Let’s turn to II Chronicles, chapter one. Verse one.
And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly (1:1).
This particular verse just happens to be fraught with potential. He was strengthened. The Lord his God was with him. David, in the encouragement of Solomon, kept saying to him, “And may the Lord be with you”. So it was, “The Lord was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.”
So Solomon spoke to all of Israel, to the [leadership] the captains of the thousands, the hundreds, the judges, to the governors, the chiefs of the fathers. So Solomon and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. However the [brass, or the,] brazen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered thereon a thousand burnt offerings (1:2-6).
Now, here was the time in Israel when the tabernacle, the place of sacrifice, was at Gibeon. About a two hour journey, north from Jerusalem. There that tabernacle that Moses had made in the wilderness, had been pitched. When the ark of the covenant was removed from the Holy of Holies, and taken into battle against the Philistines, captured by the Philistines, later returned to Israel. When David brought it back, he brought it to Jerusalem, where he made a special tent for it. He did not take it back to the tabernacle that was at Gibeon, but brought it instead to Jerusalem, where he had made a tent for it.
So, the most sacred of all of the furnishings of the tabernacle, was at Jerusalem, the ark of the covenant, with the carved gold cherubims on the top, which was the mercy seat. The tabernacle though, the place of the offerings, the brass altar, the brazen altar, was still in Gibeon. So, the place to offer your sacrifices unto God was the central worship place, the offering of sacrifices, the priesthood, was in Gibeon. Though, the ark of the covenant at this time, was in Jerusalem.
Now the burnt offerings, as you remember, as we were going through Leviticus, and studied the various offerings, the burnt offering was the offering of commitment, or consecration unto God. It is that offering where you come, and you say, “Lord, I want to just offer myself to you. I want my life to be, as a, (in a sense) burned, destroyed, in order that you might fill my life, and no longer I, but you. Not what I want, what you want”. It was the offering of consecration, where you consecrated yourself unto God. It is the equivalent in the new testament, to our recognizing that our old life was crucified with Christ. The death of self, in order that Christ might reign within our hearts, and that’s what the burnt offering signified. The death of self, in order that the Spirit might rule.
So, it is quite significant that Solomon, at the beginning of his reign, now, according to Usibius, one of the early church historians, Solomon was only twelve years old. According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, who also lived just after the time of Christ, according to Josephus, he was fifteen years old, when he began to reign. So, twelve to fifteen, somewhere in that neighborhood, Solomon was still just a very young boy, when he took over as king, of this glorious, powerful kingdom, that his father, David had established. Under David the kingdom had come to tremendous glory, and power, and strength. Here is this young boy, inheriting this kingdom from his father. Thus his actions are very commendable. At the beginning of the reign, coming with the assembly, the important people, he gathers together, the governors, the judges, the elders, and the leaders of the tribes and all, and he brings them to Gibeon, that he might there make this consecration unto God.
That night [After this tremendous experience of having offered unto the Lord, a thousand burnt offerings, that night,] the Lord appeared to Solomon, and in a dream, the Lord said to Solomon, Ask what I shall give thee (1:7).
Now that’s been sort of the dream of a lot of people, I guess. Even sort of the plot in some of the fairy tales. You know, the Genie in the.., “Ask what I shall give thee”. “What do you want? Three wishes.” I’ve often wondered if the Lord would say that to me, just what I would ask for. My grandkids have a clever answer. If they should be granted one wish, the wish would be that all of the rest of the wishes that I have would come to pass. Sharp little kids, they’ve covered the bases!
Course, you’ve heard the story of the three fellas that were ship wrecked on this small little island, they ate up all the coconuts. Nothing left. They were slowly starving to death, when a bottle came floating up on the beach. They were really too weak to go get it, so they drew straws, to see which one would go down and pick up the bottle. The fellow who got the short straw, painfully got to his feet, and went down to the beach, picked up the bottle, and just barely made it back. Used up all of his strength and energy. When they pulled the cork, out came the Genie, and said, “You each have one wish”. The Englishman said, “Oh I wish I was back in my London flat, just lying there in my bed so comfortable, so nice”. And, immediately, he was there in his London flat, comfortable, happy. The Italian said, “Oh I wish I were back in Rome, driving my Maserati down the streets again. Just enjoying Rome!” Immediately there he was, in his Maserati, just enjoying Rome. Third fellow said, “I’m so lonely here without my two friends, I wish they were back here again!” “Ask what you will!”
