1 Kings 6:1-38

6:1 | The tabernacle was portable; the temple was permanent. The permanence of this worship center was further proof that God had given Israel the Promised Land.

6:2-4 | The temple was about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 40 feet high. By modern standards, it was a fairly small worship center. Windows with beveled frames signaled the permanency of this structure. It would truly be a house, an earthly home, for the Lord.

6:7 | The temple was built with reverence, avoiding the use of any iron tool on the stones per God’s commands in Exodus 20:25 and Deuteronomy 27:5-6.

6:12-13 | The permanent temple did not change the essentials of the relationship between Israel and God. All the conditions and privileges of the covenant were still in effect (Lev. 26:11-12; Luke 21:5-6; Acts 7:47-50).

6:15-22 | The Most Holy Place, or holy of holies, was the resting place of the ark of the covenant and the place of annual atonement for the nation’s sin. Overlaid with pure gold, it reflected God’s rich beauty and incomparable value.

6:23-35 | The interior of the Most Holy Place was dominated by 15-foot tall cherubim (Ex. 37:7-9; 1 Sam. 4:4; Ps. 80:1). There were also cherubim on the mercy seat. The carvings on the walls may have suggested the original temple – the garden of Eden – where God shared His presence with Adam and Eve.

6:37-38 | The temple construction took seven years to complete, but it stood for nearly four centuries. It would be the only structure of Solomon rebuilt after the exile.