I Kings 7:13-51--The Temple Furnishings

1 Kings 7:13-51
English Standard Version

The Temple Furnishings
13 And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

15 He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22 And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.

23 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. 24 Under its brim were gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25 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. 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.

27 He also made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29 and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36 And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37 After this manner he made the ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.

38 And he made ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39 And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

40 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the LORD: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the four hundred 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; 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.

45 Now the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the LORD, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.

48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the LORD: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

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Solomon had already gotten help from the king of Tyre with constructing the building that we call Solomon's Temple, but now he needed to turn to Hiram's real area of expertise as a bronze worker to help him with the various furnishings that needed to go into the Temple.

The passage most likely describes the construction of what we would call the Courtyard of the Temple (which would also be the place where the Bronze Altar would be located, and the sacrifices would be made).  This area was outside the walls of the sanctuary that had been built, but Solomon desired this area to also be adorned with pillars and all kinds of engravings and metal work.  They also made all the bronze utensils and basins needed for making the sacrifices that were offered on the Bronze Altar.  While the Temple was a big and beautiful building, the main purpose of it and the priesthood was to make atonement for the people, and that required them to be able to make these sacrifices.

It seems that many of the other furnishings from the sanctuary had been lost or stolen when the Philistines were allowed to overtake the Tabernacle at Nob, kill the priests there, and take the Ark of the Covenant.  After that, we only read of the Ark returning to Israel and eventually being placed in a tent in Jerusalem, so it would seem that all the other items would need to be made again using the instructions given in the books of Exodus and Leviticus.

The Golden Altar of Incense along with all of it utensils as well as the Tabel of Showbread (the Bread of the Presence) would need to be constructed of gold and placed in the Holy Place.  Only after all these objects and utensils were made could the Temple fully serve its function.

Another function that the Temple served that is not apparent is that it served as a storehouse for the tithes and offerings that were given to the LORD and a place where those tithes and offerings could be distributed to the Levites who were not allowed to work any other jobs--they needed to depend completely on the LORD to provide for them and their families.  It was also a place for the poor to come and seek welfare.  Though there was a system in place for storehouses to be built within the cities, the Temple would be the primary place that these tithes and offerings were brought to, so it was the logical place for people to come to for relief and assistance.  While everyone was to take care of their neighbor, it seems that it was always the LORD's intent for welfare and the message of the gospel to be interconnected so that a person would be tested first to see if they were living according to the Law of the LORD or in rebellion before handouts would be given, for the condition of their soul was most important.

This also served as a sort of treasury separate from the treasury of the king and the nation, and it would show all the kingdoms and nations that the LORD was great and greatly to be praised.  It was this treasury of the LORD that the Babylonians and the Romans wanted to come after when both of them attacked the Temple at various times.  These pagans worshiped gold and thought if they could take the LORD's treasure for themselves that they somehow would rob Him of his power and influence, but the LORD owns the cattle on a thousand hills (He owns everything, because He made it all).  All these nations did when robbing the LORD's treasury was to prevent the priests from engaging in the charitable work that the LORD had called them to for the gifts that were brought there, we meant to take care of the LORD's ministers and to make sure that all of those who were called by His name were taken care of.  The same should be able to be said of the Church today and all parachurch ministries.  The Church's first priority is to its ministers and then to its members, and only after that is the Church responsible to help take care of the world if they will come and submit to the authority of God and His Word.  This beautiful building that Solomon built was a magnet that would draw people from all around the world to come and see, but they would also come and hear and hopefully learn about how the people of Israel were different because the God they worshiped was the only God, the Creator of all things, their Redeemer, and the one who is Mighty to Save.  That was a message that was not just meant for Israel, but for the whole world (we'll see that more clearly when we study the Psalms and Prophets, especially the book of Isaiah).