Series: N/A
Service: Praise and Preaching Service
Type: Sermon
Speaker: Dwayne Gandy
Solomon Builds the Temple: Giving God Our Best
There are moments in Scripture so majestic that words can barely contain them. One of those moments came when Solomon completed the temple of the Lord and God’s glory filled the house in a cloud so overwhelming that the priests had to leave. It was the fulfillment of a dream that began not with Solomon, but with his father David—a dream born from love and reverence for God.
This story, told in 1 Kings 5–8 and 2 Chronicles 2–7, reminds us what it means to give God our very best, to prepare with excellence, to work together as one, and to invite the presence of God to dwell among us.
David’s Dream and God’s Promise
David was a man after God’s own heart. He fought battles, built a kingdom, and shepherded God’s people. Yet even in his royal house of cedar, something troubled him. How could he live in luxury while the ark of the covenant—the visible symbol of God’s presence—was sheltered in a tent?
David’s desire was noble. He longed to honor God with a permanent dwelling. When he told the prophet Nathan, the prophet initially approved. But that night, God revealed His own plan: David would not build the temple because his life had been filled with war and bloodshed. Yet God’s “no” came wrapped in grace. He told David, “You shall not build me a house, but I will build you a house.”
Not a house of stone and gold, but a dynasty. God promised that David’s throne would endure through his descendants—and ultimately, through Christ, the Son of David, whose kingdom has no end.
David didn’t sulk in disappointment. Instead, he spent the rest of his life preparing for a temple he would never see. He drew the blueprints under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gathered vast resources, and trained craftsmen for the work ahead. He gave from his own wealth and invited Israel’s leaders to do the same. By the time Solomon took the throne, everything was ready: the vision, the materials, the plans, and the purpose.
David never got to build the temple, but he built something greater—faith and anticipation in the next generation.
Solomon’s Commission and the Letter to Tyre
Four years into his reign, Solomon began to build. It had been 480 years since Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The timing itself carried meaning: a new era of peace and fulfillment had come.
Solomon wrote to Hiram, king of Tyre, asking for help. Hiram had been a friend to David and was eager to support David’s son. Solomon’s letter was reverent and clear:
“Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God… for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him?”
Even Solomon understood the paradox: no building could ever contain God. Yet the temple would be a visible declaration that the Almighty desired fellowship with His people. It would be a place where Israel could offer sacrifices, prayers, and praise.
Solomon requested the finest timber from Lebanon—cedar, cypress, and algalm trees—and the most skilled craftsmen in the world. In exchange, he offered an immense amount of wheat, barley, oil, and wine. Hiram responded with enthusiasm, praising God for giving Israel such a wise king and promising to provide everything Solomon needed.
The Greatest Building Project in History
The construction effort was astonishing. Solomon organized a workforce of 185,000 men—laborers, craftsmen, and supervisors. Thirty thousand of them rotated in groups of ten thousand, cutting timber in Lebanon for a month at a time before returning home to rest. Logs were tied together in rafts, floated down the sea to Joppa, then carried overland to Jerusalem.
In addition to wood, the temple required massive limestone blocks. These were quarried and cut underground, where the stone was soft and workable. Once exposed to the sun, the limestone hardened, making it ideal for construction. But Solomon had another reason for this method—reverence. He ordered that no hammer or chisel be heard on the temple grounds. The cutting was done in the quarry so that the building site would remain a quiet, holy place.
Can you imagine the precision required to cut and transport those stones? Some were the size of modern pickup trucks, shaped and moved without machinery—only manpower, ropes, and faith.
The temple itself was not enormous—90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high, about 2,700 square feet—but it was magnificent. Every detail radiated beauty and holiness. Inside, everything was overlaid with pure gold: the walls, the floors, the pillars, the carvings of cherubim and palm trees, and the sacred furnishings. The holy of holies formed a perfect cube—30 feet in every direction—with a heavy curtain separating it from the holy place. Two massive cherubim, each 15 feet high, stretched their wings across the room so that they touched wall to wall and met in the center.
Outside stood two great bronze pillars, intricately designed and named Jachin (“He will establish”) and Boaz (“In Him is strength”). Nearby stood the bronze altar, 30 by 30 feet—large enough for countless sacrifices—and the great “sea,” a massive basin used for ceremonial washing.
Seven years of preparation, craftsmanship, and devotion culminated in a single, breathtaking moment.
