1 Kings 5

< Back to 1 Kings Index


TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

King Solomon’s Preparations for Building the Temple

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God will provide the right people for His work.

  2. God will provide the right material for His work.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Do you know the Lord as Jehovah Jirah?

QUESTIONS

  1. Why would God refuse King David’s request to build the temple?

  2. What preparations did David make for the building of the temple?

  3. Was the building of the temple David’s idea alone?

  4. Should the glory for building the temple belong to Solomon?

  5. God provided plans and materials for the temple. What else did God do in preparation for the work?

  6. Who were the Gebalites?

ANSWERS

  1. Because David was a man of war, and God wanted the country to be at peace when the temple was built.

  2. David had already brought the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem, and he had already given his son Solomon the plans and material for the temple. See 1 Chronicles 28:11-19.

  3. No. God had given David the plans for the temple. It was God’s work.

  4. No. The building of this great temple brought fame to Solomon, but this work was for the glory of God.

  5. God had arranged that there would be a good relationship between Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre.

  6. They were Gentiles from Northern Phoenicia who helped in the building of the temple.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Just when Solomon needed some help to get the temple project going, God provided Hiram. Hiram was just the right person to help Solomon at this point. Hiram had known and loved King David, and this good relationship continued between Hiram and Solomon. Hiram had the knowledge and the means to help Solomon build the house of the Lord. Read in 2 Chronicles 2:13 how Hiram sent skillful men and master craftsmen to help Solomon build the house of the Lord. God will provide the right people for His work. Just as the Lord provided Hiram for Solomon and the temple project in that day, so the Lord will provide the right people to help you in the work of the Lord in this day. Wait on the Lord. He will provide.

  2. Not only did the Lord provide the right people for Solomon, but He also provided the needed material for the temple project. Hiram supplied the needed cedar and cypress wood for the building of the temple. God will do the same for us today. Are you in some ministry or some project for the Lord? If it is really of the Lord and not just for your own glory, you can be sure that the Lord will provide whatever is needed for the work. The proverbial well will not run dry. God will provide. Trust Him.

CHALLENGE

  1. Read Genesis 22:13-14. When God provided the lamb in the thicket to take the place of Isaac on the altar, Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jirah. Jehovah Jirah means, “God will provide.” Do you have any needs right now – financial, emotional, spiritual? Do you need to make an important decision right now? Look to the Lord and trust Him, and you will find that he will provide just what you need. Do you know the Lord as Jehovah Jirah?

KEY VERSES

  • “Solomon said, ‘I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David.” 1 Kings 5:5

  • “When Hiram heard the words of Solomon he rejoiced greatly and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!” 1 Kings 5:7

  • “Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire.” 1 Kings 5:10

  • “The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon.” 1 Kings 5:12

  • “Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried large stones and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.” 1 Kings 5:18

1 Kings, Old Testament, TalksRon Reid1 KINGS 5