You know, in a sense, in a sense, the Lord does say that to you. Jesus said, “And whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe that you’ll receive them, and ye shall have them”. He said, “Ask. Henceforth, you’ve asked nothing in my name. Ask, please ask that the Father might be glorified in the Son.” And He said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”. The Lord said, “Ask, and ye shall receive, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened”.
Pretty broad promises! They are promises that are so broad, it’s led a lot of people into sort of a spiritual trap, into believing that I can ask God for just anything I want. Then their minds go immediately to those things that would be pleasing, or satisfying to the flesh. They think that these promises are somehow designed to fulfill our every fleshly desire. These are tremendous promises by Jesus, to us.
But who is “us”? Who was Jesus talking to when He made these extremely broad promises in regards to prayer? In each case, He was talking to His disciples. He was not talking to the multitudes, He was not talking to outsiders. What constitutes discipleship? “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” To whom did Jesus say, “Ask”? “And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do.” He said it to His disciples, who first of all, had denied self. Which would then preclude my asking for something for my flesh, or just to satisfy the desires of my flesh, because those I reckon to be dead, crucified with Christ. I’ve denied the self-life. So, the whole idea that, you know, I can go out and claim a Maserati, or some other exotic sports car, or some exotic lifestyle, opulent lifestyle. No, that’s totally opposite to what discipleship is. The man who has denied himself, to take up the cross, to follow Jesus.
So the Lord is saying to Solomon, “Ask what I shall give thee”. You know what I came up with, if the Lord should say that to me? “Lord you just give me whatever you want to.” That’s because I’ve come to know the Lord, His grace, and His love, and His goodness. Whatever God wants to give me, I know I’ll be totally happy, and satisfied with. You know what? I have discovered that He usually wants to do more for me than what I even thought, or would have asked. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly, above all that you ask or think.” I may be thinking of a big red delicious apple. Man the apple He has, doesn’t compare with what I’ve got in my mind! “Ask what I will give thee.”
And Solomon said unto God, You have shown great mercy unto David my father, and you’ve made me to reign in his stead (1:8).
Surely the Lord was merciful to David. David was aware of that. So many of the Psalms, David devotes to the mercies of God. “High as the heavens are above the earth. So high is His mercy over those that fear Him.” And he devotes the Psalms to extolling the mercy of God, and David was conscious of God’s mercy. “You’ve been merciful to my father David, but now you’ve made me to reign in his stead.”
Now, O Jehovah God, let your promise unto David my father be established: [Now what was the promise to David? That God would raise up a son after David, to sit upon the throne, and this son would build the temple. “Lord just establish that promise that you made to David my father concerning me.”] for thou hast made me a king over a people that are like the dust of the earth for multitude [Vast nation, great nation!] Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great (1:9-10)?
Solomon realizing his shortcomings, his inabilities, is asking the Lord to give him the capacity to fulfill the obligations that had been placed upon him, as king over Israel. Acknowledging the fact that he was too weak for the task. You know, those are the people that God loves to bless, loves to do things for. Those people who recognize their own inabilities or weaknesses. That person who feels that he is sufficient, who feels he’s got the answers, who feels he doesn’t need any help, he’s perfectly capable of doing it. The Lord so often just lets that person go on, in his own power, and his own strength, and mess things up. But that person who recognizes, “Lord, this is too much for me. I can’t handle it. I need your help Lord. I’m not capable of doing this myself Lord. Lord help me to fulfill this mission that’s been set before me.”