The Dedication: God Fills His House
When the temple was complete, Solomon gathered Israel for its dedication. From the mountain heights of Jerusalem, the valleys below filled with worshipers. Priests carried the ark of the covenant on their shoulders—just as God had commanded—singing the ancient refrain, “The LORD is good, and His mercy endures forever.”
As they placed the ark beneath the wings of the cherubim, a cloud descended. The glory of the Lord filled the temple with such intensity that the priests could not remain inside. Heaven and earth met in that moment—the invisible God made His presence visible. It was a day no one would ever forget.
Solomon stood before the altar on a raised platform, knelt on his knees, and lifted his hands toward heaven. His prayer remains one of the most beautiful in Scripture. He praised God for keeping His promises to David and asked that whenever Israel sinned and turned back to God—whether from famine, plague, captivity, or despair—God would hear their prayers from this place and forgive.
That prayer stretched across centuries. Whenever God’s people faced judgment and turned toward the temple, confessing their sin, He answered from heaven. Solomon’s prayer was a multi-generational act of intercession that echoed through Israel’s history.
The dedication continued with sacrifices too numerous to count. For fourteen days they celebrated, offering praise, thanksgiving, and worship. When the feast finally ended, Solomon sent the people home “joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown.” It was a golden age—peace, prosperity, and the unmistakable presence of God.
Lessons from the Temple
The story of Solomon’s temple is more than ancient history. It’s a mirror reflecting what God still wants from His people today.
1. Give God Your Best
Solomon gave God excellence. Nothing was too fine, too costly, or too elaborate for the Lord. Every inch of gold, every carved pattern, every polished stone declared, “God deserves the best.”
For children, that means giving God their best effort at school, in chores, and in obedience. For adults, it means giving our best at work, in marriage, in parenting, and in ministry. Excellence is not about perfection—it’s about devotion. It’s about doing every task “as unto the Lord.”
2. Prepare Like It Matters
David prepared before Solomon ever started. Preparation shows faith. Great works for God rarely happen by accident; they happen because someone planned, prayed, and persisted.
Spiritually, preparation means more than logistics—it means preparing our hearts. Do we come to worship with our minds ready and our spirits focused? Do we take time during the week to cultivate the kind of heart God can fill with His glory? Like David, preparation today can empower the next generation tomorrow.
3. Work Together in Unity
The temple was built by 183,300 workers from different nations, languages, and trades. But they shared one purpose: honoring God. When families, churches, and communities work together in unity, great things happen. When we pull in different directions, progress stops.
The church is God’s temple today, built not of stone but of people. Every act of service, every moment of encouragement, every sacrifice of time and love adds another brick to the structure of faith. The temple grows as each member does their part.
4. Remember That God Desires to Dwell with Us
From the beginning, God’s greatest desire has been to dwell among His people. The temple was never about architecture—it was about relationship. The God who filled Solomon’s temple with glory now fills His people through His Spirit. Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
God’s presence is not confined to buildings. He wants to live in our hearts, our homes, and our churches. The temple was temporary, but the indwelling of the Spirit is eternal.
Building What Lasts Forever
Solomon’s temple was magnificent—but temporary. It took seven years to build, yet four centuries later it was destroyed. A second temple rose under Zerubbabel and was expanded by Herod, but it too fell in A.D. 70. Gold can be stripped away, stones can crumble, and walls can burn.
But what God is building today cannot be destroyed. Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The living temple of God—the people redeemed by Christ—will stand forever.
When we pour our energy into God’s kingdom, we’re investing in something eternal. What we build in our homes, our children, and our congregation for God’s glory will outlast every earthly empire.
So the question for us is not How grand is my life? but Who am I building for? If we build for ourselves, the structure will fall. But if we build for God, the glory will endure.
Bringing It Home
Imagine walking through Solomon’s finished temple—the golden walls gleaming, the smell of cedar filling the air, the hush of reverence around the holy of holies. Now imagine your own heart as that sacred space.
Does God find the same beauty there? Is your heart prepared, pure, and dedicated? Have you given Him your best?
The same God who filled the temple with His glory longs to fill your life today. Through Christ, every believer becomes a living stone in God’s eternal house. The invitation is open to all who will come, be washed, and be made new.
If you’ve never begun that journey, you can. As Solomon’s prayer invited the people to turn toward God, the gospel invites us to turn toward Christ—to repent, be baptized, and rise to walk in newness of life. The Lord who filled the temple now wants to fill your heart.
Why wait? Let Him dwell within you today.
