PREPARATIONS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE The most important task for Solomon the Sage, was building the temple of God, that his father David desired, but was not allowed to do; yet got a divine promise that it will be done by his son from his own seed. Having been granted the wisdom, together with riches, Solomon got to start the job. His father has already set for him the gold and the silver, as well as the proper political atmosphere, it remained for Solomon to bring forth the wood, the stones, and the workmanship, which necessitated for him to enter into a covenant with king Hiram of Tyre to realize. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Solomon was a symbol of the Lord Christ, about whom it was written: “Behold the Man whose name is the BRANCH. From His place He shall branch out; and He shall build the temple of the Lord. Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on the throne. So He shall be a priest on His throne” (Zechariah 6: 12, 13) 1- A congratulation message from Hiram the king of Tyre1 2- A debate with king Hiram 2 - 6 3- A treaty with king Hiram 7 - 9 4- How the work ran its course 10 -18 1- A CONGRATULATION MESSAGE FROM THE KING OF TYRE: (1) “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram has always loved David” (1) According to the Historian Josephus, all the correspondences between Hiram and Solomon were kept in the archives in the city of Tyre, up to his days. Tyre has been a city of commercial fame, on the border of Israel; Its inhabitants, being traders, had a tendency toward peace, and never entered into animosity against Israel. Its king Hiram always loved king David, admired his personality; and, according to some, through the influence of David, he even came to worship the living God, and had forsaken the idol-worship. Having heard of the death of king David, Hiram sent a delegation of princes and great rulers of his state to present condolence to Solomon, to congratulate him on being enthroned in his father’s place, and to renew the covenant with him. His steady tendency was to live in peace with the king of Israel. https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to some, Hiram, mentioned here, was most probably the son of Hiram, the friend of David, mentioned in 2 Samuel 5: 11; who sent to him cedar wood, carpenters and builders to help building his own house; at the beginning of his reign. Solomon, the great in his kingdom, presents to us a role model of how man should deal with love and respect with those less than him. He did not abuse his greater status in his debate with the king of Tyre; and did not despise him, but dealt with him with every reverence as an equal; And, with the spirit of humility, he sought his support, as though he was in need of the vast experience of his people. 2- A DEBATE WITH KING HIRAM: (2 – 6) “Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, ‘You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet” (2, 3) By saying that his father David could not build the temple, it is obvious how David was so preoccupied with that issue; that he must have discussed it with king Hiram; and must have told him that God did not allow him to build it, because he was a man of war; although he fought through a permission of God, and to the account of His people; which all conform with what came in 1 Chronicles 12: 4. As such a huge task needed a complete dedication; and as David had neither the time nor the concentration to consummate it, and as his kingdom was not yet well-established, God denied him the permission to do it. “And now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence” (4) https://coptic-treasures.com/ The Hebrew word for “adversary” is ‘saataan’, namely, ‘Satan’; It is as though God has given him rest from the outer enemy, as well as from the inner one, in order to dedicate himself to the task of building His temple. The way Solomon, the man of peace, came to dedicate his time, possibilities, capabilities, and wisdom, for such a task; We, as well, should not cease to pray to God to grant us the peace, as a chance to dedicate our energies to build the temple of the Lord in every heart; as the controversies inside the church often deny us the proper dedication for the positive building. “And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build a house for My name” (5) According to the scholar origin, ‘Solomon’, whose name means peace, is a symbol of the Lord Christ; he built the temple after the wars came to an end, and peace prevailed for sometime. The prophecy that the temple is to be built by Christ was realized, saying, “I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120: 7); He sets His temple on a foundation of living stones; each of us has his own place in the living building. * Solomon used the most precious building materials most of which were imported, like the cedar from Lebanon (6); the large squarely hewn stones were cut by Solomon’s, Hiram’s and mountain laborers (15-18); olive tree wood (6: 20-22); cypress wood (6: 34); pure gold (6: 22); and bronze (7: 13-47). * Hiram king of Tyre sent to Solomon