Recognizing his own limitations, he seeks for the help of God. Those are the men that are blessed of God, and those that are men that are used by God because they then are the men that will give glory to God, because they know that the work is of God, and not of themselves. I’ve called upon God for help because I know I can’t do it. When the help comes, I praise God, because He did what I could not do. So, “Lord, grant me the wisdom and the knowledge that I need to take care of the responsibilities of judging over this, your people”. And the recognition that he was just an overseer of the people of God.
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, or wealth, or honor, nor the life of your enemies, neither did you ask for long life, but you’ve asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; but I will also give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had before thee, and neither shall there be any after thee that will have the like (1:11-12).
God’s pleasure with his request, because his request was only the capacity, “God give me the capacity to do the work you’ve called me to do. Enable me Lord, in this task”. The Lord said, “I’ll do that, but this is what I will also do”. That’s where Paul said, “Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”. And, God is so good, and so many times does more than we ask.
The thing is, about prayer, important, important lesson, we’re gonna be getting to it, yeah, yeah, yeah. Fourteenth chapter, fifteenth chapter, we’ll be getting there. We’re in the book. “The Lord said to King Asa”, chapter fifteen, “for the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the entire earth, to shew himself strong, on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards him”. Here’s the basic principle. God is looking for people whose hearts, and lives are attune with His. People that are doing the things that He wants done. People whose hearts are towards the work of the Lord. God is looking for such people, in order that He might pour out upon them, His power, His blessing, His strength, His resources. So the secret really, is just to get your heart in harmony with God, and the purposes of God. That’s the kind of a man that God is looking for, that through him, God might channel His resources. We’ll get to that when we get to the fifteenth chapter.
So, Solomon got his heart in line with God. “Lord I want wisdom and knowledge, to govern these people”. “Good, your heart’s in line with my desires, so here’s what else I’m gonna do for you, more and above.”
So Solomon came from his journey to that high place there at Gibeon back to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and he reigned over Israel. And so Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: he had fourteen hundred chariots, twelve thousand horsemen, he placed the chariots in the various cities, [fortified some of the cities] and with the king at Jerusalem. The king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plentiful as stones, cedar trees became as common as the sycamore trees that are in the valley for abundance. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, line yarn: and the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so he brought they out horses for all of the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Syria, by their means (1:13-17).
So, Solomon began to develop the military strength. The chariots, the horses. But in this, a problem. Back in Deuteronomy, chapter seventeen, As the Lord commands Moses, concerning the children of Israel, when they finally developed a monarchy, verse fourteen. “When you are come into the land which Jehovah thy God gives thee, and you possess it, and you shall dwell therein, and you will say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are about us, that you shall in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose. One from among your brethren, shalt thou set over thee, and thou mayest not set a stranger over thee which is not thy brother.” First rule for him, “He shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses”.
So here is Solomon breaking the very first commandment concerning kings. When the nation would come to the place of establishing the monarchy, God laid out the rules for the kings, and Solomon is now violating the very first rule. Second rule, “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself”. He broke the second rule. Ha, ha! In a royal way. But why shouldn’t he multiply wives? “That his heart turn not away.” “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” We just read that he made silver and gold as common as stones in Jerusalem.
So Solomon is beginning a direction that is going to be a downfall. As he begins to multiply horses, goes down to Egypt to do horse trading, as he begins to multiply the gold and silver, and then, in time, begins to multiply his wives, then, ultimately the wives turned his heart away from the Lord. He began to build the pagan temples around Jerusalem on the hill of disgrace, across from Offal, and these things became a stumbling block, to Israel, to Solomon. So tragically, though he had every potential, every opportunity, Solomon’s, the net result of Solomon’s life was that of failure, because of his disobedience to the commands of God.
Now unfortunately so many times, we feel that ours is a special exception, or a special case. “Oh yes, I know the Lord says that, but ours is different.” And we think that we have some exception to the rule, and that somehow we can violate the rules and get by. We can violate the rules and find success, or find happiness, or uh, we can prosper in violating the rules of God. No. God established the rules, and if you violate them, then you are going to pay the consequences. Solomon, as wise as he was, violated the rules that God had established, and just as God said, so it was, he began to suffer, and pay the consequences of violating the rules. We’ll get that further on, we don’t get that yet, we’re still in the development stage of Solomon’s ministry.

