- 5:27and look at the House of the Force of Lebanon.
- 5:30We aren't told what the purpose of this place was, but the name
- 5:35kind of gives you the impression of what the experience was like
- 5:38when you walked into this place. The pillars were surrounded and
- 5:43covered with Cedars, and the impression that you might have
- 5:47had when you stood in that awesome place was that you were
- 5:50in a forest. You can just imagine the smells,
- 5:54you can imagine the sights, you can imagine the detail and the
- 5:57rows of Cedars. It was like as though you were
- 5:59in some kind of a field with long and tall trees.
- 6:05But it's not until you go to Chapter 10 so you can turn
- 6:07there. Look at Chapter 10 for a moment.
- 6:10And when you go to verse 16 and 17, you'll see here that Solomon
- 6:13added some things to this house. He added some things.
- 6:17And what did he add? He added beautiful Shields and
- 6:23other weaponry. There King Solomon made 200
- 6:26large Shields of beaten gold. 600 shekels of gold went into
- 6:30each shield. And then we read and he made 300
- 6:33Shields of beaten gold. 3 menas of gold went to each shield and
- 6:36the king put them in where the House of the force of Lebanon.
- 6:40And so there there are these these Shields that are there.
- 6:42And it could be that the purpose of this place was that it was an
- 6:46Armory, and that is inferred at an in another place.
- 6:50And I I want you to see this because this is where we're
- 6:52going to get some actual insight for our own walk with the Lord.
- 6:56If you go to Isaiah 22/8, this is confirmed.
- 6:59So go to Isaiah the prophet Isaiah Chapter 22 and verse 8.
- 7:03What's happening in chapter 22, the Lord is describing the siege
- 7:08that was encroaching upon Jerusalem, the enemy coming and
- 7:12surrounding this holy city. And what the Lord is doing there
- 7:16through an Oracle, is he's describing the response of the
- 7:18people of Jerusalem as a reaction to the enemy now coming
- 7:23in and coming closer to their own safety, to the livelihood,
- 7:29to their families, to the House of worship.
- 7:32And here's one of the responses that the Lord highlights of the
- 7:34people in Isaiah 22 verse 8. It says here he has taken away
- 7:39the covering of Judah. In that day you look to the
- 7:43weapons of the House of the forest.
- 7:46So there were more than just Shields, there were actual
- 7:48weapons there. Again just confirming that this
- 7:50is very much likely an Armory that held and contained weapons
- 7:54for the people of Judah. Now God making this an
- 7:59observation about how they look to.
- 8:02The House of the Forest, in a time where they were being
- 8:05surrounded by their enemies, was this a good thing or a bad thing
- 8:07for them to look to? That good thing or bad thing?
- 8:12Bad. And that's.
- 8:14Confirmed. You're still there, right?
- 8:15Look at verse 11 of Isaiah, chapter 22.
- 8:18You've made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of
- 8:21the old pool. Now look at the wording here.
- 8:24But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned
- 8:30it long ago. So as you, using mirroring
- 8:33language here, right? You look to the House of the
- 8:36forest in times of trouble. You didn't look to me.
- 8:42You didn't turn your attention to me.
- 8:44You didn't come desperately to me.
- 8:46You didn't come broken and contract to me.
- 8:49You look to yourself. You look to yourself to rescue
- 8:53yourself, to solve this, to escape this.
- 8:57And so this is not commendation. This is condemnation.
- 9:00But we have to be careful. God is not condemning the idea
- 9:02here that you and I should not utilize human resources or
- 9:05humans in times of distress. What the Lord is highlighting
- 9:09here is something you're very familiar with.
- 9:11This is not nothing new for you that ultimately, where is your
- 9:14trust, huh? Ultimately, where do you put
- 9:16your faith? Who is the one who you
- 9:19ultimately put all your hope in? And here's the lesson about the
- 9:25House of the force of Lebanon. You know what the lesson is?
- 9:27Be careful making an idol of something that you made.
- 9:31Be careful of putting too much hope, too much glory, too much
- 9:35trust, too much of your identity.
- 9:39And something that you created, something that you purchased,
- 9:42something that you've accumulated over the years.
- 9:45And that can be material, that can be knowledge, that can be
- 9:47information. Who is primary as your source of
- 9:51help? Who is primary and your source
- 9:53of times of need? Who is the one that you draw
- 9:55from. And the Lord saying, despite the
- 9:57fact that you have these things, these things that I've even I I
- 10:00recognize and and I didn't condemn you for.
- 10:03You've misplaced your trust, ultimately and you failed to
- 10:06look to me as your reaction. You failed to see me in all of
- 10:10this. And that's something for you and
- 10:12I to consider. God longs for your heart and
- 10:14mind. To cling to him above
- 10:17everything. And unfortunately that wasn't
- 10:20the case for the nation of Israel.
- 10:21Now we come back to first Kings 7:00.
- 10:22So we dealt with the House of the Force of Lebanon.
- 10:24Now we come here and verse six and seven where we're told of
- 10:27one hall of pillars, but then we're told of this hall of the
- 10:30throne or hall of judgement. This is pretty self-explanatory,
- 10:34is it not? This is where Solomon would sit
- 10:37and hear and receive cases, and would pronounce judgements upon
- 10:42those cases. Nothing else is added here,
- 10:46unless again, you go to 1st Kings 10 and you're told of one
- 10:48added detail that's assumed to be part of the Hall of Judgment.
- 10:53Look at it in verse 18 of First Kings chapter 10.
- 10:58The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the
- 11:04finest gold. The throne had six steps and the
- 11:10throne had a Round Top, and on each side of the seat were
- 11:14armrest. And two lions standing beside
- 11:18the armrest, while 12 lions stood there, one on each end of
- 11:23a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in
- 11:27any Kingdom. You could just imagine the
- 11:31splendor and the dazzling beauty, even the sense of
- 11:35authority and reverence, just by the side of the throne.
- 11:38Yet 2 lions. As armrests you had these lines
- 11:41sitting on the steps leading up to the throne, and this is where
- 11:44Solomon would sit as people would come to receive his wisdom
- 11:50and 1st Kings. 10 The description of the throne that
- 11:53was most likely in the Hall of Judgment.
- 11:56Hall of the Throne is where the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon,
- 12:02and she saw the different artifacts and she saw the
- 12:04organization and she saw the ambassadors and she saw the
- 12:07house. That he built.
- 12:09And she saw the place of worship.
- 12:12And what are we told about a reaction?
- 12:13What happened to her? It took her breath away.
- 12:18She was absolutely spellbound by what she had just perceived.
- 12:22She heard about it, but now that she saw it, she was just swept
- 12:25off her feet. And it's so sad to read the
- 12:29glory of this man's throne and everything else around it,
- 12:34because in a very short amount of time, it's all going to be
- 12:37buried that that throne will be vacant, it will be destroyed,
- 12:42and it will be forgotten. Why?
