“Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.” — 2 Chronicles 3:1
After much prayer, and months of exploring options, drawing plans, and obtaining permits, a groundbreaking ceremony on July 4, 1982, initiated construction of a new Apostolic Faith church in southeast Portland. I remember that day very well!
The site for the new building was a four-acre piece of ground across Duke Street from the campground, and it formerly had been used as the church parking lot. In my early childhood, I had joined other children on the huge steel merry-go-round that stood on the southeast corner of that lot. I remember watching the “big kids” play baseball there after our annual Memorial Day campground cleanup and picnic. Later, my dad taught me to drive on that wide-open space, away from objects that would have been endangered by my unskilled attempts to maneuver a vehicle.
Those are good memories, but what took place on that hot summer day in 1982 and in the months that followed is special to me in a different way. On the day of the groundbreaking, a brass ensemble stood on a wooden platform at the center of the lot and played “How Firm a Foundation” and “Move Forward.” A male quartet sang “Be strong, O men, be strong.” Brother Elmer Luka, who was to supervise the project, commented at the ceremony, “We can put the boards together, drive the nails, mix the concrete, and lay the stones, but we are looking for something greater than that. We are looking for God to come down and put His seal of approval and blessing upon this building.”
Actual construction began on August 1, and I joined many from the Portland congregation who frequently stopped by to watch as the project progressed. Over one thousand yards of concrete went into the foundation, and eight huge pillars were poured to anchor the main framework of the building. Gradually, the project moved through the various phases. Walls were erected, wiring and plumbing installed, sheetrock applied, and cabinets put in place. Workers from the Portland congregation and many of our branch churches worked side by side, putting up the exterior brickwork, painting walls, crafting interior railings, laying carpet, and installing pews. By the spring of 1984, the one-time parking lot was the site of a beautiful new church for the Portland congregation.
As I read today’s text about the construction of the house of the Lord in Solomon’s day, I thought about the people who undoubtedly watched with great interest as the Temple began to take shape. Like those of us who observed the construction of our Portland church, did they think ahead to the day when they would worship there? Did they anticipate the blessing of the Lord coming upon that beautiful structure?
Although the churches where most believers worship cannot compare with the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple, the size or magnificence of a church building is not what is truly important. Even the care and craftsmanship by dedicated workers is not what matters most. What hallows the house of God is the presence of God Himself! Wherever the Spirit of God dwells is a blessed place.
In the decades since our Portland church was dedicated, we have been blessed to feel God’s presence meet with us there—and that is true wherever the people of God gather with grateful hearts to honor Him. Let us thank God for our churches and for our freedom to worship. And may we always come into God’s house with a mindful awareness that we are there to meet Him!
Chapter 3 relates how Solomon began the construction of the permanent “house of the Lord” on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. Dimensions for the structure are recorded in verse 3. Details are given regarding the outer porch or vestibule and the Holy Place (verses 4-7), followed by a description of the inner Holy of Holies (verses 8-14). The chapter concludes with a depiction of the two pillars that stood before the porch (verses 15-17). These verses are some of the many descriptions in Scripture that emphasize the magnificence of the Temple.
Mount Moriah, where the Temple was to be constructed, was the place where God had instructed Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (see Genesis 22:2). It was also the site of the threshingfloor of Ornan where David sacrificed to the Lord and prayed for an end to the plague which came upon Israel after he sinned by taking a census (see 1 Chronicles 21).
The date given in verse 2 for when Solomon began to build is not an indication that he delayed the start of the construction project for four years. He likely began organizing to fulfill his God-ordained task in the first year of his reign. However, it would have taken some time to request and obtain timber from Lebanon, as well as the other needed materials for building, as described in the previous chapter.
The measurements given in verses 3-4 for the Holy Place are comparable to those noted in 1 Kings 6:2. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that the building was divided into the two sections by a partition of cedar-wood with a door overlaid with gold and covered by a costly curtain.1 The statement in verse 6 that Solomon “garnished the house with precious stones for beauty” may mean the floor was an inlaid mosaic. The location of Parvaim, where gold for the Temple was obtained, is unknown, but it was probably somewhere in eastern Arabia. The engraved cherubim on the walls (verse 7) were patterned after the designs of cherubim woven on the inner covering of the Tabernacle.
Special attention was given to the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place) described in verses 8-17. It was a perfect cube shape with each gold-overlaid side measuring twenty cubits in length. Inside were two large cherubim, which were also overlaid with gold. The phrase “image work” in verse 10 likely indicates that the cherubim were carved sculptures.
The pillars mentioned in verses 15-17 were impressive adornments at the front of the Temple. The parallel description in 1 Kings 7:15 indicates these pillars were made of brass. Jachin means “He shall establish” and Boaz means “in strength.” They were a reminder to worshippers that the Temple was established by God and built by His strength.
1. Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. Translated by William Whiston, M.A. (London: William Whiston, M.A., 1737) VIII, 3, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm.
I. The reign of Solomon
B. The construction of Solomon’s Temple
2. The construction
a. The Temple structure (3:1-17)
(1) The location (3:1)
(2) The dimensions (3:2-3)
(3) The porch and Holy Place (3:4-7)
(4) The Holy of Holies (3:8-14)
(a) The room (3:8-9)
(b) The cherubim (3:10-13)
(c) The veil (3:14)
(5) The pillars (3:15-17)
It does not really matter whether a house of worship is simple or elaborate. What matters is that God meets His people there.
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