Fulfilling David’s Dream (1 Kings 5:1–6:38)

As he anticipated the building of the temple, David had set aside some of the spoils of battle especially for the Lord. This amounted to 3,750 tons of gold, 37,500 tons of silver, and an unmeasured amount of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. All this wealth he presented publicly to Solomon. David also added his own personal treasure and then invited the leaders of the nation to contribute as well. The final totals were 4,050 tons of gold and over 38,000 tons of silver, not to speak of thousands of tons of bronze and iron, as well as precious stones. It was a great beginning for a great project.

I. Securing the materials (1 Kings 5:1–12)

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 had always loved David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 3 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. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 5 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 the house for My name.” 6 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. 7 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! 8 Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs. 9 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. 10 Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. 12 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 a treaty together.

A. David had set aside some of the spoils of battle especially for the Lord.

This amounted to 3,750 tons of gold, 37,500 tons of silver, and an unmeasured amount of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. All this wealth he presented publicly to Solomon. David also added his own personal treasure and then invited the leaders of the nation to contribute as well.

The final totals were 4,050 tons of gold and over 38,000 tons of silver, not to speak of thousands of tons of bronze and iron, as well as precious stones. It was a great beginning for a great project.

B. David also gave Solomon the plans for the temple that had been given to him by the Lord.

David had also assembled some artisans and laborers to follow those plans and work in wood and stone to prepare material for the temple. Hiram, king of Tyre, had provided workers and materials for the building of David’s palace, and David had enlisted their help in preparing wood for the temple.

Solomon took advantage of this royal friendship to enlist Hiram to provide the workers and timber needed for the temple. Hiram had sent Solomon his greetings on the occasion of his coronation, and Solomon had sent back official thanks plus a request for his help in the construction of the temple. In his message, Solomon indicated that he knew that his father had discussed the building of the temple with Hiram, so Hiram wasn’t hearing about it for the first time. David had even told Hiram about God’s covenant and God’s choice of Solomon to build the house of God.

II. Conscripting workers (1 Kings 5:13–18)

13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, 16 besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. 17 And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. 18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.

A. It would take a great deal of manpower.

David’s incomplete census had revealed that there were 1,300,000 able-bodied men in the land and Solomon conscripted only 30,000 to labor on the temple, about 2.3 percent of the total available labor force.

Ten thousand of the men spent one month each quarter in Lebanon assisting Hiram’s men in their work, and then they had two months at home. These men were Jewish citizens and were not treated like slaves. We aren’t told if they shared in any of the wages Solomon promised Hiram’s workers. Solomon also took a census of the non-Israelite aliens in the land and drafted 150,000 of them to cut and transport stones for the temple.

B. Both Jews and Gentiles assisted in the construction of the temple.

This fact is significant, for the temple was to be “a house of prayer for all nations”. All people are welcome in the house of God! God’s house is not just for one type of people, but all people. Now don’t be mistaken, it is for all people but not for all religions. When you come into the house of the Lord we come to worship the Lord our God! The one true God, the triune God, God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The church today is a temple of God composed of believers in Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles. It is being “built up” to the glory of the Lord as “living stones”—both Jews and Gentiles—are added to the temple by the Holy Spirit. This should encourage us in our praying and serving, for the Lord can use people we least appreciate to get His will done on earth. God can even work through unconverted government officials to open doors for His people or meet the needs they might have.