- 12:45Because the character of the man who sat on this throne did not
- 12:48match the glory of that throne. At least his character did not
- 12:53last when it came to the end of his life.
- 12:57He betrayed God, He turned his back on God.
- 13:00And Solomon's failure would be the trigger that would cause the
- 13:04downward spiral of the Davidic dynasty.
- 13:08And this is heartbreaking, right?
- 13:10You see all this blessing, You see all this adornment, all
- 13:13these things that point to the glory of God.
- 13:16And it's as you read in Jeremiah, destroyed by the
- 13:20enemy. And it's not until you come to
- 13:23the early books of the New Testament where the.
- 13:25Student of the Hebrew scriptures would be revived by another
- 13:29promise, a promise that was made long ago in the days of David,
- 13:33but then has reintroduced the people who had lost hope, lost
- 13:36all that glory for centuries. And it was through an Angel who
- 13:40came to a Jewish young lady. Let me read this to you.
- 13:45The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and she tells him about He tells
- 13:49him about this baby in her womb, gives the name of the baby.
- 13:53But he also says what will be given to this son.
- 13:56Does anybody remember one of the details of what will be given to
- 14:00the son of David? Name Jesus.
- 14:01Well, let me read it to you and Luke 1.
- 14:03If you want to write it down for notes for later, you can.
- 14:05Luke 131 just listen. Just listen though.
- 14:07Just pay attention to this. Imagine being visited by this
- 14:10creature from heaven and being told this Luke 131 And behold,
- 14:14you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall
- 14:17call his name Jesus. There's just something about
- 14:20that name. You know that song?
- 14:22You. Shall call his name Jesus, He
- 14:25will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High,
- 14:28And the Lord God will give to him the what?
- 14:32The throne of his Father David. He will be given the throne of
- 14:37his father David, and he will reign over the House of Jacob
- 14:40Forever. And of his Kingdom there will be
- 14:43no end. There is this boy who would be
- 14:46born, and he was born. His name is Jesus.
- 14:50He's the son of David, but he's also the son of the Most High,
- 14:53and he would be given the throne of his father David.
- 14:58That throne that was beautified by Solomon, that was eventually
- 15:02destroyed because of unfaithfulness and apostasy, but
- 15:05then would be resurfaced again. And Jesus will sit on it and no
- 15:11one will take it from him. Nothing will ever, ever change
- 15:15the fate of the authority of this son of David, the Promised
- 15:19One. And here's the thing, as
- 15:22infinitely beautiful as that throne will be far more majestic
- 15:27than the throne of Solomon, right?
- 15:30The one who sits on it will be the object of our amazement more
- 15:33than anything else. It's not going to be the
- 15:35material of that throne, the design of that throne.
- 15:37It's going to be the one who occupies that throne.
- 15:40That will. Keep our gaze uninterrupted,
- 15:44forever and ever and ever. Christ will be the center of our
- 15:49amazement. Christ on that throne will be
- 15:51the one who will draw out our affections and our adorations.
- 15:54Christ will be the one that when you and I see him.
- 15:57Because we will see. Him.
- 15:58You know what's going to happen. I'm.
- 15:59Sure, he'll take our breath away.
- 16:02He will take our breath away. You know there's some people who
- 16:07have different personalities when it comes to worship, right?
- 16:10Some are more quiet and reserved.
- 16:12And that's fine as long as your heart is worshipping, I guess.
- 16:15But I can't wait to see the day where we all see him.
- 16:18I have a feeling that no matter what your personality is,
- 16:22there's going to be a lot of expression of amazement in that
- 16:25moment. And so we see this throne, we
- 16:29see this hall of judgement. We see that Jesus was given this
- 16:35throne and he will realize that when he comes back again
- 16:38physically. So we have the hall of Judgment.
- 16:41But this is probably the most concerning project in verse
- 16:45eight of First Kings Chapter 7. I don't want to believe belabor
- 16:50this point, but it's worth mentioning still, even briefly,
- 16:53says his own house, where he has to dwell in the other court back
- 16:57of the hall, was like. Was of like workmanship.
- 17:00Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's
- 17:04daughter. What are you doing?
- 17:09So in this complex of these magnificent architectural
- 17:14designs and buildings, you have this one hall dedicated to a
- 17:19Pagan This. Hall would not even be conceived
- 17:27in the mind of Solomon if he had not entered into an illegitimate
- 17:30relationship with her to begin with.
- 17:31Is that not true? And already you're seeing
- 17:35something. Here's the principle.
- 17:36You ready? You're already seeing the cost
- 17:38of compromise in Solomon's life here very early on, the cost of
- 17:41compromise, at least in one area.
- 17:44So he marries this woman, tries to build this marriage alliance,
- 17:48and then somewhere along the line, it became more than just a
- 17:51marriage now. Perhaps out of her desire, or
- 17:54out of the overflow of his affection, he wants to create
- 17:56this hall just for her. And you can imagine what maybe
- 18:02went through Solomon's mind justifying this price tag.
- 18:05Well, it's not so significant. We have all this material
- 18:07anyway. We're told that silver was like
- 18:09stone in the days of Solomon. And so we can add to this.
- 18:13We can, we can, we can make space for this.
- 18:15It's not a problem. Sure, we could have preserved
- 18:18more time and more resources for other things, but what's the big
- 18:21deal? And that's how people think when
- 18:22they live in compromise sometimes.
- 18:25But is that where it ends for Pharaoh's daughter?
- 18:28Is that where it ends for Solomon?
- 18:30Is it? No, no, no.
- 18:31Come back to here. First Kings Chapter 11.
- 18:34This is where it ends. First Kings 11, verse seven.
- 18:39And Solomon built, so he's building.
- 18:42He didn't end. Building King of First Kings
- 18:43Chapter 7. He's going to build something
- 18:44near the end of his life. Then Solomon built a high place
- 18:49for Hamas, the abomination of Moab, and for Moloch, the
- 18:52abomination of the Ammonites on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
- 18:56And so he did for all his foreign wives who made offerings
- 19:01and sacrificed to their gods. So check out this progression or
- 19:06digression. Solomon sought to build a
- 19:10political alliance through marriage with Pharaoh's
- 19:12daughter, and then from there he builds a hall for Pharaoh's
- 19:16daughter and then he builds Pagan temples for not just
- 19:20Pharaoh's daughter, but for many of his foreign wives.
- 19:24So start with building a relationship with Egypt and went
- 19:27to building a place for Pharaoh's daughter and.
- 19:30Then it came to a place where he built a series of sanctuaries
- 19:33for them to worship at. It's very difficult to pump the
- 19:40brakes when you're justifying sin in your life.
- 19:43Very difficult. And you think you can build
- 19:45something and maintain it and hover and say you're not going
- 19:48to go any further than this, but something happens with sin.
- 19:51It's so powerful that the fangs of it dig so deep in it and it
- 19:57creates a havoc in your life that you'd never anticipated.
