Never did any man have so much of the spirit of building as Solomon had, nor to any better purpose. He began by building for God first, and then all his other buildings were comfortable to him. The surest foundations of lasting prosperity are those which are laid in early piety (Matt. 6:33).

Solomon took 13 years to build his own personal house, whereas he built the Temple in a little more than seven years – not that he was more exact and elaborate in building his own house than in building God’s; rather, he was only less fervent and absorbed than he had been with the Temple. He was in no haste for his own palace, but he was eager for the Temple to be finished and ready for use. In the same way, we ought to prefer the Lord’s honor before our own ease and satisfaction. Solomon also built “the house of the forest of Lebanon” (verse 2), which is thought to have been a country residence – a “vacation cabin” – away from Jerusalem, thus named from the pleasantness of its location and the trees that surrounded it. A particular description is given of this house. Its pillars, beams, and roof were all made of cedar (verses 2-3), and there were three tiers of windows on each side of the house (verses 4-5). Those persons to whom the Lord has given homes in the countryside may see the blessedness of their country lifestyle by the fact that some of this world’s greatest princes have spent some of their most pleasant days in their rural retreats.

At his royal residence in Jerusalem, Solomon built his porch of judgment. There he had his throne where cases were brought before him; and this hall was richly wainscoted with cedar, from the floor to the roof (verse 7). He also had another court within the porch of his house, of similar work (verse 8); and he built a house for his wife, where she kept her court (verse 8). The wonderful magnificence of all these buildings is taken notice of in verses 9-12. All the materials were the best of their kind.

This chapter gives us a large account of the brass-work connected with the Temple. Some of the items of brass are described in detail, and the rest are mentioned. The brass-worker whom Solomon employed to preside in this part of the work was Hiram. On his mother’s side, Hiram was an Israelite of the tribe of Naphtali; and on his father’s side, he was a man of Tyre (verse 14). Thus he had the head of a Tyrian (for skill) and the heart of an Israelite (for love for the Lord’s house); and it was happy indeed that the blood of the two nations mixed in him, for he was thereby qualified for the work to which the Lord appointed him.

The brass which Hiram used was the best he could get. All the brass vessels were of bright brass – that which was strongest and looked the finest. God must be served and honored with the best that we have. The amount of the brass that he used was left unweighed, because it would have been an endless thing to keep up a running account.

Some particulars of the brass-work are described in this chapter. First, there were two brass pillars, which were set up in the porch of the Temple (verse 21), purely for decoration and ornamentation. Their significance is hinted at in the names that were given to them: Jachin, which means “he will establish”; and Boaz, which means “in him is strength.” Perhaps these pillars were intended to be a reminder to the priests and the worshipers that they must depend upon God alone – and not upon any sufficiency of their own – for strength and establishment in all their religious exercises. Spiritual strength and stability may be found at the door of the Lord’s house, where we must wait for the gifts of grace, in the use of the means of grace.

There was also a brass “sea” (verses 23-26) – thus named because it was a very large vessel, more than 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter and about 3 inches (7.6 cm) thick! It could hold roughly 15,000 gallons (nearly 57,000 liters) of water for the priests’ use – both for washing themselves and the sacrifices, and also for keeping the courts of the Temple clean. This “sea” stood upon the figures of twelve huge brass oxen. In the Tabernacle courtyard, there was only one brass laver for water; but in the court of the Temple, there was a “sea” of brass – hinting at the fact that by the Gospel of Christ, much fuller preparation is made for our cleansing than was ever done by the law of Moses. This “sea” represents the “fountain opened” for us to be washed clean from all our sins (Zech. 13:1). There were also ten brass stands with ten lavers upon them, which were to be filled with water for the service of the Temple. Each laver that was placed upon one of these stands was about 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter, and contained about 300 gallons (over 1,100 liters) of water (verse 38). In addition to these things, there was a vast number of brass pots and accessories for the offering of sacrifices.

The making of the gold-work for the Temple seems to have been done last; for with it, the work of the house of God ended. All the golden Temple furnishings were made new (except for the Ark of the Covenant, with its mercy-seat and cherubim). There was still, however, only one altar of incense that was made for the Temple; for Christ and His intercession (which that altar foreshadowed) are unique, and cannot be found elsewhere. But there were now ten golden candlesticks instead of one (verse 49) – teaching us that in the Gospel, there is now much greater plenty of heavenly light than the law of Moses could ever provide.

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