2 Chronicles 4 English Standard Version The Temple's Furnishings 4 He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 Under it were figures of gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 5 Its thickness was a handbreadth. And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths. 6 He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in. 7 And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. 8 He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. 9 He made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house. 11 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 and the 400 pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars. 14 He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, 15 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. 16 The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the LORD. 17 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought. 19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold. Described here are the Bronze Altar for burnt offerings, the Bronze Sea which took the place of the Bronze Lavar for washing, which now gave them enough water that they could actually wash themselves in it (think an actual bath instead of a sponge bath). These bronze items and the bonze utensils that went with them were in the Courtyard area that was accessible to all of Israel. The primary purpose of the courtyard was for atonement and reconciliation between God and men and between fellow Israelites who had wronged each other.
As we go inside the Temple, we enter the Holy Place where only the priests could go to pray for the people, tend the Golden Lampstand and eat the Bread of the Presence that was on the golden Table of Showbread. Everything on the inside of the Temple in the Holy Place including the bowls and instruments used there in the LORD's service were made of gold. The golden Altar of Incense is also there, and there the priests continually offered up the prayers of the people for atonement. We too have similar roles to be priests in the service of God. The Most Holy Place (The Holy of Holies) was described in the previous passage, but everything there and in the Holy Place was covered in pure gold. Everything that faced outside towards the Courtyard including the doors into the Holy Place were made of bronze. The artwork was elaborate and was definitely one of the wonders of the ancient world that people from everywhere used to come and see. They would also come to sit under the teaching and wisdom of Solomon and to hear the Law of the LORD taught by the priests. This was the place for all the peoples of the world to "come and see," but they could only come as far as the Courtyard--only the priests could go into the Holy Place, and only the High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place once a year. Aren't you glad that Jesus has made a way for us to have access to the presence of God always all the time through His better sacrifice, better covenant, better mediation, and better priesthood and that you now belong to a priesthood of believers that lets you boldly approach the throne of grace? We get to see all the good stuff that is on the inside too! We aren't stuck on the outside looking in like the rest of the world, but we want to tell them how they too can see how great it is to live in the LORD's house and His presence and to serve Him forever and ever. The Temple may look like it's just made of bronze from the outside, but we know the inside if full of the purest gold. Comments are closed.
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Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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