- 20:01You went from building this relationship, justifying it.
- 20:04Well, this is good for us. God told me that we're going to
- 20:07be a nation of peace. Then maybe I got to help him
- 20:08out. To now you joyfully and
- 20:12completely, without any concern, building a place where God alone
- 20:17is supposed to be worshipped for other gods to be worshipped.
- 20:21So we see that in verse 8. Now look at this in verse nine.
- 20:24Are you there in First Kings 7? Here's really a summary of all
- 20:27these structures. We're told all these were made
- 20:31of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws back
- 20:37and forth even from the foundation to the coping and
- 20:41from the outside to the Great Court.
- 20:43The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of
- 20:47eight and 10 cubits and above, where costly stones cut
- 20:51according to measurement and cedar.
- 20:52The Great Court had three courses of cut stones, and we're
- 20:57told here all around in the course of cedar beams.
- 21:01So had the inner court of the House of the Lord and the
- 21:03vestibule. Of the house?
- 21:05What phrase repeats itself? Costly stones.
- 21:07Costly stones. Costly stones.
- 21:12So this is no small feat. This is a great accomplishment.
- 21:16This took a lot of wisdom and engineering and time and effort
- 21:21and it's completed. And all the things that went
- 21:23into it made even royalty, like the Queen of Sheba breathless.
- 21:29And I'm sure if you and I stood in the midst of all of these
- 21:32things, we also would be very much in awe, very much impressed
- 21:36with the mind of this architect who put all these things
- 21:39together. So you get one idea from the
- 21:42reaction of the Queen of Sheba. Do you know how Solomon felt
- 21:44about all of this, though, Do you?
- 21:49Oh, very good, my friend. Yes.
- 21:51You know your Bible. Well, if you want to know how
- 21:53Solomon felt about his accomplishments, at least at a
- 21:57certain point in his life, go to.
- 22:00Ecclesiastes 2. Look at verse four.
- 22:02He actually talks about this. He's talking about the very
- 22:05thing that you and I just covered.
- 22:07And notice what he says in Ecclesiastes 2 Four.
- 22:10It's kind of a journal entry. Though it's not, he knew it
- 22:14wasn't meant for himself. But he says this as an entry
- 22:20into this amazing piece of literature.
- 22:22Holy Scripture, Ecclesiastes 24I made great works.
- 22:25I built houses. I built houses and planted
- 22:29vineyards for myself. And then he goes on to give a
- 22:31catalog about the things that he has done.
- 22:34I built houses. First, Kings Chapter 7.
- 22:35You saw some of those houses, and then you go down to verse 11
- 22:40and here's his heart. In reflection of those
- 22:43accomplishments. Then I concerted all that my
- 22:45hands had done and the toil I had expended and doing it.
- 22:50And behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there
- 22:56was nothing to be gained under the sun.
- 22:58That's pretty depressing. You spent 13 years of your life
- 23:02putting these things together, and when you reflect on it, you
- 23:07thought, what a waste of time. Now that is not to say.
- 23:12And I don't believe Solomon is even saying here that he
- 23:17believed there is no fulfillment or sense of satisfaction that
- 23:20comes with crossing a line where you see the desired outcome of
- 23:25your great effort and your great sacrifice.
- 23:27That's not what Solomon is speaking about here.
- 23:29What he is speaking about here is that as you shake off the
- 23:33adrenaline and as you, you feel those sense of rushing,
- 23:37accomplishing fulfillments occupying your bosom right.
- 23:42It fizzles out. It fizzles out.
- 23:45And what he is essentially saying in Ecclesiastes, and he
- 23:47says throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, there is no
- 23:50lasting pleasure in all of this. There is pleasure.
- 23:54It's not lasting. It evaporates.
- 23:58You and I know what that's like because you, most of us in here
- 24:01have reached certain milestones in life and it's exciting and
- 24:05you have celebrations around it. And then what happens?
- 24:08It's just old news. And then you look for the next
- 24:11thing, and then you get to that milestone.
- 24:12And then what? You get accustomed to it and you
- 24:14realize, OK, this is life. Then you go for the next thing.
- 24:17And this is how people enter into crises in their lives
- 24:20because they see the pattern of life.
- 24:23You gain this, you win this, you get there.
- 24:26And then what? There's still a vacuum in your
- 24:29soul. And then what?
- 24:32It didn't bring you further enough.
- 24:35Now you're searching and looking for the next thing.
- 24:38And there are people who live like that.
- 24:39There are people who have so made their life about just
- 24:43making one thing done after another, building one thing
- 24:46after another, accomplishing one thing, opening one thing after
- 24:49the other, and they're just trying to get the next rush in
- 24:52life. And Solomon does us a favor.
- 24:56He goes, you're wasting your time because it's not going to
- 24:59help. Let me tell you what will bring
- 25:02lasting pleasure. Let me tell you something that
- 25:04through all your activities and responsibilities, even your
- 25:06hobbies and your desires, something that must be as a
- 25:10foundation of your existence. What does he say at the end of
- 25:12the Book of Ecclesiastes? Fear God and keep his
- 25:14commandments. You want to live a vain, free
- 25:18life? Fear God.
- 25:20Who would have thought? Yeah, fear God.
- 25:24Why? Because let me tell you
- 25:25something about the fear of God. Scripture says the fear of the
- 25:27Lord. It gives you many things, and
- 25:29one of the things that it gives you is friendship with the Lord.
- 25:33And it opens up a fountain of other blessings.
- 25:35Fear God and keep His commandments.
- 25:37Live consciously wanting to please the Lord, and you will
- 25:40know the greatest, most lasting, undisturbed satisfaction.
- 25:47And so Solomon says, I did all this stuff and I just kicked
- 25:49back and looked at it all and thought.
- 25:53Vanity. Vanity.
- 25:56I wish some of you young people here who have your life ahead of
- 25:58you would believe that ahead of time, life will get so much
- 26:04better once I get married. OK, Then you get married.
- 26:06OK. Life will get so much more
- 26:07excited once I have a baby, OK? Life will get so much better if
- 26:10I have more than one baby, OK? Life will get much of A better
- 26:12if I have my forever home. OK.
- 26:15Did you Did you not catch on yet?
- 26:16They did not click yet. To be honest, if you ask my
- 26:23testimony, I had a midlife crisis at 20.
- 26:26Seriously, tell myself I'm in a rat race.
- 26:31This is what. And I just as though I can
- 26:33predict the future, see the future.
- 26:34And it's not predicting. I just.
- 26:36I looked around me said this is the this is the way of all
- 26:38mankind. By God's grace rescued me from a
- 26:43vain life. And so this is what Solomon is
- 26:47expressing here. And this is the conclusion that
- 26:48we make at this section. But now we revisit the temple,
- 26:51so we come back to First Kings chapter seven.
- 26:53Look at verse 13. We come to the temple
- 26:55furnishings. This is the.
