Preparations for the Temple

1 Kings Chapter 5


King Hiram of Tyre had been a loyal friend to King David, so he sent ambassadors to congratulate King Solomon. And Solomon sent back the message that David was not able to build a temple to honor the Lord because of the many wars waged on surrounding nations. But now the Lord had given Solomon peace and no enemies, so he was going to build the Temple and wanted King Tyre to let his men come and cut down cedars from Lebanon to be used in the Temple.

King Hiram was pleased with Solomon's message and replied that he would supply Solomon with cedar and cypress trees and his servants would bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and build them into rafts. Then the rafts would be floated along the coast to the place Solomon chose. Payment could be made in food for Hiram's household. The deed was accomplished and the two kings had a formal agreement of peace.

Solomon enlisted 30,000 laborers from all of Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 each month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Solomon also enlisted 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country and 3,6000 foremen to supervise the work. At the king's command, the stonecutters quarried and shaped costly blocks of stone for the foundation of the Temple. Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon's and Hiram's builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Remember when David wanted to build a temple and God said no through the prophet Nathan? God wanted a peacemaker, not a warrior to build his house of prayer.

The area of Gebal, also called Byblos, was located north of what is now Beirut, near the cedar forest. These men who helped prepare the timber and stones, were Phoenicians, probably skilled as shipbuilders.

Soloman drafted three times the number of workers needed for the Temple project and then arranged to stagger their schedules so they weren't away from home for long periods of time. This showed his concern for family life. He wisely recognized that the family should always be top priority.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? The biggest lesson is found in this very small chapter. It is the lesson on the importance of family. Even in our times, it is evident that the strength of a nation is in direct proportion to the strength of its families. We need to remind our top executives of this lesson by Solomon. It wasn't so long ago that large companies kept tranferring familes to different parts of the country. In fact, the only way for young executies to get ahead, was to take a transfer. This resulted in fracturing of the family unit as they moved far from their extended families. The last decade has shown a decrease in relocating of families for business purposes.It appears that corporate America has finally learned the importance of family ties.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, and Arlene’s nephew David. Pray for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer. Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS. Pray for Cyndi Sullivan who was given 14 months to live with cancer, but has made it six years. The pain has returned and she needs our prayers.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has 90 percent of her speech back and is home from the hospital and having rehab for the paralysis on one side of her body. Continue to pray for her recovery.
Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She has shed the feeding tube and is taking formula on her own! But breathing problems are still with her, though improving all the time. She continues to have a long road, so prayers are still needed. She has been moved to a St. Louis hospital.
Pray for Carolyn’s friend Margaret and her husband who were in a car accident. As elderly drivers they may face a life change which may cost them their independence. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake,those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.