building material and laborers (5: 16; 9: 11); And Solomon presented to him 20 cities ((9: 11). https://coptic-treasures.com/ * There were 30,000 men to cut wood; 150,000 to cut stones; and 3300 foremen. * The whole temple was overlaid with gold (6: 22) * All the walls of the temple were carved all around (on the inside and the outside), with figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers (6: 29). * Solomon did not determine the weight of the bronze articles, because they were so many (7: 47). * It took them seven years to finish the work (38; 6: 37) Although Solomon had the intention to give the best he had for the glory of God; but God confirmed to him that He was only preoccupied with the inner building of the soul, by obeying the commandment (6: 11-12); and that He intends to dwell, not in a house made by men, as much as He intends to dwell in men themselves, and to receive what they offer Him (8: 27; 1 Corinthians 6: 19, 20). “Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants; and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians” (6) Cedar trees have special importance for the beauty of their wood, beside its intense bitterness that slows its corruption by insects and worms. The Hebrew word translated as ‘cedar’, seems to refer, not only to cedar trees, but to several other kinds of trees whose wood is used for building. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The Holy Book talks about the cedar of Lebanon in particular, being “planted by God”, to be used in building His temple. Solomon sought from king Hiram the use of the experience of his people in cutting the cedar trees and transporting them by sea. While the people of Israel had their own experience as far as worship and the holy life in the Lord; the Sidonians had their own experience in cutting cedar trees and transporting them by sea. Not disregarding their experience, Solomon, by his wisdom, knew how to make it work in harmony with the spiritual experience of his people. The successful leader knows how to direct all energies and talents, whether spiritual or temporal, to work together in harmony to the account of the kingdom of God. “And I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say”. The temple of the Lord will not be built with the spirit of oppression; What is for the Lord would not built without the thought of the Lord who cares for the needy laborers. How many would be offended to see some leaders of the church abuse their authority on others in the congregation, even for some tasks to the account of the church! The name of the Lord dwells on, and in the temple; which is the proclamation of His nature in a seen way, expressing His divine presence. The “Sidonians” refer to the Phoenicians in general, on account of that ‘Sidon’ has been greater than Tyre; it included the region abundant in Cedar trees; and its inhabitants were highly experienced in building and arts in general. It seems that the Sidonians had their own king, yet under ‘Tyre’. The use of the Sidonians – foreign to Israel – in cutting the wood and stones for building the temple, was a symbol of the participation of church leaders from the Gentiles in building the eternal spiritual house of the Lord. https://coptic-treasures.com/ As the work was too huge for the Phoenicians to do alone, there was a need for laborers from Israel to take part in it. According to the Jewish Historian Josephus: This task of preparing the wood and stones to be used in building the temple, needed specific expertise which the Israeli lacked, among which are: * Deciding the best time for cutting the trees, which is during fall or winter, when the stem does not include a high ratio of humidity. * Cutting the tree is not done all at once, but it starts but cutting slightly all around the stem; left a while to dry; then utterly cut. * The wood, before being used for building, flooring, and window-making, should be left to dry for three years It was therefore, befitting for the success of such a great task, not to do it with undue haste, lest it ends up with failure. The old historians testify to the craftsmanship of the Sidonians, say that the large cups used by the Greeks to drink wine, were made in ‘Sidon’; So were the beautiful embroidered garments boasted by the rich and prominent Greek ladies. According to Herodot, the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidons were ahead in navigation, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, etc. 3- A TREATY WITH KING HIRAM: (7 – 9) “So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, ‘blessed be the Lord this day, for he has given David a wise son over this great people” (7) Being a religious man, Hiram rejoiced to hear Solomon’s suggestion to let him contribute in such a great task in some way. He rejoiced to see such a wise son of his good friend David (Malachi 2: 15). For, by love, no envy nor jealousy entered his heart. Besides, it was for his own benefit to have good relationships https://coptic-treasures.com/ with Israel, for the sake of a prosperous trade, for which the Phoenicians were known. Hiram’s reaction to