SOLOMON’S CONSTRUCTION WORKS After ending his talk about the building of the temple, the dwelling place of God, in seven years, he started to talk about his own dwelling place, which he built in 13 years. While the dimensions of the temple were: 60 X 2o X 25 cubits, the dimensions of his own house were 100 X 50 X 30; Namely, larger than the dwelling place of God. Beside building a throne, separate wings for his house, and for that of Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon built a hall ‘portico’ for his palace like that in the temple. 1- Constructions for his family use: (1 – 12) a- The house of the forest of Lebanon (2) b- The hall of pillars (6) c- The hall of the throne, the hall of judgment (7) d- The hall of the queen, Pharaoh’s daughter (8) 2- Furnishing the temple: a- The two pillars (13 – 22) b- The sea of cast bronze (23 – 26) c- The ten carts of bronze (27 – 37) d- The ten lavers (38 – 39) e- The lavers, the shovels, and the bowls (40 – 50) f- Solomon brought in the things which his father David has dedicated (51) 1- CONSTRUCTIONS FOR HIS FAMILY USE: “But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house” (1) https://coptic-treasures.com/ While Solomon built the house of the Lord in seven years (6: 38); he built his own house in thirteen years; namely almost double the time. But this does not mean that he cared for his own constructions more than for the house of God, for He started by the temple first. The long time it took him to build his own house may be attributed to several reasons, among which are: a- King David prepared a lot of things for building the temple; and Solomon himself spent the first three years of his reign for the same goal, which was not the case for the other constructions. b- The workers who built the temple were utterly exhausted after such a great effort. Their number must have decreased, so has their ability to work. Besides, Solomon’ s heart desire to build the temple has been too huge to be compared to his desire to build his own constructions. c- The size and area of Solomon’s own palace was larger than that of the temple. The royal palace was like a group of buildings connected to one another; which were: -- The house of the forest of Lebanon (2) -- The hall of pillars (6) --. The hall of the throne, the hall of judgment (7) -- The house of the queen, Pharaoh’s daughter (8) Few details were said to give a complete portrait of the features of those buildings; other than they were located close to and south of the temple, on the eastern plateau by the name “Zion” or “Moriah”. Solomon spent three years to prepare for building the temple, seven years to build it; thirteen years to build his own royal palace and its annexes. And was left with less than seventeen years, during which he was preoccupied with material commitments which took his mind away from raising his own son Rehoboam the proper way he himself was raised. That destroyed all his great achievements. If he cared for raising his son the same way he did in his other endeavors, the https://coptic-treasures.com/ kingdom would never had split, and the people would not have cried out: “He made our yoke heavy”. a- The house of the forest of Lebanon: “He also built the house of the forest of Lebanon: its length was 100 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits; with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars” (2) Intending to make the best of everything, however high the cost might be; he had to collect higher taxes from the people. Three thousand years ago, Lebanon had vast stretches of cedar forests. Solomon sent thousands of workers to cut cedar trees and to send them to Jerusalem to build the temple and his own palace with all its annexes, beside his other constructions. Cedars and cypress of Lebanon were exported to Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. And Nebuchadnezar, as well, abused those forests ((Habakkuk 2: 17). All that along the generations led to the destruction of those forests, despite the continuous efforts to restore them. The house of the forest of Lebanon was not a dwelling place for Solomon, but was for the royal administration, beside being used to keep weapons (1 kings 10: 17). It was so called, on account of that most of its building materials, wood in particular were brought from Lebanon; and probably because of its beautiful location between trees on all sides; that it was also called “the king’s house” (1 kings 9: 10). Some believe that Solomon built this house out of Jerusalem to enjoy a more peaceful atmosphere; and in particular his tendency to use horses and chariots; And that his throne was not an annex to this palace; Whereas, according to others, it, together with the other buildings were all in Jerusalem, directly south of the temple, on the hill by the name of Zion or Moriah https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to some, it was like a huge hall, like the Assyrian palaces, surrounded by a group of chambers in three stories; had four rows of cedar pillars. The chambers were built on three sides, like those of the temple; except that the chambers of the temple were protruding from its walls; while those of the house of the forest of Lebanon were set upon pillars to the inside. “And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on 45 pillars, fifteen to a row. There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window on three tiers” (3, 4) There were three stories of 45 chambers on the side of the huge hall; each story include 15 chambers; 6 chambers on each of the long side, and 3 chambers on the third side. The windows in the middle story were above the windows in the lower story, and the windows of the higher story were above the windows in the middle story. All the windows faced the inner court. “And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames and window was opposite window in three tiers” (5) b- The hall of pillars: “He also made the hall