Solomon began building the temple of the Lord in all earnest as per the prophecy given to his father, king David, 1 Kings 5. He took seven years to complete the same, in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints, 1 Kings 6:38. God provided him with the provisions, as well as, the people to do so, as He was hand picked for the job, and so, as He obeyed, God made sure that he did not fail.  

As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built, 1 Kings 6:7. This is just how we, who are the living stones and the temple of the Living God, should cleanse ourselves in the secret place too, so that the Church which is the whole body of Christ can be built up together in purity and unity so as to be prepared in life and ministry to do a great work for God in our generation.

As we live such lives in holiness and faith, God will add daily to the Church those who are being saved, and God’s manifest presence will dwell among us such that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will also be powerfully manifested in our midst. However, when we fail to work out our salvation in the secret place, then a lot of friction and discord takes place as we come together, and thus the Church does not become a safe haven for the people of the world to come in and find pasture!

It is only as we take care to work out our salvation in fear and trembling in the hidden place, and seek God, so as to know and complete the good works that God has prepared for us to do, can we know the place that God has given us in His body and fulfill His work here on earth too effectively.

Solomon built his palace after this, and this took almost double the time to complete, as it was much bigger in size than the temple, 1 Kings 7:1,2. The wonderful thing that we notice, is that Solomon built both these structures in the best way possible!

Even though Solomon did make many major mistakes during the course of his life, yet we can learn from him how to complete the work that God has given us to do faithfully, and in the best way possible. We can also learn the importance of living faithfully before God’s face in the hidden place, so as to root out all conscious sin from our lives, so that we can be part of the Church that Jesus is building and against which the gates of hell shall not prevail!

We are also warned that, ‘well begun is half done’, and it is most important to finish, both in life and ministry, better than we began! Solomon’s life stands as a dire warning that, being taken up with our gifting or activities for the Lord, without giving appropriate emphasis concerning the hidden life that we live before the Lord, can leave us in a pathetic condition when the time comes for us to meet with God face to face on the final day!

Let us take heed to these warnings and ensure that we continue walking in humility, before the Lord, to the end of our days, so that we can have no regrets throughout eternity!
Amen.

Rowena Thomas
Mumbai, India.