Ezra 6: Keep Building

Ezra 6:8 "The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop."

Darius, the King of Persia facilitates a search of the document archives to see if Cyrus really made this decree. I find it amazing. They had document archives. And they were searchable. These people weren't cavemen. Anyway, he found Cyrus' decree, and responded to Tattenai, telling him to lay off the Israelites and let them go ahead and rebuild the temple.

Darius apparently was wither quite tolerant of other's religions, was quite polytheistic, or followed God. I'm guessing it was probably the former two. But he was quite adamant that Israel build this temple, and anyone who interfere's faced grim and gory consequences.

This new temple is not given near the ornate description of the temple Solomon built. I think this can be traced to the preparations that were made by David, who had limitless money to throw at the temple and the workers. Contrast that with Zerubbabel's temple, which basically had volunteers and money from the royal treasury. A treasury that probably devoted a tiny portion of its resources to Israel's little temple.

Just as celebration for the completion of Solomon's temple included sacrifices, so did the celebration of the completion of Zerubbabel's temple. With Passover being celebrated as well, one would be led to think Israel was finally getting their footing in this new kingdom.

2 Ch. 3: Temple of Soul

2 Chronicles 3:1 "Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David."

Last time Solomon built a temple was 1 Kings 6 (entry). I remember realizing how small the thing was in comparison to the temple, but anyway...it didn't have to be huge. I don't believe it was used for "church" the way we perceive traditional church now. I'm no historian, but I get the idea most common folk never even ventured into the temple. Maybe they did, but it seems to me like its for the priests.

Lots of gold. But then, gold was abundant in Solomon's time. Just about everything in there was gold, or overlaid with gold, like a rapper's mouth. It was probably a sight to behold. 

Today, wouldn't you find this display rather pretentious? I don't know, maybe since I don't have the money to overlay my house and it's furnishings with gold, I find it a bit off-putting. A bit too glorious for me. But if I did see it, I admit I would be in awe of the power and the wealth it would take to assemble such a découpage. Then I would be put off. But one would definitely come before t'other.

And I would guess that a nomadic people (for a long part of their history, at least) wouldn't often see such use of gold and wealth. Other than idols, I wonder how much gold they saw.

Also, one of the pillars is named Boaz. This is quite a while after Ruth's Boaz. I wonder if that was part of the thought process.

2 Ch. 2: Solomon's Temple Plans

2 Chronicles 2:6 "But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?"

Wow. Even with David's plans and preparations, there was still a lot that had to be done, and Solomon is squarely in the middle of it. It's a big responsibility, and the gravity of it doesn't escape Solomon, as he admits in verse 6. 186,000 men are conscripted to build what isn't exactly a gigantic building. It sounds like a lot of men, but consider their roles...traveling, cutting stones, cutting trees, hauling stuff, finishing stuff. And it was done in shifts. So I think it would be a mistake to think there were 186,000 men on the jobsite building the temple.

But as was said, this wasn't just any temple. It was the housing place for the LORD of lords. So perfection was absolutely necessary. Solomon asks Hiram king of Tyre for a craftsman skilled in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving. Hiram sends Solomon Huram-Abi, a craftsman skilled in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving. You'd think there'd be specialists in this at this point in time. And specialists in the nation of Israel. They were sure good at graven images (Oh, snap!).

1 Ch. 28: Prepare to Launch

1 Chronicles 28:10 "Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

David calls an assembly. Whenever the leader of Israel calls for an assembly, it's big time. The last time all of Israel assembled, it was when David was bringing the ark back home. So whats the big deal here? Transfer of power. David was by my estimation the greatest and most revered king of Israel, and he was here now to pass the lampstand to Solomon. 

And David issues a challenge to Solomon, a challenge passed from good leaders to their progeny. "Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever." David has prepared everything...the materials, the manpower, and then the son who will put it in motion. Solomon has everything he needs for a successful reign on the throne, and his first act will be to build the temple of the LORD. That is kind of noteworthy. How many people before Solomon went to war first, and established their power that way? Here Solomon is charged with the temple. A complete reversal, and establishment of a new system. 

The situation here evokes images of a person carefully launching his boat in the water, or releasing a dove.

1 Ch. 22: Build Here, Build Now

1 Chronicles 22:8 "But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight."

Because of David's fear of the angel of the LORD at Gibeon, he decides to place the temple right there on the threshing floor of Araunah.

But God told David it wouldn't be his job to build the temple. Of course. And my impression from previous readings (2 Sa 7, entry) was that David had accomplished what God had him to do, according to God's will. David was not going to get the entirety of the glory. It was essentially a "because I said so" type of thing. While that may not be incorrect, it's not the whole story. 1 Chronicles 22 reveals that God does give a more concrete reason, at least one understandable by man. The reason is that David has shed much blood on the earth in God's sight, at least that is what he tells Solomon. 

Why would that be the reason? God charged David to shed that blood (blood that was not innocent), gave him the go-ahead. Wouldn't it sort of be a self-fulfilling prophecy? Did God (in addition to using David as an extension of His hand of judgment) intend for that to be a reason? From what I have read about God, there are no accidents. Why would God, a God of redemption by blood, not want David building the temple? What was the purpose of the temple going to be? A place where God would come and meet Israel, personally. The temple would reflect God's holiness and perfection. Bloodshed is violent, dirty and a different mindset. Perhaps it was this difference in purpose and mindset that exempted the Levites from military service so they could focus on the priesthood. David was a military leader, and a Judahite, and therefore was unfit for priestly things. I don't recall Solomon having a military record, and in fact, his reign was rather peaceful. It was cosmically not David's role. How could it be?

In spite of David's not being allowed to build the actual temple, he still goes ahead with making the preparations for materials and labor, citing Solomon's inexperience in these matters. David basically set up everything, short of laying the cornerstone. All Solomon had to do was set it in motion. Was Solomon offended? I don't know. He seems like a humble guy at first. He realized he didn't know anything, which was his reason for asking God for wisdom at the start of his regin in 1 Kings 3. But you could see how he would be. "My dad doesn't think I can handle it, so he set it all up for me." But David wasn't like that. David's blessings on his son at the end of the chapter reveal that David believes in Solomon, and has everything he could possibly give his son.

1 Ki. 5: Sanctuary

1 Kings 5:4 "But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster."

It's temple-buildin' time. Where God told David it wouldn't be him to build God's central office, He did give Solomon the go ahead. Was a completed conquest the reason it was time to build the temple? Or Solomon's place in history? God did a lot with David, and is probably going to do a lot with Solomon. He chose to give this responsibility of the temple to Solomon. God has definite plans for each person's life. He sets the limits on what will be accomplished. He chooses each person for their time and their moment.

Solomon makes a treaty with Hiram, the king of Tyre to get cedars for the temple. Maybe this is ok, now that there is peace? And Israel is firmly ensconced in their promised land? Of course Hiram was pleased with this situation. Israel didn't have their collective boot on the Sidonian throat.

Another thing that amazes me about this chapter is the sheer labor force and the massive undertaking it was to create this temple.

30,000 conscripted laborers, 70,000 carriers (because they couldn't just throw those logs on a bunch of trailers), 80,000 Stonecutters (who control the British crown, no doubt), and 3300 supervisors. Amazing. And this is going to take years. I always looked at the temple like the church I go to. Even with stone-age labor and ingenuity, it wasn't going to take years like the temple.