SPIRITUAL WISDOM, Sarah Barry
A WISE SON
Passage: 1Kings 5:1~18  
Key verse: 5
Preparations for Building the Temple(A)
5 [a]When Hiram(B) king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:
3 “You know that because of the wars(C) waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build(D) a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(E) 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest(F) on every side, and there is no adversary(G) or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple(H) for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’(I)
6 “So give orders that cedars(J) of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord(K) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”
8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:
“I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea(L), and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food(M) for my royal household.”
10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors[b] of wheat as food(N) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[c][d] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,(O) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(P)
13 King Solomon conscripted laborers(Q) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram(R) was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred[e] foremen(S) who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry(T) large blocks of high-grade stone(U) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram(V) and workers from Byblos(W) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-18 is numbered 5:15-32.
- 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
- 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
- 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
- 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred
Cross references
- 1 Kings 5:1 : 5:1-16pp — 2Ch 2:1-18
- 1 Kings 5:1 : S 2Sa 5:11
- 1 Kings 5:3 : 1Ch 22:8; 28:3
- 1 Kings 5:3 : S 2Sa 7:5
- 1 Kings 5:3 : 2Sa 22:40; Ps 8:6; 110:1; S Mt 22:44; 1Co 15:25
- 1 Kings 5:4 : S Jos 14:15; 1Ch 22:9; Lk 2:14
- 1 Kings 5:4 : 1Ki 11:14, 23
- 1 Kings 5:5 : S Dt 12:5; 1Ch 17:12; 1Co 3:16; Rev 21:22
- 1 Kings 5:5 : Dt 12:5; 2Sa 7:13
- 1 Kings 5:6 : 1Ch 14:1; 22:4
- 1 Kings 5:7 : 1Ki 10:9; Isa 60:6
- 1 Kings 5:9 : Ezr 3:7
- 1 Kings 5:9 : ver 11; Eze 27:17; Ac 12:20
- 1 Kings 5:11 : S ver 9
- 1 Kings 5:12 : S 1Ki 3:12
- 1 Kings 5:12 : Jos 9:7; 1Ki 15:19; Am 1:9
- 1 Kings 5:13 : S Ge 49:15; S Lev 25:39; 1Ki 9:15
- 1 Kings 5:14 : S 2Sa 20:24; 1Ki 4:6; 2Ch 10:18
- 1 Kings 5:16 : 1Ki 9:23
- 1 Kings 5:17 : 1Ki 6:7
- 1 Kings 5:17 : 1Ch 22:2
- 1 Kings 5:18 : S 2Sa 5:11
- 1 Kings 5:18 : S Jos 13:5
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Source:  BibleGateway
1. Solomon's declaration (1-5)
King Solomon did not forget his father David's great desire to build a temple for the Lord. Solomon made this task his own. He would build a temple for the Name of the Lord. This would not only fulfill his father's desire, but would also fulfill God's word of promise. This was his mission from God.
2. Hiram of Tyre (6-18)
Solomon sought the best materials and the most skilled craftsmen he could get. He wrote to his father's friend Hiram of Tyre and asked his help. Hiram praised God for giving David such a wise son. Solomon paid a fair price for the timber and stone, and for the labor provided by Hiram. He thus maintained peaceful relations. However, he pressed his own people into forced labor. It was an emergency measure, but later it caused trouble.
Prayer: Lord, help us to fulfill the vision of our forefathers who worked and prayed for America to be like a 'city on a hill.' Bless our children to become second generation missionaries and shepherds.
One Word: For the glory of God