Solomon knew the dwelling place for God would not do Him justice. He makes this statement in verse 6…
Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God?
2 Chronicles 2:6 GNB
Even though he knew he could not create anything greater than God, he spared no expense. Solomon built the temple with the finest cedar and the most skilled craftsmen. In fact, he issues a command to find for him the most skilled in the land. What king of materials were used?
Purple, crimson, and blue fabrics were considered unique, expensive, and highly desirable. Most likely the blue was closer shade of purple and the dye would have been imported into Israel. The dye itself was extracted from the murex snail (a creature in the Mediterranean) and one chemist has estimated that 250,000 snails would be needed to produce just 1 oz. of dye!
Solomon required only the finest lumber for this project. Cedar, cypress, and possibly red sandalwood were all considered luxurious hardwoods that appealed to all the senses. Visually they would polish up with a fine grain and the aroma from this lumber is still a popular fragrance that is used today. The other materials used included gold, silver, and cut stones. The artistic design included carvings of trees, garlands, and cherubim.
The temple was not a proud accomplishment of Solomon, but a fulfillment of God’s covenant. This is an important point. God deserved the credit. It was He who had provided all the resources and people throughout the years. It was He who was behind all the victories of David. And, it would be God who allowed the temple to finally be constructed and enjoyed by all.
In Revelation 15, John feasts his eyes on the (original) tent of testimony in heaven. This idea would be brought to earth in many different ways over the years. The first would be the tabernacle of the Old Testament which needed to be mobile so that the Israelites could take it with them through the wilderness. This is where the presence of God would dwell among them. But as we are finding out here in Chronicles, the time had come for Solomon to build a permanent structure.
The incredible temple Solomon is building would house the presence of God and the tabernacle could be officially retired. However, the presence of God and the continual sacrificing of animals was not enough to deter His people from their spiritual adultery. So, ultimately, God decided to dwell among us in person. Jesus Christ made His way to earth and humanity was able to witness for ourselves God’s presence among us.
But once again, humanity did not want to commune with God. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He left us with the Holy Spirit who He promised would take up residence within the hearts of believers. Our bodies are now the temple of God which house His presence and allow us to commune intimately with Him.
As you can see, there is no good reason for God to have sought after us like He did. We were disobedient with the tabernacle. We were disobedient with the temple. We were disobedient with Jesus Christ. And all of us can freely admit that we are even disobedient today with God’s Spirit in our hearts. But the fact remains; God’s grace overshadows these failures and continually calls us to a sacrificial life of unconditional love.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus.