“And it
came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of
Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's
reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began
to build the house of the LORD.” (v.1)
The four hundred and eightieth year: This marking point shows just how long Israel lived in the Promised Land without a temple. The tabernacle served the nation well for more than 400 years. The prompting to build the temple was more at the direction and will of God than out of absolute necessity. This was also when the actual construction began. Solomon probably started to organize the work right away. There is some evidence that it took three years to prepare timber from Lebanon for use in building. If Solomon began the construction of the temple in the fourth year of his reign, he probably started organizing the construction in the very first year of his reign.
Yet the work was carefully organized and planned even before Solomon became king. 1 Chronicles 28:11-12 tells us, Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things.
The writer of 1 Kings never tells us exactly where the temple was built, but the writer of 2 Chronicles tells us that it was built on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1), the same place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac and Jesus would be crucified (on another part of the hill).
Back in 1
Kings 5:5, we saw how Solomon purposed to build the temple. Now we see him
actually beginning the work. Many people, including myself, at one point or
another have said, “I’m going to do this” or “I’m going to get involved in that.”
We’ve purposed to do something but have never begun the work.
As Solomon
has rightly shown us, we must both purpose and begin, if we are going to
complete the work God has for each of us to do.
The Truth: “For the
gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29)