Solomon’s message, may give the impression that he worshipped the true God; Yet, according to some, the glorification of Hiram to the God of Israel, did not mean that he was not an idol-worshipper; but it was a confession that He was a true God among many other true gods. In 2 Chronicles 2: 11, Hiram confesses that Jehovah is the Creator of heaven and earth; Yet that did not mean that he entered into personal relationship with Him; For it was a common custom of the pagans, believing that every nation has its own god to worship; it is befitting for everyone to respect gods of the others. “”Then Hiram sent to Solomon saying, ‘I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire considering the cedar and the cypress logs’” (8) Although the Lebanese forests in the days of Solomon were in the possession of the Phoenicians, yet, according to some scholars, the cedar trees mentioned here were in the land of Israel; and the need was for the expertise and craftsmanship to cut and prepare them for the building. “My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household” (9) Hiram’s men not only cut the trees in the proper way, but had the experience to float them in rafts by sea to ‘Joppa’ which is only about 25 miles away from Jerusalem. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 4- HOW THE WORK RAN ITS COURSE: (10-18) So Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire; and Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household; and 20 kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year” (10-11) The Israelites were in need of the craftsmanship of the Sidonians, who, on their side, were in need of wheat and pressed oil of the Israelites (Ezekiel 27: 17; 2 Chronicles 2: 3). No man is self-dependent; but is in need of his brother; And every nation is in need of the other nations. The pressed oil, produced from olives by pressure, is pure of any debris, unlike that produced by grinding. Here we find the two parties: Solomon and Hiram, execute their role in the treaty as they should: * Hiram gave Solomon the wood; although the wages given to the experienced labor exceeded the actual price of the trees. * Solomon gave Hiram wheat and pressed oil, as promised (11) for his household; although the laborers ate at the location of work. “So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made treaty together” (12) God gave Solomon wisdom and grace to make friendship with Hiram; who loved Solomon and the two of them were encouraged to keep their relationship sound and pure of anything that might corrupt it. Such a relationship was done through https://coptic-treasures.com/ straightforward behavior and absence of any kind of abuse; realized by the intervention of God who granted wisdom to Solomon. According to the Jewish Historian Josephus, the documents of the treaty between Solomon and Hiram was found in the archives of both Israel and Tyre; with no need of translation; as it was the common belief that the Canaanites were speaking the Hebrew tongue, or at least some version close to it. Solomon showed wisdom , not only in his foreign policy, but in using the energies of his own people, as well. “Then king Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel, and the labor force was 30,000 men. And he sent them to Lebanon 10,000 a month in shifts; they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the labor force” (13-14) There is a great difference between the way the Canaanites captives were committed as forced labor (15; 9: 20), and that of the Israelites as free labor force; who were committed to work only four months in the whole year: one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Although Solomon’s heart was burning with zeal to finish building the house of the Lord, yet he was keen from the beginning not to burden the laborers beyond reason, for fear that they might lose their inner peace and their physical drive. According to some, Solomon, caring for the unity of their families, did not allow any laborer to be away from his family longer than one month, after which he had to spend two months with them. Following that system with the Israelite labor force, was not counted as forced labor nor as servitude; for Solomon was keen to let his people live in freedom, https://coptic-treasures.com/ and looked at the children of Israel as “men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry” (9: 22) When Sisostris Pharaoh of Egypt came back from his many wars, he built several temples all over Egypt, all by the hands of the captives of war; that he engraved on every temple a sign saying, ‘No citizen took part in building this temple’. And it so seems that is what Solomon likewise did. The prophecy of the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7: 13), that Solomon will build the temple, has been realized. The building started by cooperation between the two kingdom: Israel and Phoenicia; each of which did her part in keeping the covenant or the treaty they agreed on. According to some, the great burden, both on the financial side and that of the forced labor, led to some degree of resentment by some