{"id":34579,"date":"2025-02-05T22:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-kings-6_1-38-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T17:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T00:32:14","slug":"1-kings-7_1-51","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-kings-7_1-51\/","title":{"rendered":"Seek God\u2019s Kingdom First"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Kings 7:1-51 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Kings 7:1-51.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Kings 7:1-12 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns–forty-five beams, fifteen to a row.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide. In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and trimmed with a saw on their inner and outer faces.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0with its portico.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-12:\u00a0 Whereas it took Solomon\u00a07\u00a0years to complete the construction of the temple, it took him 13 years to complete the construction of his own palace.\u00a0 What does that tell us?\u00a0 One theory is that at this time in Solomon’s life, the kingdom of God was more important than his own kingdom.\u00a0 So when it came to deciding which should take priority — God’s temple or Solomon’s palace — Solomon chose to work first on God’s temple. The fact that the building of Solomon’s own palace is sandwiched in between two long passages about Solomon work on the temple further supports the theory that for Solomon, his first priority was the house of God.\u00a0 As a result, the house of God was blessed, and Solomon’s own house was blessed.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Seek God’s kingdom and the building of God’s house first, and God will add everything you need for the building of your own house (Matthew\u00a06:33).<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Kings 7:13-22 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits around, by line.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits high.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital.
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-22:\u00a0 Solomon assigns the task of building all the bronze temple furnishings to a skilled craftsman called Huram.\u00a0 Among the various items Huram built are two bronze pillars, which Huram names Jakim and Boaz.\u00a0 Jakim means “Yahweh establishes” and speaks of security.\u00a0 Boaz means “in Yahweh is strength”, and is also the name of Solomon’s great great grandfather.\u00a0 Whenever the Israelites would enter the temple to worship the Lord, it was a reminder that their security and their strength were in God.\u00a0 Similarly,\u00a0our security and strength don’t come from ourselves, our accomplishments or our backgrounds, but from God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Kings 7:23-39 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Below the rim, gourds encircled it–ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center.
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.
\n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also made ten movable stands of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.
\n28\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights.
\n29\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim–and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work.
\n30\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side.
\n31\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half. Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round.
\n32\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half.
\n33\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.
\n34\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand.
\n35\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand.
\n36\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.
\n37\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.
\n38\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He then made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands.
\n39\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 23-39: The bronze Sea (which was a large pool of water) and the ten stands with their basins were Solomon’s system for ensuring that the priests had easy access to water so that they could clean their hands and feet as they entered the presence of God.\u00a0\u00a0Today, in the church, Jesus our King and great high priest has an even more effective and efficient system for ensuring that his priests (us) are clean as we enter the presence of God.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0That is, through our faith in Him, Jesus gives us constant, unlimited access to His blood, which cleanses us from all our sin.\u00a0 Because of Jesus’ shed blood, we can enter the presence of God without shame or fear of punishment, for we have been made clean and are totally forgiven.<\/p>\n

1 Kings 7:40-51 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n40\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also made the basins and shovels and sprinkling bowls.\u00a0So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the\u00a0LORD:
\n41\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
\n42\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);
\n43\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the ten stands with their ten basins;
\n44\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;
\n45\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0were of burnished bronze.
\n46\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.
\n47\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
\n48\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the\u00a0LORD’s temple: the golden altar; the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence;
\n49\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary); the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;
\n50\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
\n51\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated–the silver and gold and the furnishings–and he placed them in the treasuries of the\u00a0LORD’s temple.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 40-51:\u00a0 Here both Huram (v40) and King Solomon (v51) are said to have finished the work that they had been given on the temple.\u00a0 Paul in the New Testament had a similar mindset. He said,\u00a0“<\/sup>However, I consider my life worth nothing to me,\u00a0if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me<\/u><\/em>–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts\u00a020:24)\u00a0\u00a0Like Huram, Solomon and Paul, may we be intent on finishing the race and completing the task Jesus has given us to do on this earth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, thank You that I find my stability and strength in You.\u00a0 Your Word and Your Holy Spirit are the pillars of my life.\u00a0 Thank You for Your blood which constantly cleanses me so I can enter Your presence at all times.\u00a0 May I finish the race and complete the task You gave me.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

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opyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Kings 7:1-51.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 Kings 7:1-12 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns–forty-five beams, fifteen to a row.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-12:\u00a0 Whereas it took Solomon\u00a07\u00a0years to complete the construction of the temple, it took him 13 years to complete the construction of his own palace.\u00a0 What does that tell us?\u00a0 One theory is that at this time in Solomon’s life, the kingdom of God was more important than his own kingdom.\u00a0 So when it came to deciding which should take priority — God’s temple or Solomon’s palace — Solomon chose to work first on God’s temple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34579"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34582,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34579\/revisions\/34582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}