- 26:57Last touch on the Temple before Kings chapter eight First Kings
- 27:008, where we have the dedication of the temple.
- 27:03But interestingly we're introduced to a new character in
- 27:05our study and it's found here in verse 13 of Chapter 7.
- 27:09And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram Hiram from Tyre.
- 27:14And look at the description of this man, because this is not
- 27:16the same Hiram that he had an alliance with.
- 27:20This is not the king of Tyre. How do we know that?
- 27:23Verse 14, He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali,
- 27:27and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze, and he
- 27:31was full of wisdom, understanding and skill for
- 27:34making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did
- 27:38all his work. You have another prophetic
- 27:43picture here, one that's built upon the relationship that King
- 27:47Hiram had with David. Because King Hiram from Tyre is
- 27:50Tyre a place in Israel? No, it's what the place in
- 27:54Lebanon, right? And now you have a Lebanese, at
- 27:56least half Lebanese, half Lebanese, half Jew.
- 28:00That's being sent from Hiram Solomon accepted his workmanship
- 28:04to work on the House of God. Here's the prophetic picture yet
- 28:07again. We're receiving a foreshadowing
- 28:10of a temple to come where Jew and Gentile will be part of you,
- 28:15me, the Church of Jesus Christ. Not to work on this temple
- 28:18necessarily, but to actually make up the Temple, Jew and
- 28:22Gentile. I mean, think about this.
- 28:25Think about the relationship the Jews had with the Gentiles.
- 28:27And in the crowning glory work of the nation of Israel, you
- 28:32have a Gentile participating in it.
- 28:36That can't be about anything but a nudge for the future of what's
- 28:40going to be realized in the New Covenant.
- 28:41But with this prophetic picture, you got a practical lesson here.
- 28:45I read this and I thought to myself, why do I need to know
- 28:47this? Why do I need to know that here
- 28:50I'm from Tyre was the son of a widow.
- 28:54OK, Jew Gentile. I get it.
- 28:55That's exciting. I'm.
- 28:56I'm reading the Old Testament. I understand what Jesus is doing
- 28:59today, what he promised he would do in building his church and
- 29:01keeping his church. But we're told here that he was
- 29:04the son of a widow. It's very simple I think.
- 29:09Just get get a little. Insight into this man's history.
- 29:14Being in a family where you didn't have a father, would it
- 29:16be easy or hard at this time? Very hard, very challenging.
- 29:20It would be challenging today if you lost a loved one, if you
- 29:23lost a parent. And yet, with the difficulty and
- 29:29the challenges that this young man must have faced in life,
- 29:33we're also told that he was a very dedicated, hard working,
- 29:36accomplished man. He was full of wisdom, full of
- 29:41wisdom, understanding skill, of making any work in bronze.
- 29:46So this man didn't allow the challenges, the disappointments
- 29:49in life, to distract him to the degree that he did not identify
- 29:53his gifting. What he believed his purpose was
- 29:57he. Was what he was full of wisdom
- 30:01that's given by somebody. It's given by God.
- 30:05And here's this individual who knew pain, but he didn't allow
- 30:09that pain to paralyze him. Unfortunately, you have some,
- 30:12and I'm not discrediting or nor am I diminishing the pain that
- 30:16some of us have felt in life, the loss of someone, the loss of
- 30:19something. But there are some people who
- 30:22are wallowing in their past, wallowing in their past, and
- 30:28they have literally gone virtually nowhere since that
- 30:32significant event in life. They're in the same place and
- 30:36they wallow and they reflect on that.
- 30:38And they're triggered by certain things, certain times of the
- 30:41year, and they just relapse, whether that be in sin or in
- 30:44depression or whatever the case be.
- 30:45And again, I don't want to sound insensitive here, but I want you
- 30:48to look at an example from this man.
- 30:51Here was somebody who did not allow a tragedy in his life to
- 30:54suck the hope out of him or to crush the zest in life.
- 31:03Because here's the point out of this.
- 31:04When you look at this and you read this, you have to
- 31:06understand that whatever suffering you and I endure, it
- 31:08does not disqualify us from the Lord using US.
- 31:12Isn't this God still has a purpose for you.
- 31:15He still has something ahead for you.
- 31:17Yes, things happen in your life that perhaps you would wish
- 31:20would be different. But you have to understand here
- 31:22that if you're not careful, you can buy into the line the
- 31:26temptation that life is over. There's no point of existing.
- 31:29I'm just going to cruise along. And that would be wrong.
- 31:34You have to be careful with that because you can miss out on so
- 31:37much more what you have believed was taken from you or that you
- 31:40lost. This man was a hard worker.
- 31:44This man had a gift. This man exercised that gift.
- 31:46And what I love about his story is that he clearly had a
- 31:49reputation because he ROM recommended him.
- 31:53King Huron recommended him and sent him to Solomon.
- 31:55Think about this. This is so exciting.
- 31:57You have this man who is half Jew, have Gentile living away
- 32:01from Israel and he's just, he's just doing his thing.
- 32:06He's creating, he's putting things together and he's working
- 32:09in obscurity and all of a sudden a knock comes to his door.
- 32:13King Solomon requires you. They are building a house for
- 32:18the God of Israel and they are asking for you to be the project
- 32:21manager. So I believe this man was
- 32:26faithful. I believe this man in Hiddenness
- 32:30was. Excellent in his work.
- 32:34And the Lord called for him. That's amazing to me, that that
- 32:39blesses my heart. So yes, this man had a painful
- 32:44past, perhaps a difficult life maybe, but he was someone who
- 32:49was focused, who was someone who understood that he still had a
- 32:53purpose in life. And God saw this man, recruited
- 32:55this man, promoted this man, and use this man to be part of one
- 32:59of the most fascinating projects in human history.
- 33:03Don't be paralyzed in your pain yet.
- 33:06Don't be. Don't reflect on the past so
- 33:09much where it's like driving and looking in the rear of your
- 33:11mirror. You're bound to get into some
- 33:12accident at some point. And if you're a Christ follower,
- 33:16keep. Your eyes on him realize that
- 33:19you're still here means he still has something for you.
- 33:23And more than that, he's able to recycle that pain and that
- 33:25suffering and utilize it for his glory.
- 33:30So now we're introduced to this man and then we're told in great
- 33:33length what projects he was a part of works of bronze.
- 33:37And so you're there, right? You're looking at it and you're
- 33:39just like this is a, this is a lot to take in and it is.
- 33:42But what helps in my personal study is I tried to look for
- 33:46separation of thoughts. And then I remove those sections
- 33:48in my Bible and I separate them, maybe even mark it sometimes.
- 33:52And I say, OK, this is one section, this is another part.
- 33:54So they're they're more digestible.
- 33:57And So what you have here in the beginning is Hiram building 2
- 34:00pillars. The there are two pillars of
- 34:02bronze. And then in verse 23 he builds
- 34:05the sea of cast metal. And then in verse 27 you read
- 34:09that he makes these ten stands of bronze.