of the tribes against Judah, and probably against the temple itself; that encouraged ‘Jeroboam’ later on to set two temples at xxxxxx and Dan. While Solomon had to use a system of forced labor to build the temple; Our Christ, on the other hand, calls on the slaves to enjoy freedom, to set out of them His heavenly temple. Concerning this the scholar Origen says: + In case I belong to the church, I shall not be preoccupied with my hummle status; for my angel freely beholds the face of God the father; which he would not dare to do if I do not belong to her. + About the heavenly Jerusalem, the apostle Paul says: “She is free; the mother of us all” (Galatians 4: 26). Your Father, therefore, is God, He who has begotten your soul; and He who says: “I have nourished, and brought https://coptic-treasures.com/ up children” (Isaiah 1: 2); Whereas Paul says: “Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrew 12: 9) (The scholar Origen) Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains” (15) To his own men, Solomon allotted the easier task, namely cutting the wood, with the help of experts from Tyre and Sidon; whereas the harder task of carrying burdens and quarrying stone in the mountains, he left to the captives from other nations (1 kings 9: 20; 2 Chronicles 8: 7-9); whose number in the days of David reached 153600; and who, being captives, have not enjoyed the system of working one month and having rest two months like the Israelites. Some fathers, like St. Jerome, see in the workers in building the temple, a symbolic portrait of work in the living church of God. + The 70,000 men who carried burdens, refer to all men of the old covenant, who had the heavenly mind: The figure 7 refers to time (a week), the figure 10 refers to temporal perfection; and the figure 1000 refers to the spiritual or heavenly thought. + The 80,000 men who quarried stone in the mountain, refer to all men of the new covenant, who have the heavenly mind: the figure 8 refers to what is beyond the time (past a week); the figure 10 refers to temporal perfection; and the figure 1000 refers to the spiritual or heavenly thought. + As to the 3300 men who supervised the people who labored in the work (16), the figure 3 refers to all those who believe in the work of the Holy https://coptic-treasures.com/ Trinity in their life (3); and the figure 1000 to the spiritual or heavenly thought. The true temple of the Lord extends in the two covenants, as the fruit of the work of the Holy Trinity in the life of believers. + The 70,000 who quarried stone in the mountains; and those who carried the burdens from the earth for the foundation of the building, refer to the prophets and fathers (patriarchs) who seem to draw the human race from the earth to establish the temple of the Lord. As to the 80,000, they symbolize the apostolic and gospels preachers, those who, together with the Lord Savior, and with Solomon himself, carries the heavy burden of the nations. … That is concerning the height of the secret; but let us listen to its depth…. The 3000 supervisors would not be able to perform, unless they proclaim the trinity. (St. Jerome) “Beside three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple” (17) “The large stones”, concerning their huge dimensions. “the costly stones”, concerning the expense of hard labor and long time required to cut them from the mountain. “The hewn stones”, concerning the hard labor and long time required to make them square and smooth; by the Israeli workers together with those from Tyre. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them, and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple” (18) In Ezekiel 27: 9, it came that the ‘Gebalites’ were experienced in building in general, and in ship building in particular. They were inhabitants of ‘Gebal’ on the sea coast, about 25 miles from Beirut, on the way to Tripoli, Lebanon (Joshua 13: 5 Ezekiel 27: 9). As long as David and Solomon walked in a godly spirit, their relationship with the people pf Tyre has been of great benefit; But once Solomon deflected from piety, that relationship turned to harm, which reached its climax in the days of Ahab who took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians (16: 31). -------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 KINGS 5 LET ME DEDICATE ALL MY ENERGIES TO BUILD YOUR HOUSE + Put in my heart to build a house for You together with Solomon the Sage; Solomon managed to get Hiram’s men, king of Tyre, to work to the account of Your house; Let me dedicate all my energies, and of those whom I encounter; That the whole world would work to build Your true house! Let the heart of every man rejoice in building Your kingdom; As the heart of Hiram rejoiced in joining Solomon in building Your temple. + Solomon forced 30,000 from Israel to work together with the captives and men from Tyre, Everyone of them had his role in building Your temple; https://coptic-treasures.com/ When shall I see the whole world serving to the account of Your kingdom? When will all energies be dedicated by Your Holy Spirit?
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