of pillars, its length was 50 cubits, its width was 30 cubits, and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them” (6) He made a hall with pillars in front of the house of Lebanon, to receive those who come to the king for public issues concerning the people. In the book of proverbs https://coptic-treasures.com/ he spoke of wisdom built upon seven pillars (Proverbs 9: 1). The hall was covered with a ceiling, set upon pillars, but wit no walls. The other front hall, likewise, had pillars, and canopies; perhaps a staircase that leads up to a hall with pillars, that in turn leads to another hall with pillars, then to a third hall that leads to the throne of judgment. According to some, being mentioned after the house of the forest of Lebanon, and before the hall of the throne, refers to the fact that the hall was between those two buildings. c- The hall of the throne; the hall of judgment: “Then he made a hall for the throne, the hall of judgment, where he might judge, and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling” (7) In that hall was the royal throne, described in 1 kings 10: 18-20; It was not an open hall with pillars, but open only on one side, and surrounded by huge walls on the other three sides. On the throne of judgment, the king used to sit, the way the kings used to sit at the city gate in the old. d- The house of the queen; Pharaoh’s daughter: “And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter , whom he had taken as wife” (8) The three building seemed to be on one location connected together: the first Solomon’s house, the second for judgments, and the third for women, Pharaoh’s daughter in particular. North of the king’s house was the temple. https://coptic-treasures.com/ There were three courts; -- The great court that surrounds all the other courts.: -- The middle court, including the king’s court. -- The Lord’s court, or the inner court. The entrance to the dwelling courts, including the women’s wings, was located in a direction different from that leading to the other royal courts, as a kind of privacy, and according to the old tradition of the East it was located in the innermost reach of the royal palace. The king had his own separate building. “All these were of costly stones, hewn to size, trimmed with sows, inside and out, from the foundation to the caves, and also on the outside to the great court” (9) We read about the large costly stones used in Solomon’s buildings and the walls of Jerusalem (7: 9-12; 9: 15); where, on the eastern side, the wall rose up to 77 feet high. In the year 1852, Barkley discovered the quarry from which the great stones of Jerusalem were taken; which, now, is a huge cave that extends beneath the ‘Damascus gate’, where such stones are still there. “The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some 10 cubits, and some eight cubits. And above were costly stones hewn to size, and cedar wood. The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones, and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the Lord and the vestibule of the temple” (10-12) Work was perfect inside and outside; Inside was paneled with cedar wood; whereas even the stones of the foundation, underneath the ground level, were of large costly stones. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 2- FURNISHING THE TEMPLE: “Now king Solomon sent and brought ‘Hiram’ from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Nephtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker. He was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to king Solomon and did all his work” (13-14) Hiram’s blood was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles: his mother was from the tribe of Nephtali, and his father was from Tyre. It is as though the Lord intended to have His house built by all men, Jews and Gentiles. As the tabernacle of the meeting, built by the treasures of Egypt, the temple was built by Jewish and Gentile hands. God, the Lover of all humanity, intends to embrace the whole world, to let all enjoy the riches of His exalted grace. In 2 Chronicles 2: 14, however, it came that Hiram’s mother was from the tribe of Dan. According to some, there must have been two Hirams, both bronze workers; While, according to others, one text refers to her place of birth, while the other text refers to her place of residence; Namely, she was of the tribe of Dan by birth, and from that of Nephtali by residence; And according to a third party, she was from the tribe of Dan by birth, then got married to a man from the tribe of Nephtali, to become through marriage of the later tribe; Then, when widowed, she got married to a man from Tyre, from whom she got her son Hiram. He presents to us a portrait of the bronze tools used in the temple; though nothing in iron, We find in 1 Chronicles 29: 2, that king David used iron to make some unknown tools of the temple. a- The two pillars: (13-22) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one 18 cubits high, and a line of 12 cubits measured the circumference of each” (15) No gold was found outside the sanctuary and the most holy place; for the heavenly glories are kept inside. But we find bronze outside, to partake of the sufferings, perseverance, and persistence of the Lord Christ, who in the book of Revelations appears as such: “His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace” (Revelations 1: 15). Being clothed with the Lord Christ, we would have the brass by which we trample all the labors and tribulations, and walk toward heaven, persistently and without slothfulness. It is difficult to know where the two bronze pillars were located in the vestibule of the temple (21), whether they were in the open air, or underneath the ceiling. They were set between the temple and the house of the priests, not to hold a door between them, nor to sustain a structure above them; but for the sake of decoration, and as a symbol. That may be shown by being shorter than