I Kings Chapter 7

Please read:  I Kings 7 –

After building the temple Solomon then set about building his palace.  We learn that he spent more years building his palace than the temple.  Some might argue that this was not right, that he shouldn’t have spent more time making his own palace more extravagant than the temple.  However, the temple of God was meant to be somewhat sparse.  It was not a place where people gathered.  They did come to the outer courts of the temple but only the priests went inside the temple.  So an argument could be made either way. 

In verse 13 we learn that Solomon called on a famous artisan to come and work on his building projects.  The text lists his name as Hiram of Tyre, but we learn in II Chronicles 2 that King Hiram had previously stated that he was going to call on Huram-abi to go and work for Solomon.  So, when Solomon was ready for the artisan work to be added to the projects, he did contact Hiram to send the artisan.  And the work that this man was able to create must have been spectacular because when he finished the details he put on the pillars of the house, they gave the pillars names. 

Israel now had a place to worship God in a temple, and they had a king who ruled from an elaborate king’s palace.  And both were spectacular places to see and visit.