"David had commanded to gather together the aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. David also provided great stores of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, and cedar timbers without number - for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. For David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands; I will therefore make preparation for it." So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me upon the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel for ever.' Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you. Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong, and of good courage. Fear not; be not dismayed. With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone too I have provided. To these you must add. You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and be doing! The LORD be with you!"
David had also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand - and the land is subdued before the LORD and his people. Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD."
After his father died, Solomon began to build the Temple in the second month (May) 982 B.C. (in the fourth year of his reign.) 7,600,000 pounds of gold, 75,600,000 pounds of silver, 7,600,000 pounds of iron, precious jewels without number, cedar and quarried stone were all used by 30,000 Israelites and 153,600 aliens, in the construction of the Temple.
Two pillars stood on the Temple platform. One was called Jachin (Sustainer), the other was called Boaz (Smiter.) They were 6 feet in diameter and 27 feet high. II Chronicles 3:15.
The stones were hewn from a quarry and brought to the Temple: The stone was finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the Temple while it was being built. (1 Kings 6:7)
The Temple was completed in the eighth month (November) 975 B.C. The total construction time was 7 1/2 years. (I King's 6:38) The following year (974 B.C.) at the October feast of Tabernacles, Solomon began the dedication ( in the year of Jubilee.) God's promised increase of the harvest lasted three years (Leviticus 25:21) and after the October feast of Tabernacles in 971 B.C., Solomon's dedication was over.
THE TEMPLE SITE The ALTAR that sat on top of the Rock was made of wood plated with brass and was 30 feet square and 15 feet high.
The LAVER or molten sea for the Priests to wash in was 15 feet in diameter and 7 1/2 feet high. It held 10,000 gallons of water in a reservoir. The Laver sat on a base of 12 oxen, 3 facing in each direction, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel II Chronicles 4:10. Smaller lavers with wheels carried the water from the large Laver (Molten Sea) to various locations to wash the burnt offerings.
Ten lampstands of gold were placed ( five on each side ) in front of the Holy of HoliesÝ ...
2 Chron 4:7, 1Kings 7:49 ...
Inside the Holy of Holies, beyond the curtain, is the dwelling place of God, symbolized by a wooden box plated with gold containing the ten commandments. The lid of the box was solid gold, and was called "The Mercy Seat." Two cherubim were carved on the box with their wings touching, forming a triangle. Inside this triangle there is no material representation of God because God is a Spirit, and not to be represented by images or idols.
On Good Friday at 3:00 P.M., the curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom, signifying direct access to God is now available to us.
The Great Arabian Incense Road When frankincense and myrrh (bdellium) first came into general use in the ancient world is obscure, but the trade of these items was intimately tied up with two things: the establishment of the Arabian incense (spice) route and the domestication of the camel. During the heyday of the incense road, huge camel caravans trudged up and down the entire length of the Arabian Peninsula, carrying precious spices and other commodities to the temples, courts, and markets of the north.Thus came the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon's court carrying (by camel) gold, precious stones, and spices (1 Kings 10:1-13). "And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices of very great store, and precious stones; there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon" (1 Kings 10:10).
The Queen of Sheba came from Marib (ancient Mariaba, now part of Yemen), the great and prosperous caravan city which was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of the Sabaeans (Saba means the biblical Sheba). Marib was on the ancient trade route, which began in the south along the Gulf of Aden, and which continued northward past Marib and Najran, then to Abha, Bisha, and Mecca . From Mecca the old incense road split, with its western route going to Jordan, Israel, and Egypt and its eastern route going past the Mahd adh Dhahab gold mines (stopping at Bir Madid, the "well of the mines"), northeast to the Wadi Rimah, down the wadi to Buraydah, and then along the Wadi al Batin (Pishon River) to Mesopotamia. From the land of Havilah and along the Pishon River, the bdellium (from Yemen), the onyx (from the Wadi al Aqiq- Mahd adh Dhabab area), and the gold (from Mahd adh Dhabab) could have been brought to Mesopotamia, as is suggested by Gen. 2:11-12.
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