From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF.
Today, we will read 1 Kings chapter 6. It is about King Solomon building a temple for God. We will reflect on two things: the importance of obedience and the meaning of the temple. Let us pray.
Background
Before we read 1 Kings 6, I’ll summarize chapter 5. In chapter 5, King Solomon announced that he wanted to fulfil the dream of his father David, which was to build a temple for God.
At that time, there was no temple for worship. There was only a special tent called the Tabernacle, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was a gold-covered chest that symbolized God’s promises and God’s presence among the Israelite people. For centuries, the Israelites were nomads, moving from place to place and fighting many enemies. Whenever they moved, they folded up the Tabernacle tent carried it with them.
Now, they had settled in a land God led them to, and Solomon was enjoying a time of peace. To get building materials for the temple, Solomon commissioned timber from Hiram, King of Tyre.
Chapter 6 gives us a detailed description of the temple. The first part, verse 1-10 describes the temple’s exterior. The last part, verse 14 onwards, describes the temple’s interior. The middle part, verse 11-13, might seem out of place. This middle part is about obedience to God, and I want to focus on that. Now, let’s read Chapter 6.
[Read 1 Kings 6]
The importance of obedience
Earlier I said that the middle part, verse 11-13, seems out of place. Why did the writer of 1 Kings interrupt his description of the temple with this message from the LORD? We don’t know, but for us as readers, this so-called interruption is a very helpful reminder. It reminds us not to get distracted by details about the building.
Maybe it was a reminder to Solomon too. God was saying, “About this grand project… the most important thing is… remember to obey the commands I have already given you. If you do, I will fulfill the promise I gave to your father.” I believe God wanted to remind Solomon that the most important thing was not the building’s splendor but true obedience to God.
If Israel wants to enjoy God’s promises and presence, they need more than a building or religious rituals. They must honor God with their hearts and obedience.
And Solomon, as leader of the nation, needed that reminder because he had to set an example. If he fails to obey God, he will influence the people to disregard God. Sadly, that was what happened later, from chapter 11 onwards.
Likewise, today as Christians we influence the people around us by our behavior. In the New Testament, we read about Timothy, a young church leader in Ephesus. His mentor, Paul, advised him in the letter of 1 Timothy 4:16, Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
As Christians, God calls us to obey him. Like a healthy tree, an obedient life produces good fruit. The good fruit is qualities of God’s character. Jesus says in John 15:8, “When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.”
To summarize, obedience is something God desires from us. If we obey Him, the result is not only God’s pleasure, but also God’s glory will shine in the world and influence people around us. That glory will be more beautiful than any shining gold temple.
The meaning of the temple
Now, let’s reflect on the temple itself. You might ask, “How is the temple relevant today? Isn’t it just a building from ancient religion?” It’s true that we do not need a building to worship God or to meet God. But there are two amazing truths we can learn by studying about the Israelite temple.
The first is that God keeps his promises. The second is that God wants to be present in your life. The temple symbolizes these two things.
Decades before Solomon’s time, God gave amazing promises to his father David. One of those promises was that David’s dream of building a temple would come true, but not in David’s time. Let’s read about this in 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 12 onwards.
God said to David, “When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent. I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty will be permanent.’”
As promised, a house of worship for God was finally built, by Solomon. But you might ask, “What about David’s kingdom? Did it really last forever?”
Indeed, Old Testament history shows us that David’s kingdom did not last forever. After Solomon died, the kingdom split in two was destroyed several centuries later! There were no more kings in the line of David. The temple was destroyed by invaders. So, does that mean that God’s Word was not true? Actually, God didn’t break his promise, if we consider two things.
First, remember that some of God’s promises were based on how people responded to Him. It’s not a one-sided promise; it’s more like a two-sided agreement. The reason why Israel’s kingdom collapsed was they failed to fulfill their side of the agreement. But God still loved them, and this is proved by the many prophets he sent to speak to Israel. Finally, God himself came to Earth, in the form of Jesus, to bring Israel back to himself. And not only for Israel, but the entire world.
As Paul says to Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:13: “Even if we are not faithful, God remains faithful. He must be true to himself.” Even if we abandon God, He waits faithfully for us to return to love Him again.
Second, we can say God kept his promise to David only if we look beyond the Old Testament and look at the New Testament. Many prophecies and promises in the Bible are like two mountains. The first mountain is the partial fulfillment of the promise, something we can see today. The second mountain behind the first mountain. We can’t see it completely, or it hasn’t been fulfilled yet.
For Christians, Jesus is a second mountain. God’s promise to David is finally and completely fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the descendant of David whose kingdom will last forever.
In the past, the temple was a place where people could meet God and experience His presence. Solomon’s temple was destroyed, but today God is still present with those who love and obey Him. He can be present in your life too, through Jesus. Jesus like the temple of God; he enables us to meet God and talk to God and hear God.
I would like to show you a cool video about how Jesus is a temple for us – not a physical building but a spiritual temple.
Video link: The Bible Project, “Heaven and Earth”
Conclusion
The video tells us that the sin of Adam and Eve, the first humans, caused separation between us and God. The temple is where we can meet God again. Jesus, who is like a temple for us, serves today as the mediator between us and God. Through Jesus, we can enjoy a rich and fulfilling relationship with the God who made us.
As we enjoy that relationship, let us continue to know God better by studying His Word and by obeying Him.