to reach the ceiling; and on account of that the temple was built of stones and wood, whereas the two pillars were made of bronze. If they had a structural importance in the building, they would be mentioned together with the details of the building as a whole, and not among the other tools of the temple. So it was in the Phoenician temples; a pillar or pillars are set with no ceiling above them, as are shown by the ancient coins and figures. The two pillars were hollow, with a thickness of four fingers (Jeremiah 52: 21). Their height was 18 cubits (35 cubits in 2 Chronicles 3: 15); probably because the author added to it the crown of two capitals (sections): a lower section, the lattice network5 cubits high (16), and the upper capital (the lily-shaped) 4 cubits high (19); and also added the base of the pillar, 8 cubits high; So the total would be 18 + 5 + 4 + 8 = 35 cubits; with a circumference of 12 cubits. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then he made two capitals (crowns) of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits” (16) Speaking about the Lord’s chastisement, the prophet Amos says: “I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: ‘Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake; and break them on the heads of them all” (Amos 9: 1). Here he refers to those two pillars, not literally but symbolically; as the wrath of God would blow over His house because of their evil, that the two pillars would fall down ; one of which represents (the joy of the King), and the other (the Lord establishing His kingdom through providing His people with His power). The two pillars would fall down, and the thresholds of the house would shake; and the two crowns would, instead of being a sign of honor and power, would be a tool to break their heads. “He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars, 7 chains for one capital and t chains for the other capital” (17) Those lattice network of bronze covered the lower part of the crown, and on them were 7 chainworks of bronze. “So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on the top, and thus he did for the other capital” (18) “And the capitals which were on top of the pillars of the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits” (19) The order, therefore, might have been from down upward: -- The base -- The pillar https://coptic-treasures.com/ -- a row of 100 pomegranates -- Above them were the lattice network and the wreaths of chainwork -- Above them was the second row of 100 pomegranates. -- Above it was the shape of lilies There was no mention of the shape of lilies in the vestibule of the temple. “The capitals of the two pillars also had pomegranates above by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around” (20) “Above the convex surface”, the lower section of the two capitals were convex, and below it were two rows of pomegranates. “Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillars on the right and called its name ‘Jachin’, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name ‘Boaz’” (21) ‘Jachin’ means ‘will set’ or ‘will establish’; and ‘Boaz’ means ‘have the strength’. According to some, the two pillars refer to God’s leadership of His people in the wilderness, by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; God grants His people a shade against temptations, and light in the midst of the darkness of the world. And according to others. The two pillars at the gate of the house of the Lord, one refers to the priests, and the other refers to the people; Namely, God grants His worshippers – priests and people – to become living pillars in His holy sanctuary. He wishes every believer would be a ‘Jachin’; namely, would be set and established by the Lord Himself; not to depend upon human arm. And by God, he would be like ‘Boaz’; namely, bear a heavenly strength against which the hosts of https://coptic-treasures.com/ darkness cannot prevail. For God is our Founder or Establisher (Jachin), and our Strength (Boaz). In our prayers, as we set forth, as though to the heavenly temple of the Lord, we see those two pillars, full of power and beauty; and our heart would be enflamed by the Spirit of the Lord, and hope would dwell in us. According to some ‘Jachin’ means (May the temple endure forever); and ‘Boaz’ means (Solomon desires that God would grant the temple strength and abidance). While according to others still, the two names together are short of the words: (The king will rejoice in Jehovah’s name. “The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished” (22) b- The Sea of cast bronze)23-26) “Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round, Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference” (23) The priests used to wash their hands in the laver before entering into the temple. It was called a sea on account of its large size. God’s mercies vastly extends like the sea, capable of cleansing and purifying our souls. + Hearing about the laver, let us understand that they are, through which we are cleansed from our shameful sins, by the secret water. (St. Gregory, bishop of Nyssa) https://coptic-treasures.com/ It so seems that the sea of cast bronze and its basins were carried on wheels. They were for the use of the priests “And below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward”(24-25) The 12 oxen refer to the 12 tribes of Israel. The purification of that people is not only set upon cleansing with water, but through the sacrifice; For all the tribes represent a priestly nation cleansed by the blood shed for the sanctification of believers. “It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths” (26) c- The ten carts of bronze: (27-37) “He also made ten carts of bronze. Four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its heights” (27) The ten lavers were set upon ten carts; each laver could accommodate 300 gallons of water, almost a ton; rectangular (its length equals its width. According to Jewish writers, those ten lavers were filled with new water to stay always pure. They were used to wash the sacrifice meet; while the priest wash their hands in the Sea of cast bronze. