Solomon is a man who loves to build. It took him seven years building the temple for the Lord, and then he took thirteen years to build an elaborate palace for himself. Included in Solomon’s luxurious palace is the House of the Forest of Lebanon, which serves as an armory, the Hall of Pillars, the Hall of Judgment where Solomon sits to judge, and two palaces, one for Solomon and one for “Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.”
For the furnishings of the temple, Solomon hires a bronze expert, Huram. “He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.”
“So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the Lord: the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.”
The two bronze pillars at the entrance of the temple are named Jachin and Boaz. Jachin means “He will establish” and Boaz means “in Him is strength”, which is a reminder to all that the Lord is sovereign and we are dependent upon Him. The Sea of cast bronze, which Huram built, is a massive and decorative basin for the priest to use for ceremonial washings.
Huram made the articles for the temple of burnished bronze, and Solomon made the furnishings out of gold – “Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.” And once the work of the temple was complete, Solomon brought in all the things his father, King David, dedicated to the house of the Lord.
Tomorrow, the glory of the Lord fills the temple, so keep reading. (1 Kings 7:1-51, 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22)
Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 