- 34:12And then in verse 38 you read that he builds these bases of
- 34:15bronze that would be on these stands.
- 34:17So really, all these verses summarized 4 projects in
- 34:20essence, and then at the end you get a summary of the other
- 34:22things that he's accomplished. But let's look here from verse
- 34:2415 down to verse 22. I won't read all of it, but
- 34:29let's summarize it. In verse 21, he builds these two
- 34:33bronze pillars. He set up the pillars at the
- 34:35vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the
- 34:38South and called its name Yaquin.
- 34:39That's the Hebrew pronunciation. And he set up the pillar on the
- 34:42north and called its name Boaz. And on the tops of the pillars
- 34:46was Lilywork. Thus the work of the pillars was
- 34:49finished. Now we're told that these
- 34:51pillars again were placed at the front, the entrance of the
- 34:55structure that the House of God. They weren't necessarily
- 34:59supporting anything, they were more decorative.
- 35:04Again, everything that was built in the temple was designed and
- 35:07blueprinted from heaven. This is not left to subjective
- 35:09artistic interpretation. God asked for every single
- 35:13detail to be done the way he desired, including these
- 35:16pillars. So God desire that these pillars
- 35:18would be named. You heard this at the
- 35:22conference. If you're at the conference a
- 35:24few months ago, I wonder if anybody remembers the names, the
- 35:27meaning of the names of Jakin or Yakin and Boaz.
- 35:36Very good, he will establish. Jack Kane means he will
- 35:39establish. And Boaz, yes, he is.
- 35:43Swift is a definition of it, and many people believe that.
- 35:46Another way of understanding Boaz is in him is strength.
- 35:51So you're not wrong there, Anna as well.
- 35:53So many believe that. One of the ways I understand the
- 35:55name Boaz, especially in this context, is in him, is strength.
- 35:59And with that you have his partner, his twin, in him or he
- 36:04shall establish. So that is kind of the message
- 36:08of these billboards, these towering pillars.
- 36:10When you would come to the House of God, you would notice, oh,
- 36:14there's He will establish, and there is in him his.
- 36:18Strength. That's what you're confronted
- 36:21with right? As you stand in the shadow of
- 36:23these awesome objects, and they were meant to say something
- 36:27about the temple. The temple was established by
- 36:30God, and the temple will be sustained by God.
- 36:33Not just the temple, but the Davidic dynasty.
- 36:36Remember those that promise for generational authority and rule
- 36:41and reign, He will establish and he will.
- 36:44In him there is strength. That's what you would see.
- 36:46But there's also a personal application to this.
- 36:50You know, many times in scriptures, certain individuals
- 36:53were referred to as pillars. Even in Jeremiah chapter one, to
- 36:57comfort this young prophet, the Lord tells him, I'm going to
- 37:01make you an iron pillar. And all these people that try to
- 37:03oppose you, they're going to deal with somebody as stubborn
- 37:05and as strong as an iron pillar. You read even in Revelation that
- 37:09the Lord promises that those who overcome will be pillars in the
- 37:12House of God. And so there's something even
- 37:17about these pillars that's supposed to.
- 37:19Convey a personal message, and I believe the message is this,
- 37:22that as you would come to the House of God, at least at this
- 37:24time in history, you would realize in the House of God, I
- 37:28will know establishment, I will know God's strength.
- 37:33If those resources of those spiritual blessings were true in
- 37:36the old covenant isn't not more true in the better covenant, the
- 37:39covenant that you and I are enjoying, that I I know you're
- 37:43spiritual. I know and I know you're so
- 37:44strong. You're so wonderful.
- 37:47The Lord speaks to you all the time, and you can you can just
- 37:49coast through this life and float.
- 37:52And everybody's blessed when they just get a touch of the
- 37:55fringe of your garment. I get it.
- 37:58But you will not know a level of establishing.
- 38:02You will not know a level of grace and strength unless you
- 38:04know a relationship with the House of God.
- 38:08You won't. No matter how high you think you
- 38:12are, no matter what you know, no matter what you discover, no
- 38:14matter how great your personal walk with the Lord is.
- 38:16There is a blessing reserved within the sphere of God's
- 38:20house. Every time I walk in here on a
- 38:25Wednesday night, every time I come here like tonight on a
- 38:28Friday, every time I walk here on a Sunday without anything
- 38:32even, but just the presence of God's people, I know strength.
- 38:36Now here's my family. I'm not alone in this walk.
- 38:39Yeah, in this crazy world, there are other people here who love
- 38:42God. And then we sing together.
- 38:45And there I am standing in the front, just having your voices
- 38:47cascading. And I hear the truths being
- 38:50proclaimed in song. And we're fulfilling Colossians
- 38:53teaching one another the things of Christ.
- 38:55The things are the gospel. Are you not strengthened in the
- 38:57House of God? I hope so.
- 38:59I hope that this place provides that kind of sense of fortitude.
- 39:03It should. That's the design of the House
- 39:05of God. And it's a it's it's a counter
- 39:10work when the House of God becomes a place where our
- 39:12strength is. Depleted and there's lack of
- 39:17stability and reliability on one another.
- 39:21When the pulpit is no longer faithful with the word of God
- 39:24that then things get get crazy. But that's the message of these
- 39:27pillars. That's what you would see when
- 39:29you would walk in And then you come here and you read something
- 39:32else. This is quite amazing.
- 39:33You read here in verse 23 of this sea of cast of metal.
- 39:37Let's read it together. Then he made the sea of cast
- 39:40metal it was. Round 10 cubits from brim to
- 39:44brim and five cubits high and a line of 30 cubits measured in
- 39:48circumference. Under its brim were gourds for
- 39:5110 cubits, compassing the sea all around.
- 39:54The gourds were in two rows cast with it.
- 39:57When it was cast it stood on 12 oxen, 3 facing north, three
- 40:03facing West, three facing South and three facing east.
- 40:07The sea was set on them and all their rear parts were inward.
- 40:11Its thickness was a hand breath, and its brim was made like the
- 40:15brim of a cup, like the flower of a Lily.
- 40:18It held 2000 baths. You know what that measurement
- 40:21is? Most people estimate around
- 40:2412,000 gallons of water. That's a lot of water.
- 40:29And so it was built. You saw the image.
- 40:31If you remember taking snapshots with your memory, it's like this
- 40:34pool. It's like this giant bowl.
- 40:37It had a lip and it had these. These bulls, right.
- 40:41That is sat on three facing each direction.
- 40:43We won't talk about the bulls. But here's my question to you.
- 40:47What do you think the purpose of this was?
- 40:50Was it decorative? Merely?
- 40:52I wasn't like the pillars. There was a functional purpose
- 40:54behind them. Any idea?
- 40:58Ceremonial cleansing? Yes, actually.
- 41:01Here's a key verse and understand.
- 41:03This Bible studies. We come to a close at a moment.
- 41:05It's in Second Chronicles Chapter 4, verse 6 where you're
- 41:08told the exact reason why this thing was made.
- 41:10And not just this thing, but the bases that we're going to read
- 41:12about in a moment. So here's why This sea
- 41:17appropriate word of cast metal was created by the Lord and
- 41:22through His servants. It says here in Second
- 41:24Chronicles 46A. Parallel count to this.
- 41:27He also made 10 bases in which to watch.
- 41:29That's what we're going to. Read in a moment.
- 41:31And set five on the South side and five on the north side.
- 41:35And these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt
- 41:37offering. Now here's what's the purpose of
- 41:39this cast metal of the sea. And the sea was for the priest
- 41:43to wash in. So this pool of water was
- 41:47dedicated for the cleansing, the outward cleansing of the
- 41:51priesthood minister in the House of God.
- 41:53How that was done practically, I'm not sure.
- 41:55We're not told of a ladder. I'm not sure if there was little
- 41:59things there. Maybe some even believe that out
- 42:01of the mouth of the the, the bulls there, they were able to
- 42:04rinse off. We're not told exactly why, but
- 42:06we just know that they were to wash here regularly, daily.
- 42:12And you look at this and you think to yourself, OK, well
- 42:13that's the purpose of it, but what's the significance for me?
- 42:16Well, here's what it gets really interesting.
- 42:19Is this sea of cast metal? Is this unique to the temple?
- 42:27Think of some of the artifacts, the structures of the
- 42:30Tabernacle. Was there anything that served
- 42:32the same purpose in the Tabernacle, the basin?
- 42:36Right. So there was a Laver that was
- 42:38available to wash. So you would walk into the
- 42:41Tabernacle, not the temple, and you see this altar.
- 42:45And then behind the altar you would see this Laver.
- 42:47And it was also intended to wash in.
- 42:49And now you come to the temple and you have something that's
- 42:52serving the same purpose, the much more grand, much more
- 42:54spectacular. This is the temple, right?
- 42:58And they were also to wash in this as well.
- 43:01And when you think about this even further, you wonder, well,
- 43:05what were they supposed to wash? Anybody.
- 43:09Anybody know what they were supposed to wash here when they
- 43:11would come to this place? Well, if you want the reference,
- 43:16you can turn there in your own time.
- 43:18It's an Exodus 30, verse 18 and 19.
- 43:21This is about the purpose of the Laver in the Tabernacle, the
- 43:25former structure, not the new one.
- 43:27In the labor, they would, the Bible says very specifically,
- 43:31they would wash their what? They would wash their hands.
- 43:35They would wash their hands and their feet.
- 43:38That's in verse 19. So they would wash their hands
- 43:42and their feet. This is what the priest had to
- 43:45do regularly whenever they would enter into their service.
- 43:50But this was not the only washing that the priest
- 43:52experienced as priests, as ministers.
- 43:55This was the regular ongoing washing that they would have to
- 43:58participate in. But there was an initial
- 44:01washing. There was a one time washing
- 44:04that any priest who entered into service in the House of God had
- 44:07to undergo. And it's not here.
- 44:09It's an Exodus 29 verse four. We're told there that upon the
- 44:14ordination of the priest, they were to be washed.
- 44:17And this washing is not like the washing of the Laver and of the
- 44:20sea of cast metal. This was a shower, so you were
- 44:24washed from head to toe. You were washed from head to toe
- 44:28when you entered into service. When you're consecrated to the
- 44:30Lord, you were cleansed from top to bottom.
- 44:33But that was a one time thing. The regular washing was that of
- 44:37your hands and feet. Does this language sound
- 44:39familiar? No.
- 44:42Yes, there was a one time washing and then the priests
- 44:47have to go through a regular washing.
- 44:50What did Jesus tell the disciples in the upper room in
- 44:52John 13 when he began to wash their feet?
- 44:54Peter, like Peter would. Oh, don't wash me, Lord, you
- 44:59can't do it. If you don't let me wash, you
- 45:01have no part of me. Then he goes on to say in John
- 45:031310 that you've all been cleansed.
- 45:05You've all been washed, except for your what?
- 45:09Your feet? What is he?
- 45:12Speaking about that, he's speaking about the one washing
- 45:14that you and I experience upon salvation.
- 45:16It's the washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
- 45:19That's a language that Paul uses.
- 45:20In Titus 3/5, you and I, when we got saved, we experienced the
- 45:23washing of regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
- 45:27Do you need that more than once? I hope not.
- 45:32You don't need to be saved more than once.
- 45:34You don't need to be washed by that regenerating power more
- 45:38than once. That's an initial thing.
- 45:40That's the thing that consecrates you.
- 45:41That's the thing that takes you. From a revel.
- 45:43To what? A chosen people?
- 45:44Our royal priesthood, right? But Jesus tells the disciples in
- 45:48the upper room. But you still need to be washed.
- 45:51You still need to be washed. You need to allow me to wash
- 45:53your feet. As you walk in this world,
- 45:54you're going to accumulate dust and dirt and little pebbles and
- 45:57your toes, So you need to be washed.
- 46:00And that's speaking about sanctification.
- 46:03And I see that beautifully here in the picture of the priests.
- 46:05They were washed when they were consecrated unto the Lord, but
- 46:08when they walked into the service of the Lord regularly.
- 46:10They needed to undergo washing. At that time it was through the
- 46:13sea of the cast Meadow. What's the object of washing in
- 46:16your life and mine now? The Word of God.
- 46:22The word of God. Ephesians 5 uses the language of
- 46:25being washed with the word, wash with the word.
- 46:30And like the priest may suggest to you that that's a daily
- 46:32washing. Yeah, that's a daily washing.
- 46:37You know why it's important? Because if the priest didn't
- 46:40wash, eventually they would disqualify themselves.
- 46:45They would disqualify themselves from service.
- 46:47The one means that God provided for the priest was this sea of
- 46:51cast metal that was the only thing that was designed and
- 46:54ordained by God for them to be cleansed, preparing them for
- 46:57service. The one means by which you and I
- 47:00are washed and made ready as vessels for the masters use is
- 47:03the word of God. You can't afford to not allow
- 47:07the word to wash you. Yes, you had a one time washing.
- 47:10That's not enough. You don't need any more for
- 47:13salvation, but you do need it for service.
- 47:16You want to be used by God. You need a close relationship
- 47:18with the word of God. Listen, this is so important.
- 47:22It's not just the pastor's job to know the word of God.
- 47:25Worship leaders, worshippers. You need to know the word of
- 47:28God. You need to know the word of
- 47:30God. Sunday school teachers, those
- 47:32who volunteer in any capacity. You as a Christian, you need the
- 47:36word of God. All of us as priests have the
- 47:40same demand placed upon us that we have to come and allow the
- 47:43word to rinse our hands and our feet as we walk through this
- 47:46world. There is no other way for you to
- 47:48be cleansed and made ready for the masters use.