Chapter 2
Solomon determined to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. And Solomon told out seventy thousand men [That is, he, he set them out, he sort of tallied out, seventy thousand men who would be common laborers.] who would bear burdens, and eighty thousand men who would cut the trees, and shape the trees in the mountains, and there were [Thirty six, I mean,] three thousand, six hundred [Foremen, over the whole job.] men to oversee them. And so Solomon sent to Huron [Who is Hiram] the king of Tyre, and he said, As you dealt with my father David and you sent him cedars to build a house to dwell therein, even I pray you’ll deal with me. Behold, I’m going to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evenings, and on the sabbaths, and the new moons, on the solemn feasts of Jehovah our God. This is an ordinance to Israel for ever (2:1-4).
So he announces his intentions to Hiram, to build this house for Jehovah his God, that would replace the tabernacle. Instead of going up to Gibeon, to the tabernacle, the brazen altar, and all. “Well bring it all down here, we’ll build the house here. Here is where we will gather to worship God, here is where we will gather for the feasts, here is where we will offer the sacrifices before the Lord continually. This will become the place where the people will gather to worship Jehovah.”
And he said, The house which I build is great: [Or must be great] for great is our God above all gods (2:5).
As a general rule in the ancient cities, the most magnificent building in the city was to the chief god, or goddess of that city. In looking at the Tels, that artificial hill that has been built, or that has been created by the destruction of the ancient cities, and the dust and the dirt filling in over the rocks, and so you see these Tels all over Israel. On one end of the Tel, it is always higher. There’s always the mound, and then it drops off, and sort of flat, and it drops off. You know where the temple was in that city, because the high, the high part of the mound is where the temple ruins are. It was always the most magnificent building within the city, and the ancients built their magnificent temples to their gods. You go to the Acropolis there in Athens, and you see the fabulous temples that were built, there on the Acropolis. You go to Rome, and see the ruins of some of those temples in Rome.
Now it was the custom of these people to build these houses for their gods, in a prominent place of the city. Solomon says, “This temple has to be great, because great is our God, above all gods. Because we serve the true and the living God, our temple has to be greater than any temple ever built”. So Solomon set himself to the building of this temple, and surely it was the most magnificent temple ever built. Solomon recognized that there were other gods. There are many gods, there is only one true, and living God, who is the creator, the eternal God.
Solomon said, Who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him (2:6).
“I am not deceived into thinking that I’m going to build a house, and our God is going to dwell in this house.” He had the proper concept of God, that God is not localized. He realized that God was omnipresent. He no doubt, got this from his father, David, who in writing the hundred and thirty ninth Psalm said, “Whither can I flee from thy presence? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there, if I descend into hell, thou art there, if I take the wings of the morning, and I flee to the uttermost parts of the sea, even there I’m surrounded by you”. Solomon realized that this house, it can’t contain God, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens can’t contain Him. The universe is too small for Him, He fills the entire universe. He is omnipresent, He exists everywhere within the universe, and even outside the universe. God transcends all things, the universe itself.
As we pointed out this morning, Isaiah tells us that, “He meted out the universe with His span”. Measured out the heavens, or meted out the heavens with His span–the Greatness of God. Thus, “We’re not building a house for God to live in, we’re just building a place for us to offer sacrifices, and burn incense before Him, that’s all. We’re not, we’re not deceived into thinking that God can dwell in this place. It’s a place where we gather to worship God, and God meets us here”.
But, God meets us on the way here, and He meets us on the way home, and He meets us when we get out of bed, and He’s there. You know, you don’t escape the presence of God. Often times we, we have the idea of a holy place, and so now I should behave myself in a different manner, because this is a holy place, because God is in this place. Well, God is everywhere! So everywhere’s a holy place. Behave yourself wherever you are!
