1 Kings 7:48 – 51 “Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar;
the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left; the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers; and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple. So, all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.
Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.”
After the long recitation of all the bronze items in the temple, the gold items almost seem like an afterthought, until we look more closely at the details. All the items used in the Most Holy Place were of pure gold as God ordered Moses on Mount Sinai. But then even the doors of the main hall of the temple and the hinges for the doors of the Most Holy Place were also made of gold. The outer part of the temple was adorned with bronze, but the Most Holy Place was adorned with gold. In addition, the temple also contained a treasury of silver, gold and furnishings collected by Solomon’s father King David.
Where did the plans for the temple come from? Did these plans originate with Solomon, or did David discuss them with Solomon before he died? David wanted to build a temple to the Lord; however, God told him that since he, David, was a man of war, it would be his son Solomon, a man of peace, who would build the temple. But the dreams may well have started with David. Perhaps it was David’s passion for the Lord that drove Solomon to decorate the temple as lavishly as possible, even to having gold hinges on the main doors to the Holy Place.
APPLICATION: We read these descriptions and marvel at the wealth that was lavished on this temple. How much of our treasures are we willing to give to God? How passionately do we love God? If God asks us to give up those things most precious to us, will we do so, or will we try to negotiate?
In an earlier age, West Africa was known as “The White Man’s Graveyard.” Missionaries embarking for West Arica would pack their belongings in their coffins, assuming that sooner or later they would need those coffins. Several years ago, I attended a Christian Medical and Dental Association meeting where certain physicians described their experiences of deliberately moving into inner city slums to minister to those around them. Foregoing comfortable suburban lifestyles, these men and women and their families courageously settled in places as medically underserved as most remote parts of Africa and Asia.
God’s calling is different for each of us; God does not make cookie cutter Christians. But in the end, either we will say “Thy will be done” to God or God will say “Thy will be done to us,” and leave us to our own devices. An old hymn says, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to surrender everything in our lives to You, knowing that You will do marvelous things if we follow Your leading. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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