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And this was the deign of the carts. They had panels, and the panels were between frames” (28) The panels were like the plates used in schools for writing, made of stones with wooden frame all around. On the carts and the panels were black inscription of oxen, and cherubim, all in bronze. “On the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the lavers were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath” (29-30) The carts could be moved on wheels from one place to another. And because the wheels were underneath, and not on the side of the cart, they had to be fixed on axles of bronze. “Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round” (31) The surface of the cart was holed upward, and on that hole or mouth there was a crown of bronze, to go down the hole; one and a half cubits in outside diameter, and one cubit in inside; namely, it was a hollow disc of half a cubit thickness, As a base of the laver above, the disc stood upon the large square cart below. “Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel https://coptic-treasures.com/ was one and a half cubits. The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze” (32-33) This height is low compared to the wheels of the carts nowadays; but the Assyrian inscriptions show that that was the custom in those days. “And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart, and its supports were part of the cart itself. On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. On the plates of the flanges, and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions,, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. After this manner he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape” (34-37) The round part on the top of the cart was to add strength; on account of that upon it the disc stood, which, in turn, stood upon the laver, which was very heavy, particularly when it is full of water. The flanges were probably to support the laver. All parts were of cast bronze. d- The ten lavers: (38-39) “Then he made ten lavers of bronze, each laver contained forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver” (38) https://coptic-treasures.com/ The four cubits was most probably the height of the laver, and not its diameter. Together with its carts, the laver was nine cubits high. The ten lavers were put on their carts to be filled with water, used by the priests in their holy task of cleansing the sacrifices, like the burnt offerings (2 Chronicles 4: 6). The water of the Sea of cast bronze was used by the priests for washing their hands. All the tools of the temple were done with the highest level of art, beside their huge cost, concerning their material and the working hands. “And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house toward the southeast” (39) Five carts were put on the right side, namely, toward the south; and five on the left side, namely, toward the north; and the Sea of cast bronze was put on the right side toward the east . The carts were not put on the right and left side of the altar of burnt offering, but of the house, namely, the vestibule of the temple. As for the Sea of cast bronze, it was put between the vestibule and the altar, more toward the south, namely, southeast of the vestibule, and southwest of the altar of burnt offering. The carts were carried on wheels to be easily moved to the priests, to provide them with water when preoccupied with the sacrifices; and to easily dispose of the dirty water. There was great need of those ten lavers, on account of that more than one sacrifice were offered on the altar at one time. The carts bore the same adornments that were made inside the temple, to confirm that that sacrificial work was an extension of the work inside the temple; with the only difference that inside the temple the adornment was overlaid with a layer of gold, whereas here, it is overlaid with a layer of bronze; on account of that the inside refers to crossing over to heaven; whereas the outside is a preparation for it. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Hiram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished all the work that he was to do for king Solomon on the house of the Lord” (40) Many old authors referred to the skill of the workers from Tyre as far as the metal tools are concerned. So, no wonder that Solomon hired Hiram from Tyre, together with a great team of skilled workers to make the golden and bronze tools of the temple, and those of his palaces, in relatively short time. “The two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; four hundred pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars.; the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; the pots, the shovels, and the bowls. All these articles which Hiram made for king Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze” (41- 45) The bronze used for the articles of the temple were of the best quality in that time; for God seeks from man to present the best he has, to proclaim his response with God’s exalted and complete love, and His desire to present the greatest gifts to man. “In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan” (46) https://coptic-treasures.com/ The bronze was cast in the plain of Jordan, so that the atmosphere in Jerusalem would not be polluted by the smoke; so that the city of God, and His temple, would stay pure on all sides. According to some, it would be difficult to say if the expression “in the plan of Jordan” refers to its east or west bank. While, according to others, it is the plain of Jordan on the eastern bank, close to the mouth of the River Jebok, at Zerthan or Zaretan (Joshua 3: 16); or Zaratanah (1 kings 4: 12); or Zeredatha (2 Chronicles 4: 