He said, Send me now therefore a man who is cunning [skillful] to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and iron, and in the purple, crimson, and blue, [materials] that can be skillful to carve with the other cunning men that are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, who David my father provided (2:7).
David had gotten together the building crew. David had gotten together the materials. David had really had a big part in the building of the temple, got together the money for it.
Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that your servants are skillful in cutting timbers; and, behold, my servants will be with your servants (2:8).
Eighty thousand of them to go and cut the timbers. Seventy thousand to carry them, to bear the burdens.
Even to prepare timbers in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderfully great. And, behold, I will give to your servants, those hewers that cut the timbers, [Shapers] twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, [A bath is about eight gallons.] and twenty thousand baths of oil. Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because Jehovah has love his people, he has made you king over them. Hiram said, moreover, Blessed be Jehovah God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, [Look, here is Hiram, a great lover of David, always was an admirer of David. Now, he acknowledges the God of David, Jehovah, to be the creator, who made the heaven and the earth.] who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that he might build a house for Jehovah, a house for his kingdom. And now I will send the [cunning men, or the] cunning man, endued with understanding, of Hiram my father’s, The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, [Actually, he was, his mother was a Jewess, from the tribe of Dan.] his father was a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold, in silver, in brass, iron, and in stone, and in timbers, with purple, blue, and the fine linen, and in crimson; and also to carve any manner of [carvings, or] gravings, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning man, and with the cunning men of my Lord David thy father (2:9-14).
So, “I’ve got this guy. He’s sharp, very artistic, and gifted, and I’ll send him to work with your men, to, and any problems that they have, he’ll be able to solve them”.
And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you need: and we’ll bring it in floats by the sea to Joppa; and then you can carry it up to Jerusalem (2:15).
So, they made these large floats, rafts, logs, they put them in at Tyre, and then paddled them down the coast, to Joppa. From Tyre to Joppa is probably a distance of fifty-five, to sixty miles. They would bring them into the port there at Joppa, which was the only port in Israel, in the ancient days. Then they would carry them over land, from Joppa to Jerusalem, a distance of about twenty-five, twenty-seven miles. They had of course, seventy thousand men to do the tugging and the pulling.
And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, [Now this is interesting! You know, no good Jewish boy would be a common laborer. So they took all the strangers in the land.] after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found [a hundred and fifty thousand] a hundred and fifty three thousand, six hundred strangers. So they set the seventy thousand of them to be the bearers of the burdens, the eighty thousand to be the hewers in the mountains, and the thirty six hundred to oversee the people doing the work (2:17-18).

Chapter 3
Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared [for the threshing, prepared,] in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And he began to build the second day, of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign (3:1-2).
Mount Moriah. The first mention of mount Moriah in the scriptures, comes in the book of Genesis, in that fascinating story of Abraham who had waited so many years in order that God might give him a son. Who, in his old years, received a miracle child. His wife Sarah, by faith, received strength to conceive, and to deliver a son. This son is to be the heir, “Through Isaac shall thy seed be called”. This son is to be in line, the lineage from which the Messiah would come. For God had promised Abraham that his seed would bring a blessing to the whole world. “Through Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
But, before Isaac was married, and had any children, when he was probably twenty years old or so, the Lord said unto Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice, on a mount that I will show you”. So Abraham gathered his servants, and Isaac his son. They were living at the time, in the area of Hebron, just south of Hebron. They began to journey, and they journeyed for three days, until the Lord showed to Abram, the mount. And, Abram said to his servants, “You stay here. I and the lad will go and worship, and will come again”. And, Abraham and Isaac began to walk up toward the mount that God had shown Abraham, and Isaac said, “Dad, we’ve got the wood and the fire, but where’s the sacrifice?”. And, Abraham offered those prophetic words, “The Lord will provide himself a sacrifice. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen”. So, they came to the mount, and Abraham built the altar, and he bound his son Isaac, and he raised the knife, and the Lord said, “Okay Abram, that’s enough. Behold, there’s a ram caught by it’s horns in the thicket. Take the ram, and offer it as a sacrifice”.
Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-Jireh, which means, “The Lord will provide”. And he said, “For in the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen”. The Lord will provide what? He said early, earlier, “The Lord will provide himself a sacrifice”. Now he says, “In the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen”. It just so happens that, that mount was mount Moriah. The place that God called Abraham to offer the sacrifice. “Thy son, thine only son.” The place where God provided the ram as a sacrifice is the very place that God has chosen for the building of the temple, where the sacrifices are to be made unto the Lord.
So, years later, David buys the threshing floor, of Ornan, there on mount Moriah. As he buys the place, the hand of the Lord was stayed, who was in the process of slaying the people of Israel for David’s sin, the hand of the Lord was stayed, and David, when he bought it, said, “This is the house of God. This is the place for the house of God”. So, Solomon began to build on mount Moriah.
As with the prophecies, they so often have a dual fulfillment. This prophecy is no exception. For a thousand years later, on mount Moriah, at the top of mount Moriah, God provided Himself, a sacrifice. And Calvary, mount Calvary, is in fact, the top of mount Moriah.
Going there today, it isn’t as obvious as it was of course, originally. They quarried the stone. The stone quarry was at the top, or near the top of mount Moriah. The stones that they quarried for the temple, and for the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Thus they cut away the top part of mount Moriah, with this stone quarry. Because the stones there, lay in nice even layers, and they’re very easy to cut, and to shape, because they’re already shaped to size. Right under that area, is what is called, “Solomon’s Quarries”, right near Herod’s Gate. And it goes back under, where they followed this same type of uh, stone structure that is so great for building stones. This area that was quarried out, helped in the defenses in the northern part of the city. Because it did create an artificial valley, so to speak. They built then, the walls of the city, right at the edge of the quarry.
So looking at the city, you’ll see where the bedrock goes way on up, and the walls at the top are not that high, because they don’t have to be, because you’ve got the quarried wall that is there. That formed a natural defense, there on the north side of the city. They did not quarry off the top of the mountain. There is a, there is on the uh, north side there, from the, coming out away from the walls of Jerusalem, there is this valley that was formed by the quarry.
But, to the left, you can see the top of mount Moriah, and again, the bare faced wall of the quarry that sort of eroded away into the shape of a skull. As you look at it, it looks like a skull, and thus it got the name of, “Golgotha”, or which is the Hebrew in the Greek, or the Latin rather, the, of Calvary, “Skull”. That is the mount where they took Jesus to crucify Him.
Thus, Abraham became a fabulous type, “Take now thine only son, thy son, thine only son, and offer him as a sacrifice, on the mount that I will show thee”. Mount Moriah. Some two thousand years after Abraham, there God took His only begotten Son, and offered Him as a sacrifice, for the sins of man. Mount Moriah, he began to build the temple, here are where the sacrifices, the atonement and covering for sins were to be made throughout the years. But this is the place where God chose. Now he gives to us the dimensions of the temple.
It was to be sixty cubits long, and twenty cubits wide [Or thirty by ninety] and the porch in the front of it of twenty cubits [Or thirty feet.] and the height a hundred and twenty: [The hundred, is probably a mistake by one of the copyists. Twenty cubits would be the height thereof, from the other text. So the fellow copying the scriptures made a mistake.] he overlaid it with pure gold. And the greater house he ceiled with fir trees, and overlaid them with fine gold, and he set thereon the palm trees and chains of gold. He garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was the gold of Parvaim (3:3-6).
Actually it was, the whole thing made of wood, overlaid with gold. So you go in and it’s just a golden house, ceilings, walls. In the gold there were embedded these gem stones, the diamonds, and the rubies, and so forth, embedded. It must have been magnificent to look at!
