Carl Pollard
When most people read the description of Solomon’s Temple, they get bogged down in the measurements. There are cubits, side chambers, cherubim, gold, cedar, and enough building details to make your head spin. But those details are there for a reason. They help us see the magnitude of what was built for the Lord.
The Temple itself was about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (1 Kings 6:2). That’s not as large as many modern church buildings. What made it extraordinary wasn’t its size, but what covered it!
The interior walls were lined with cedar from Lebanon and overlaid with pure gold. The floor was covered with gold. The altar was covered with gold. Even the Most Holy Place was overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:20-22, 30). Everywhere you looked, there was beauty, craftsmanship, and immense value.
Some estimates place the value of the gold and precious materials in the billions of dollars by today’s standards. Solomon gave the very best because this was the house dedicated to the worship of God. Nothing was cheap or ordinary, and he spared no expense! And even David set aside materials and precious metals for the construction of the temple.
However, the most impressive part of the Temple wasn’t the gold. When Solomon dedicated the Temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house so completely that the priests couldn’t continue ministering (1 Kings 8:10-11). The building was magnificent, but the presence of God is what made it special.
It’s possible to be impressed by the structure of a building, and miss the purpose. The Temple wasn’t built so people could admire the architecture. It was built to remind Israel of the holiness, greatness, and presence of God.
Today, God’s people are His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). We don’t gather in a building covered with gold, but we do serve the same God who filled Solomon’s Temple with His glory. So our main concern shouldn’t be if our walls shine with gold, but that our lives reflect the presence of God.
The Temple was worth an incredible amount of money. Its true value was never found in the gold, but in the God who dwelt there. And our value is found in the Creator!
The Preacher Pollard Blog 