17). Succoth was east of the Jordan; most probably ‘Dralah’ nowadays, one mile south of the River ‘El-Zarkah’. Zaretan was west of the River, probably ‘Tel- Hazem’ nowadays, three miles south of Bissan. It is the land of ceramics. Up to this day the sand from this region is used in casting bronze. For so huge quantities of tools, undoubtedly, a great numbers of furnaces must have been needed. “And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined” (47) And because those working in the house of the Lord, and to His account were characterized by honesty and faithfulness. “Solomon had all the furnishing made for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps, and the wick-trimmers of gold” (48, 49) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Because the name of ‘Hiram’ was not mentioned here, we can deduce that he did not partake of the making of the golden vessels of the house of the Lord, but his work was restricted to the bronze articles, which were not used inside the house of the Lord. According to the scholar Origen, the gold is the faith which turns the heart into heaven; hence gold refers to the heavenlies. Referring, as well, to the saints as being heaven, and God dwells in their hearts, he says: [If you believe, you present to the Lord your heart, feelings, and words as gold]; … The believer will thus see in the golden articles, dedicated to the Lord, his inner life that, by faith, turned into heaven; which nobody has the right to use except the heavenly Holy One Himself. According to father Methodius, the gold is a symbol of virginity; he says: [God commanded that the articles used in the Most Holy place should be made of gold, for two reasons: First that it never rust, and second that its color is close to that of the sun; by which it suits the virginity that bears nothing unclean nor wrinkled; but perpetually shines with the line of the word. Through it we stand close to God in the Most Holy place, and before the veil, with undefiled hands like incense, we offer prayers to the Lord, as nice acceptable fragrance, in the golden censors of the twenty four priests, which are the prayers of the saints]. The altar of incense was of built of stone, overlaid with cedar, overlaid with gold (6: 20, 21). + Let everyone of us meditate in how he could build inside himself a dwelling place for God. Let there be in the depths of the soul an altar of incense, to be able to say: “We are to God the fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2: 15) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Let us talk about the inner altar of incense, saying: The soul that will not give sleep to her eyes, … until she finds a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob” (Psalm 132: 4), will acquire for herself in the midst of her heart, a steadfast altar to be able to approach God. (The scholar Origen) While there was only one table of showbread in the tabernacle of the meeting; there were ten of them in the temple; yet, most probably, only one was used at a time. And while there was only one lampstand in the tabernacle of the meeting (Exodus 25: 30), there were ten of them in the temple; yet, most probably only one was used at a time (2 Chronicles 4: 8, 19; 3: 11). e- The lavers, the shovels, and the bowls: (50) “The basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold, and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place), and for the doors of the main hall” (50) The basins were for the oil; the golden trimmers were used to mend the fabric bands of the lamps; the bowls for the water, the blood; and the burnt out bands. According to some, all the furniture, like the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant, were made of wood overlaid with pure gold, to proclaim the splendor of the glory of God; and were not displayed outside, to keep the people from idol-worship. https://coptic-treasures.com/ f- Solomon brought in the things which his father David has dedicated: (51) “Thus all the work that king Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated, the silver and the gold and the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord” (51) Solomon brought in the things that his father David had dedicated, of silver and gold, and put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord, did not use any in his own palaces, but presented them together with what he, himself, presented to the Lord. So it is befitting of us to present what our parents had presented to the Lord, and not count them as our own inheritance. St. John Chrysostom used to exhort his congregation to count the Lord Christ as one of their children, to have the right of inheritance in what they leave for them. The Copts in the old days used to dedicate much to the church, to spend on the poor, or for the routine expenditures; and to leave a will committing their children to honor their dedication. -------------------------- AN INSPIRATION OF 1 KINGS 7 RECEIVE ALL THE GOLDEN FURNITURE + You are the First in everything; Let Your temple be built first, then my own palace Let Your kingdom be the rejoice of my heart; Let me seek it first, then everything would increase for me. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + Let me, together with Solomon, set two pillars of bronze; Which I call: ‘Jachin’ and ‘Boaz’; Perceiving that you are the living pillar; You are my strength, pride, and honor; + Let me put a Sea of cast bronze; To be perpetually cleansed by the water of baptism; To enjoy sonship to You; And to minister to You with purity. + Receive all the golden furniture Let Your house on the inside be entirely overlaid with gold; Nothing in it will be seen but glory and splendor; No one will minister in it but he who becomes pure gold; No one will encounter You, but he who bears Your splendor in him Receive me as a pure golden vessel Which has its place in the dwelling place of Your sanctuary.
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