READING: 1 Kings 7:1-51, 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22
Solomon took twice as long to complete his palace complex than to complete the Temple (1 Kgs 7:1). Some scholars at least intimate that this reality is perhaps a criticism of Solomon’s heart; at the very least, it raises a question about where his priorities lay. It is possible that the additional time Solomon gave to the palace was an indication of his “divided heart.”*
On the other hand, the placement of this story within the book of 1 Kings helps us to see the priority of the Temple in the writer’s thinking. Chapter 6 of 1 Kings speaks of the building of the Temple, and chapters 7:13 through chapter 8 tell of the furnishing and dedication of that Temple. In between in just one section is this summary of Solomon’s other building—a complex that took longer perhaps because there had been extensive preparation for building the Temple, and the Temple was smaller than the palace complex. Whatever the reason for the longer time may have been, however, it does seem the writer of the book sought to emphasize the place of worship over the palace of Solomon. Even if Solomon’s priorities were askew, the place of worship was still central.
It is good for us on this Lord’s day to remember that truth. Make worship central to your life today.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Is worship indeed central in your life today?
TODAY’S PRAYER: “God, help us to worship You with an eternal perspective today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 8:1-11, 2 Chronicles 5:1-14, 1 Kings 8:12-21, 2 Chronicles 6:1-11, 1 Kings 8:22-53, 2 Chronicles 6:12-42
* Crossway Bibles. ESV Study Bible (Kindle Location 82961). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