- 47:53No, no, no sitting down in your room for 15 minutes and plugging
- 47:57in emotional worship. Music is not the same as letting
- 48:01the Word to cleanse you. Get in the Bible.
- 48:06Let it renew you. You may not even get it, but
- 48:10understand that apart from it you're not going to be cleansed.
- 48:13You will understand it, but understand the supernatural
- 48:15force of the scriptures. God has designed this thing for
- 48:19you and I to know a renewing and on top of that renewing a
- 48:23preparing. For the work of the Lord, I got
- 48:28that out of my system and so this is what it was used for,
- 48:33correct? But now notice this in verse 27.
- 48:36He also made ten stands of bronze.
- 48:40Each stand was 4 cubits long, 4 cubits wide, and three cubits
- 48:43high. Pause.
- 48:44Do you remember the image? Did you see it?
- 48:46They were like these little carts.
- 48:48They're on the South side and the north side.
- 48:50Let's continue reading. This was the construction of the
- 48:53stands. They had panels, and the panels
- 48:55were set in frames, in the frames.
- 48:57And on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen,
- 49:00and cherubim. On the frames both above and
- 49:04below the lines and the oxygen, there were wreaths and beveled
- 49:06work. Moreover, each stand had four
- 49:09bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners
- 49:13were supports for a basin. The.
- 49:16Supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each.
- 49:18Its opening was within a crown that projected upward 1 cubit.
- 49:23Its opening was round as a pedestal is made a cubit and a
- 49:27half deep at its opening. There were crave carvings or
- 49:31yes, carvings and it's panels were square not round and the
- 49:34four wheels were underneath the panels.
- 49:36The axles of the wheels were on one piece with the stands and
- 49:39the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.
- 49:41The wheels were made like a chariot wheel.
- 49:43Their axles, their rims, their spokes and their hubs were all
- 49:47cast. There were four supports at the
- 49:49four corners of each stand. The supports were one piece with
- 49:52the stands and on top of the stand there was a round band
- 49:56half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand it stays and
- 49:59it's panels were one piece with it and on the surfaces of it
- 50:02stays it stays and on its panels he carved cherubim, lions and
- 50:06palm trees according to the space of each with wreaths all
- 50:09around. After this manner he made ten
- 50:11stands. All of them were cast alike of
- 50:13the same measure and the same for God loves details.
- 50:19That was a mouthful, wasn't it? It's a lot of information about
- 50:23these stands that have no relevance to our immediate
- 50:26context. And every time I come to a text
- 50:29like this that demands a lot of attention and reading into these
- 50:31little details, I just remind myself this one truth.
- 50:34God, you care about the details of that which reflects you that
- 50:38that has been consecrated until you care about every detail,
- 50:41every time, whether it's a Tabernacle or the temple.
- 50:43I I come to this truth. If you care about these things
- 50:46in the House of Worship, then. I am your House of worship
- 50:49today. I am the temple of the Holy
- 50:50Spirit, so to speak. You care about every detail
- 50:53here. Every detail.
- 50:56God cares more than just you making sure you don't sleep in
- 50:59on Sunday and get here and stay awake during the sermon.
- 51:03That's not your Christian existence.
- 51:05Every single detail of you and I ought to be consecrated and
- 51:08beautified to reflect. Him verse 38.
- 51:13And he made 10 basins of bronze. So now these basins were to be
- 51:18placed on these stands and they were portable, right?
- 51:20They can be moved around. Now, what's the purpose of these
- 51:23basins? Each basin held 40 baths.
- 51:26Each basin measured 4 cubits, and there was a basin for each
- 51:28of the 10 stands. So I asked you the question,
- 51:31what was the function of the sea of cast metal?
- 51:34We concluded it was to what? To wash the priest regularly.
- 51:38Now my question is this, what was the purpose of these 10
- 51:40basins? I'll give you a hint.
- 51:44It was in the same verse. That we were told about the
- 51:46purpose of the sea of cast metal.
- 51:50Very good. So you if you need to see it for
- 51:51yourself, it's in Second Chronicles 46 again and we can
- 51:55read it again just so make sure we're saying the truth here.
- 51:59It says here in that verse, he also made 10 bases in which to
- 52:02wash, OK, wash what? And set five on the South side
- 52:06and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off
- 52:10what was used for the burnt offering.
- 52:14Specific sacrifice. A glorious sacrifice.
- 52:17The sacrifice that required every single piece of that beast
- 52:20to be placed on the altar and for it to be swallowed up by
- 52:22flames and to create an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
- 52:30OK, so the the burnt offerings were supposed to be.
- 52:32Washed in preparation before they were sacrificed.
- 52:36How were they washed? And is that question even
- 52:38important? How were the burnt offerings
- 52:40washed? Well, it is important if you see
- 52:43the prophetic significance of sacrifices in the Old Testament,
- 52:46Who is the ultimate picture of the sacrifices?
- 52:49Jesus Christ. So it is important if there is
- 52:52answers to these questions, I want to know them because I want
- 52:55to see how it points to my Lord. I don't want just a history
- 53:00lesson, I want to know what this says about Christ.
- 53:04So does anybody have any idea? And if you.
- 53:07Can get this I will give you an imaginary medal.
- 53:11How were the burnt offerings washed or what?
- 53:18Details are we given concerning how the animals in preparation
- 53:22for the burnt offerings, were washed.
- 53:27OK, let me let me add it. Add this detail or add this
- 53:31question rather. Out of all the books of the Old
- 53:34Testament, what book would describe how these sacrifices
- 53:37were to be washed? It's OK.
- 53:43OK, that's a good guess. Not necessarily so, but that
- 53:47would make sense in some, in a way of imagination.
- 53:50Because you think, OK, the whole thing is being sacrificed, maybe
- 53:52the whole thing needs to be watched.
- 53:53Yes, it's not Joshua, it is Leviticus.
- 54:01And in Leviticus chapter one, the introduction of the whole
- 54:06book, you're being told about how to give a burnt offering.
- 54:09And you're even told in Leviticus One how a burnt
- 54:11offering was to be repaired in washing before it was
- 54:13sacrificed. And that's where you're going to
- 54:15get the insight about why and how these things were used.
- 54:18OK, so Leviticus One people already turning there.
- 54:20I love that. Yes, go there.
- 54:22You don't need permission. Go ahead.
- 54:24Leviticus, Chapter one. And if you want the verse, look
- 54:28at verse nine. Oh, we can begin in verse 8.
- 54:35Let's go to verse. Eight And Aaron's sons, the
- 54:37priest shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood
- 54:41that is on the fire on the altar.
- 54:42This is about the burnt offering, and in verse 9.
- 54:45But it's entrails and it's legs he shall wash with water, and
- 54:51the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt
- 54:54offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
- 54:56So the two components of that animal that were to be washed
- 55:01with water entrails the stuff inside.
