Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend to David. Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until he put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’ 

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Then Solomon said,
“The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
I have built you an exalted house,
a place for you to dwell forever.”

For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.

***

Seven years. That’s how long it took. The same approximate time it takes for every cell in your body to replace itself. Seven years. You can earn a Ph.D. in that amount of time. Raise a human being. Seven years. That’s how long scholars think it took to build the temple. It could have been more but probably not much less. Seven years from foundation to roof.

Today it would probably take closer to 7 months. More effective tools. Better materials. A crane alone would have cut a few years off the project, but Solomon and his contemporaries had only manual labor, perhaps some crude machines to build the temple.

This past week cranes and bull dozers tore down the east wing of the White House. Built in 1902 and significantly upgraded in 1942, it took less than 7 days to tear down a significant portion of the so-called people’s house.

We have had front loaders and jack hammers tearing up the front yard of our church this week. Tuesday, I pulled up to the church and there was a toddler sitting in his toy truck watching the workers in awe.

I imagine that the Israelite kids would have loved watching the Temple go up. Though after 7 years it would have just become part of the backdrop. Imagine living nearby and waking up to the sound of construction every morning for seven years.

Scripture tells us that God gave Solomon rest on all sides, which is what allows him to turn his attention to this monumental project. It is hard to attend to such things when you are at war or in conflict with neighboring nations. Not to mention that they may have some natural resources that you need. Such seems to be the case with Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre. Hiram had been a friend of David, but David was a war time king. He didn’t have the time or resources to dedicate to such a massive project. Or so we are led to believe.

Solomon hopes to succeed where his father had failed. To have his name associated with such an accomplishment will surely secure his legacy. Solomon the wise. Solomon the generous. Solomon the builder.

It all seems to be falling into place. There is only one problem. Solomon’s version of things is a bit self-serving. He says that God wanted David to build the temple, but that is not really true. It wasn’t that David was busy with all of his battles and drama, though he was. He was more than willing to build a temple nonetheless. So why didn’t he? Because God told him not to. And for all of his faults—and David had many—he did try to be faithful to God.

The truth of the matter is that God never asks David or Solomon for a temple. They want to build one, but God prefers more of a mobile home. God doesn’t want to be pinned down, shut in. God wants to be loose and fancy free to mingle amongst the people. It is we who want to keep tabs on God. We want God to stay put. To be tame. In other words, we want to be in control.

Seven years is a long time. Long enough to build a temple. Long enough to earn a Ph.D. Long enough for every cell in your body to regenerate. Long enough to become a completely different person.

According to biblical scholar Alphonetta Wines, “The temple was a seven-year joint project of Solomon and Hiram, King of Tyre…Like much of today’s construction, temple walls and objects were created elsewhere and brought to the building site where they were assembled and installed. Gold was everywhere, inside and out. Rich furnishings and decorations were made of the finest materials.”

Just after our passage ends today, there is a ceremony to dedicate the Temple. Dr. Wines writes, “[Solomon’s] dedicatory speech and prayers are some of the most exquisite passages in the entire Bible. His speech makes it plain that even with all his work, he recognizes that God is beyond physical space. His prayer beautifully requests that God hear and answer not only the prayers of the people of Israel, but also the prayers of foreigners as well.”

It would seem as though in the time it took to build the temple—7 years—is enough time for Solomon’s own spiritual renovation as well. Not that he is a finished project at the end, but he seems to have matured in his faith quite a bit. At the beginning, Solomon assumes God is as vein and shallow as he is. By the end, Solomon realizes that even the most elaborate and exquisite dwelling cannot contain the Holy One. The only temple fit for God is the human heart.

To the people of God in Ephesus, Paul writes “I pray that…you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

There is not a structure on this earth that can contain the fullness of God. No building. No belief system. No religion or church. No state or politician. No country or nation. No temple. No ballroom. No sanctuary.

The only dwelling place God wants, the only the sanctuary God desires is the dwelling, the sanctuary of the human heart. The only temple God wants is the temple of you. Amen.

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Discussion Questions:

1. Building and Becoming:

• The temple took seven years to build. In that time, how have you seen yourself spiritually or emotionally grow over long stretches of time?
• Solomon’s identity evolved through the project—from self-serving ambition to spiritual insight. How do you relate to the idea of becoming someone new through extended effort or transformation?

2. Where God Dwells:

• The sermon emphasizes that God never asked for a temple, preferring to dwell among the people. What does that say about our modern ideas of “sacred space”?
• How can we make space for God to “dwell” in our lives today—at work, at home, in community?

3. Control and Containment:

• Pastor Mark said, “We want God to stay put. To be tame.” In what ways do we try to limit God to fit our preferences or agendas?
• When have you experienced God surprising you—breaking out of boxes you tried to place God in?

4. Legacy and Purpose:

• Solomon may have been building a temple to secure his legacy. What legacy are you hoping to leave? How does your faith guide that vision?
• How can we, like Solomon eventually did, shift from building monuments to fostering movements rooted in God’s love?

5. The True Temple:

• The sermon ends with a powerful reminder: “The only dwelling place God wants… is the sanctuary of the human heart.” What practices help you become more aware of God’s presence within?
• What would it look like for our church to be more focused on building the “temple of the heart” than the physical building?

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