“The word of the Lord came to Solomon: “As for this temple you are building, if
you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and
obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and
will not abandon my people Israel.” So Solomon built the temple and
completed it.” [1]
Being involved in a new
venture that will involve construction of a building (kingdomlink.ca), I
thought it wise to study the Scriptural principles for doing so. In my last four blogs, I looked at four
different principles for considering such a project to the glory of God. In this one, we look at building from the
perspective of someone who’s already started.
Solomon had been tasked
with fulfilling his father’s vision for a temple to God Most High in
Jerusalem. After his father’s death, he
consolidated power and set about that task.
In 1Kings 5 he prepares to build and in 1Kings 6 he starts
construction. With construction in full
swing, the Lord appears to Solomon with four specific conditions:
1)
Follow My
decrees
2)
Carry out My
regulations
3)
Keep all My
commands
4)
Obey them
Some might argue that all
four are really saying the same thing.
In a way that’s true, but each is subtly different (and surely Solomon
with all his wisdom would understand exactly how). You could spend some great amount of time
digging into that in detail[2],
and such a study would no doubt be useful.
But I rather think the point is much more obvious - the Lord is clearly
telling Solomon to be careful.
It wasn’t the first time
the Lord told Solomon to be careful.
When He first appeared to Solomon He said basically the same thing, “And if you walk in my ways and obey my
statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”[3] Interestingly, it also wasn’t the last time
the Lord said this. When he (Solomon)
dedicates the temple, the Lord responds in part with, “As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and
uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my
decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel
forever.” [4]
Perhaps you see a theme
here. Over and over the Lord blatantly
tells Solomon to watch his life. It
almost seems unnecessary – after all, Solomon has tremendous wisdom and if
there is anyone who can, he ought to know how to live his life with
integrity. So why the repeated warnings,
and what does this teach us about building?
Several things:
a1)
First of all,
if Solomon had to be warned about living with integrity before, during and
after the temple construction, how much more so do we? We cannot honor God with a lasting structure
if we are not honoring Him with a consistent faith walk.
b2)
Secondly,
Solomon was told to pay attention to details.
How much more do we need to be very careful when we are raising,
handling and spending funds for a building that will bear His Name?
c3)
Lastly, the
effort Solomon expended in building the temple resulted in pagan nations
helping (voluntarily as Hiram of Tyre did, and also involuntarily as Solomon’s
workforce did in 1Ki 9:20) and also giving glory to God (as the Queen of Sheba
did in 1Ki 10:9). This teaches us that
what we do, we do in community. The
whole world can see a building project.
It is not only what we do - but also how we do it - that captures the
world’s attention.
It is my prayer that as
KingdomLink works on The Coyoacan Project, people far and wide will see God’s
people acting with integrity, working diligently and honestly. But even more so, see what God is doing
through us. If you would like to join us
in that, or if you know someone who might – please look at the website www.kingdomlink.ca and call for an appointment.
[1] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (1 Ki 6:11–14). Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.
[2] Far be it from me to think I know what Solomon knew,
but a look into the Hebrew reveals that the first (follow decrees) is to behave
in accordance with Mosaic law, the second (carry out regulations) to apply
God’s rules, the third (keep all commands) to protect and ensure everything God
had prescribed was carried out and the last (obey them) meaning to take the
lead in walking in obedience.
[3] The Holy Bible:
New International Version. (1984). (1 Ki 3:14). Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.
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