- 55:05And the legs? The process is not told, but we
- 55:09trust that the Lord gave them the insight about how they were
- 55:11to be cleansed. I think about that, OK.
- 55:14Out of all the things of the burnt offering, which ultimately
- 55:17points to the person of Jesus Christ who became a pleasing
- 55:21aroma to the Lord, The two things that were to be cleansed,
- 55:24so to speak, that were to be purified, that were to symbolize
- 55:27cleanness, so that it can be without spot or blemish in its
- 55:30totality, are what? The entrails.
- 55:34Where are those things found? They're inside.
- 55:38Are they hidden? Yeah.
- 55:39Before you cut it open, they're hidden, The entrails.
- 55:42And then the what? The legs.
- 55:44Are those internal? No, they're external.
- 55:48Right. And So what you have here is a
- 55:51picture of a purification that took place from the inside and
- 55:56from the outside. And when you think about how
- 56:00these sacrifices point to the Lord Jesus Christ, you get a
- 56:03truth concerning the extent and the totality of his purity.
- 56:09The Lord was not just pure in the way He.
- 56:11Walked The Lord was not just pure in the way he.
- 56:14Lived. The Lord was pure.
- 56:16From the inside out. He did not send in his thoughts.
- 56:20He did not send in his affections.
- 56:21He did not send in his ambitions.
- 56:23He did not send in his reactions.
- 56:25He did not send in his meditations.
- 56:26He did not send in his motives. He was completely pure inside
- 56:32and outside. Because of that total inward and
- 56:37outward cleansing, he was indeed a pleasing aroma to the Father
- 56:44and a complete and worthy sacrifice for all time.
- 56:48So who would have thought that in First Kings Chapter 7 and
- 56:51Leviticus chapter one you would get a gospel truth?
- 56:54That's the glory of the Bible study of the Old Testament.
- 56:59And so these basins would be used to cleanse these parts of
- 57:03the burnt offering. And then we come.
- 57:05Here to this next part. We'll skip a few verses and go
- 57:08to verse 40 as we get a summary of Hiram's work.
- 57:11We're told Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the
- 57:14basins. So Hiram finished all the work
- 57:17that he did for King Solomon on the House of the Lord.
- 57:20And here's the description of what he did.
- 57:21The two pillars. The two bowls of the capitals
- 57:23that are on top of the pillars. And the two latest works to
- 57:26cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the
- 57:29pillars and the 400 pomegranates in the 200 latest works. 2 rows
- 57:33of pomegranates for each latest work to cover the two bowls of
- 57:37the capitals that were on the pillars.
- 57:39The 10 stands and the 10 basins on the stands and the 1C in the
- 57:4212 oxen underneath the C And then it goes on to speak about
- 57:46different things that he had built and how he built.
- 57:49It. Verse 46 tells us where he built
- 57:51it. Verse 48 tells us what Solomon
- 57:53also made. So Solomon made all the vessels
- 57:56that were in the House of the Lord, the golden altar, the
- 57:58golden table for the bread of the presents, the lamp stands of
- 58:01pure gold, 5 on the South side, 5 on the north before the inner
- 58:04sanctuary, the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold.
- 58:07The cup snuffers bases, dishes of incest, and fire, pans of the
- 58:10pure gold, and the sockets of gold for the doors of the
- 58:13innermost part of the house the most.
- 58:15Holy place. And for the doors of the nave of
- 58:16the temple. And here's the exciting part.
- 58:19Here's where we're ending. I'm just going to read it Thus.
- 58:22All the work that King Solomon did on the House of the Lord was
- 58:25finished. Solomon brought in the things
- 58:30that David, his father, had dedicated, the silver, the gold
- 58:34and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the House
- 58:37of the Lord. I love how David is mentioned
- 58:42here at the end of this chapter. He could not participate in the
- 58:44direct construction of this place, His heart so long to be
- 58:49somewhat involved, and so he dedicated things and prepared
- 58:52things, and his heart's desire to honor the Lord outlived him.
- 58:59He's gone. David is long gone.
- 59:00David was buried, but we see what he did in his life went
- 59:05beyond his life and in some sense touched another generation
- 59:11and blessed another generation. That could be true of you and I.
- 59:16We can serve the Lord and we are not in control of that.
- 59:18But our prayers can outlive us. Our efforts here can outlive us
- 59:23with our children and that the lives that we touch here, the
- 59:26younger disciples in this house, younger brothers and sisters,
- 59:28you never know what your heart forgot today will affect
- 59:31tomorrow. You never know that and you
- 59:34can't determine that. Oftentimes God will not show
- 59:36that and he has many reasons for that.
- 59:39But I just love how David is mentioned here.
- 59:41And what we're going to enter into now is though everything
- 59:44was put into place, though everything was awesome.
- 59:48There was something that was needed and that was the presence
- 59:51of God. Let's pray we do thank you Lord,
- 59:57that with a lengthy and heavy text like this we can sense the
- 1:00:02tender voice of the shepherd. And we thank you, Lord, for this
- 1:00:06house on Friday nights that is filled with students who are
- 1:00:08eager to understand the whole council of God.
- 1:00:11And we thank you, Lord, that you're.
- 1:00:13Word is for all time, and the grass will wither, the flower of
- 1:00:18fade, but the word of the Lord will endure forever.
- 1:00:21We thank you that in our hands we have the complete and
- 1:00:26necessary revelation of who you are.
- 1:00:29And we thank you, Lord, that through these times together,
- 1:00:32not only are they in our hands, they get into our hearts and we
- 1:00:36pray that they would be lived out.
- 1:00:38And we pray that we would reflect the master who was pure
- 1:00:41inwardly and outwardly. Lord, we want to be completely
- 1:00:44holy. And Lord, we know that holiness
- 1:00:47is not a scary word. It is a blessing to live a holy
- 1:00:49life. And we know that the desire for
- 1:00:52holiness comes from you, because before that we did not want it.
- 1:00:57Lord, for those who might be paralyzed in their suffering, be
- 1:01:01paralyzed from their past, and they see this example in Hiram
- 1:01:05as an inspiration to believe that you have a future for them.
- 1:01:09For those here who might be flirting with compromise and
- 1:01:14they don't see the price tag yet, may they not have to see
- 1:01:17the price tag before they repent and know from your word that
- 1:01:21they are not mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
- 1:01:25Renounce their sin and turn to you and live for your glory.
- 1:01:28May those who might understand the truth of the word, but not
- 1:01:31convinced that it satisfies and are consumed with personal
- 1:01:35projects and dreams and ideas that are temporal.
- 1:01:38Lord, may they see that although those things are not necessarily
- 1:01:41wrong, Lord, to participate in anything apart you of being the
- 1:01:45priority is an idol. Help us, Lord, Guide us Lord, We
- 1:01:51seek you now as we worship You. In Jesus name.
- 1:01:53Amen. Amen.