Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 6
The temple was God’s house. Therefore, it was right that it should be rich and beautiful. Solomon was an extremely rich king - so he wanted God to have a great palace as his (God’s) home in Jerusalem.
Solomon’s plan was that wood should cover the stone walls on the inside of the temple. Then sheets of gold would cover the wood. Skilled workmen made beautiful designs - flowers, trees, fruit and various shapes - on the gold. They used precious stones to make these designs even more beautiful (2 Chronicles 3:6). The cost of all this, of course, was immense.
None of this was for public display. Only a few priests would enter the temple each day; only the chief priest entered the inner room once each year. Even Solomon and his royal guests could not see these things; they were for God alone.
Solomon’s workmen even carved (cut) beautiful designs into the wood that covered the walls. Immediately afterwards, they hid their designs, because they covered this wood with gold. It did not matter to them that nobody could see their designs: they were doing this work for God.
Actually, however, their work later became the main designs for the inside of the temple. During the rule of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, the king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and he took away all this gold (14:25-26). So then the description in 1 Kings 6:18 was as true as it was during the construction. Everything inside the temple was wood, so that it was not possible to see the stone walls.
Next part: The inner room of the temple: the holy of holies (1 Kings 6:19-22)
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© 2024, Keith Simons.