Solomon | The Building of the Temple Kings to Captivity | Episode 1
King David might have had some problems during his reign,
but ultimately it was a time when Israel became strong
and exerted a mighty influence for good.
David would abdicate, though,
and his son Solomon would reign in his place.
Solomon also started off his reign in a strong fashion.
He visited the site of the tabernacle in Gibeon
and was asked there by God what he wanted during his reign.
His reply was that he wanted to have wisdom and understanding,
a gift that was given to him in abundance.
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Even though David wanted to build the temple,
he was told by God that he couldn't build it,
and that his son Solomon would build it instead.
Ever since the Israelites had left Egypt, it had always been the desire of God
to have a dwelling place with His people.
Exodus 25:8 says,
'Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.'
Every aspect of the tabernacle they were told how to build in microscopic detail.
The tabernacle in the wilderness was movable,
but now it was time to build a permanent structure.
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For seven years the site was filled with busy workers who cleared the area.
The bricks or stones were prepared elsewhere
so no hammers, axes, or iron tools were used on site.
The furniture that was used in the sanctuary
was also prepared elsewhere and brought to the site.
When it was finally finished, it was a magnificent structure
with spacious courts, magnificent approaches,
and carved cedar, and polished gold.
The site chosen for the temple was Mount Moriah
where Abraham had shown his faithfulness and obedience
in being willing to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
Today the site still holds immense significance
for the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
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The early years of Solomon's reign went really well.
His land spread from the borders of Egypt and Philistia to the Euphrates River,
and many kings came from afar,
and he was able to witness about the providence of God.
The blessings of God were conditional on obedience to His commands,
and one of these was that the king should not take more than one wife.
However, trusting in his own wisdom,
Solomon went into an agreement with the king of Egypt
and took his daughter as a wife.
From a human point of view this looked like a good agreement,
as it strengthened the ties between the countries
and he was able to convert her to his faith.
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Rationalizing economic benefits for the potential conversion
of a wife he shouldn't have been with anyway wasn't a one-off,
and Solomon entered into many of these alliances with other nations and kings.
This had a demoralizing effect on him
and he was soon in complete apostasy and open rebellion against God.
He even went as far as to set up shrines to foreign gods
at the foot of this mountain, the Mount of Olives.
However, God was not done with him, and He continued to woo him.
Thankfully, at the end of his life he repented, turned around,
and had sweeping reforms in Israel.
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He gave some wise counsel in his later years,
and one of these we find in Ecclesiastes 12:1,
where he implores others to remember their Creator in the days of their youth.
Speaking with hindsight, he tells others to have foresight,
that a life lived with God is the best life.
If only he hadn't forgotten God during his older years
and stayed faithful his whole life.
Today God is looking for men and women
who will give Him their best years
and remember their Creator in the days of their youth;
and even if we don't, God always accepts us
when we turn back to Him
with genuine repentance like Solomon.