He overlaid the beams, the posts, the walls, the doors thereof with gold, and then he carved cherubims on the walls. He made the most holy house, [The Holy of Holies.] the length which was according to the breadth of the house, it was a thirty foot cube: [Twice the size of the Holy of Holies, and the tabernacle, which was fifteen feet cubed. This is twice the size, thirty feet cubed. In fact the temple was just twice the size of the tabernacle.] and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold (3:7-9).
Remember six hundred talents, a talent, a talent we told you was about seventy pounds, sixty-seven, and three quarter pounds, or so. So, seven hundred shekels of gold, that’s an awful lot of gold there in the Holy of Holies.
In the most holy place [The Holy of Holies] he made these two cherubims image work, [Made them out of olives, but then he covered them with gold,] overlaid them with gold. The wings of the cherubim were [In a total] twenty cubits long: [There were two cherubim] each wing was five cubits, [So you have a total of twenty cubits, or thirty feet.] and the two cherubim standing with their wings touching, the outside of the wings touch the walls. One wing of the cherub was touching one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining the wing of the other cherub. And the wings of these cherubims spread themselves for twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. And he made a veil [The veil for the entrance into the Holy of Holies.] of blue, and purple, crimson, fine linen, and they wrought cherubims thereon (3:10-14).
Now there are some uh, some accounts that say that this veil that was over the entrance to the Holy of Holies, made of this fine linen, woven and all, with these cherubim woven within it, a beautiful type of needle work, there are some who say that this was eighteen inches thick. A piece of cloth eighteen inches thick. Imagine what a hard time you’d have ripping a piece of cloth like that. Probably couldn’t do it. But God did it when Jesus died on the cross. “And the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom.”
You see, the veil over the Holy of Holies was always a symbol to man, of how sinful man could not approach a holy God. The approach to God was barred. Only one man could come within the veil, and that only one day in the year, and that only after many sacrifices! But when Jesus made the sacrifice that put away our sins, whereby your sins can be once and forever abolished, erased, gone, obliterated. Approach to God is now possible by man, whose sins have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And God was signifying that, when Jesus died, there was that earthquake, and this veil was ripped from the top to the bottom! Ripped right in two, so that God was saying, “Welcome! Come on in!”. Fellowship is now possible for those whose lives have been cleansed from sin, through the blood of Jesus Christ. So they made this veil to cover the entrance to the Holy of Holies, out of blue, purple, crimson, out of this fine linen with the wrought cherubims on it.
And they made before the house the two pillars thirty five cubits high, [Fifty two and a half feet.] and this chapiter on the top [This fancy work] was seven and a half feet. [So it made a total of fifty feet high. These huge brass pillars.] And he made chains as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; [These carved chains around the top.] and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And they reared up the pillars before the temple, [And it was, no doubt, quite a thing! Of course the casting of that large a, a pillar of brass was something that is a mystery to us today. How they could’ve cast that brass.] and he called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left was Boaz (3:15-17).
So we find the building of the temple here, and we continue in that building when we take up in chapter four. So read on through chapter six, the Jachin, the one pillar. That “Jachin”, actually in Hebrew, is, “Whom God strengthens”, and then Boaz, let me look it up, I’ll tell you what that means. “Fleetness”, or “stability, strength and stability”. So, “whom God strengthens”, and “strengthens, stability”. And so the Lord is the one who strengthens us, gives us stability.
Father, we thank You that our approach to you is now possible through Jesus Christ, who through the shedding of His blood, the giving of His life, made the propitiation for our sins, satisfied Your righteous judgement against sin, and opened the door, for us who were once aliens, and foreigners, and strangers, to be brought nigh. That we might sit in fellowship with You, that we might be one with You. That we might be able to approach boldly the throne of grace. Lord, we’re so thankful that Jesus paid the price for our redemption, making possible all of the beauty and the glory of sitting with You, in the intimate fellowship. Bless now Lord, we pray the lives of Your people. Watch over them Lord, strengthen them, guide them Lord, by Your Spirit. Keep them in Your love, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Edited & Highlighted from “The Word For Today” Transcription, Pastor Chuck Smith, Tape #7130
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