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1 Kings Chapter
Five
1 Kings 5
Chapter Contents
Solomon's agreement with Hiram. (1-9) Solomon's workmen
for the temple. (10-18)
Commentary on 1 Kings 5:1-9
(Read 1 Kings 5:1-9)
Here is Solomon's design to build a temple. There is no
adversary, no Satan, so the word is; no instrument of Satan to oppose it, or to
divert from it. Satan does all he can, to hinder temple work. When there is no
evil abroad, then let us be ready and active in that which is good, and get
forward. Let God's promises quicken our endeavours. And all outward skill and
advantages should be made serviceable to the interests of Christ's kingdom. It
Tyre supplies Israel with craftsmen, Israel will supply Tyre with corn, Ezekiel 27:17. Thus, by the wise disposal of
Providence, one country has need of another, and is benefitted by another, that
there may be dependence on one another, to the glory of God.
Commentary on 1 Kings 5:10-18
(Read 1 Kings 5:10-18)
The temple was chiefly built by the riches and labour of
Gentiles, which typified their being called into the church. Solomon commanded,
and they brought costly stones for the foundation. Christ, who is laid for a
Foundation, is a chosen and precious Stone. We should lay our foundation firm,
and bestow most pains on that part of our religion which lies out of the sight
of men. And happy those who, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
for a habitation of God through the Spirit. Who among us will build in the
house of the Lord?
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 1 Kings》
1 Kings 5
Verse 6
[6] Now
therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my
servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy
servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there
is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
They —
That is, thy servants. And this assistance which these Gentiles gave to the
building of Solomon's temple, was a type of the calling of the Gentiles, and
that they should be instrumental in building and constituting Christ's
spiritual temple.
Cedar-trees —
Which for their soundness, and strength, and fragrancy, and durableness, were
most proper for his design. Of these David had procured some, but not a
sufficient number.
Lebanon —
Which was in Solomon's jurisdiction: and therefore he doth not desire that
Hiram would give him the cedars, because they were his own already; but only
that his servants might hew them for him; which the ingenious Tyrians well
understood.
With thy servants —
Either to be employed therein as they shall direct; or to receive the cedars,
from their hands, and transmit them to me.
Hire —
Pay them for their labour and art.
Sidonians — Or
Tyrians: for these places and people being near, are promiscuously used one for
another.
Verse 7
[7] And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he
rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto
David a wise son over this great people.
Rejoiced —
Being a faithful friend to David and his house, and tho' it is not probable he
was a sincere proselyte, yet he had sufficient information concerning the
nature and excellency of the God of Israel, and had honourable thoughts of him.
Verse 9
[9] My
servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey
them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause
them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt
accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
The sea —
The mid-land sea.
Floats —
Or, rafts. It is thought the timber were tied together in the water, as now is
usual, and so by the help of boats or ships, conveyed to the appointed place,
which was at no great distance.
Household — My
family and court, which most properly is called his house.
Verse 11
[11] And
Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household,
and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
Measures —
Heb. twenty cors pure oil; but in 2 Chronicles 2:10, it is twenty thousand baths
of oil. To which there is added twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty
thousand baths of wine. Either therefore, first, he speaks of several things.
Or, secondly, he speaks there of what Solomon offered: for it runs thus, I will
give; and here of what Hiram accepted. Or, thirdly, the barley, and wine, and
twenty thousand baths of common oil, mentioned 2 Chronicles 2:10, must be added to the twenty
thousand measures of wheat, and the twenty measures of pure oil here expressed,
and the whole sum is to be made up from both places; that book of Chronicles
being written to supply and compleat the histories of the books of Samuel, and
of the Kings.
Gave Hiram —
Either, first, for sustenance to the workmen, during the years wherein they
were employed in the cutting down and hewing of timber. Or, for the yearly
support of the king's house, during the said time. Thus by the wise disposal of
providence, one country has need of another, and is benefited by another, that
there may be a mutual correspondence and dependence, to the glory of God our
common Parent.
Verse 13
[13] And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty
thousand men.
The levy —
Which were to be employed in the most honourable and easy parts of the work
relating to the temple; and these were Israelites; but those fifteen hundred
thousand mentioned verse 15, were strangers. If it seem strange, that so
many thousands should be employed about so small a building as the temple was;
it must be considered, 1. that the temple, all its parts being considered, was
far larger than men imagine; 2. that it is probable, they were employed by
turns, as the thirty thousand were, verse 14, else they had been oppressed with hard and
uninterrupted labours. 3. that the timber and stone hewed and carried by them,
was designed, not only for the temple, but also for Solomon's own houses, and
buildings; because we read of no other levy of men, nor of any care and pains
taken after the building of the temple, for the procurement, or preparation of
materials for his own houses, or his other buildings; nay, that this very levy
of men was made and employed for the building of the Lord's house, and
Solomon's house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo,
and Gezer, is expressed chap. 9:15.
Verse 16
[16]
Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand
and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
Three thousand … —
Whereof three thousand were set over the fifteen hundred thousand, expressed
verse 15, each of these, over fifty of them, and the
odd three hundred were set over these three thousand, each of these to have the
oversight of ten of them, to take an account of the work for them. But in 2 Chronicles 2:18, these overseers are said to
be thirty-six hundred. The three thousand added in 2 Chronicles 2:2, might be a reserve, to supply
the places of the other three thousand: yea, or of the thirty-three hundred, as
any of them should be taken off from the work by death, or sickness, or
weakness, or necessary occasions; which was a prudent provision, and not unusual
in like cases. And so there were thirty-six hundred commissioned for the work,
but only thirty-three hundred employed at one time; and therefore both
computations fairly stand together.
Verse 17
[17] And
the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed
stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
Great and costly —
Marble and porphyry, or other stones of great size and value.
The foundation —
Where they could not afterward be seen: and therefore that this was done, is
mentioned only as a point of magnificence, except it was intended for a type,
or mystical signification of the preciousness of Christ, who is the foundation
of the true temple, the church of God.
Verse 18
[18] And
Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so
they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
Stone-squarers —
Heb. the Giblites, the inhabitants of Gebel, a place near Zidon, famous for
artificers and architects, Joshua 13:5. These are here mentioned apart,
distinct from the rest of Hiram's builders, as the most eminent of them.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 1 Kings》
05 Chapter 5
Verses 1-18
Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon . . . to
build the house.
The co-operation of Hiram
According to tradition, Hiram was a tributary or dependent
monarch. The embassy which Hiram sent on this occasion was evidently meant to
express the congratulations of the King of Tyre--in 2 Chronicles 2:14-15, we find the
words, “My lord,” “My lord David thy father.” There is a notable mixture of
affection and reverence in the spirit which Hiram showed to Solomon; Hiram was
“ever a lover of David,” and yet he speaks of David in terms which an inferior
would use to a superior. Hiram preserved the continuity of friendship, and
herein showed himself an example, not only to monarchs but to other men.
Although Solomon was blessed with “rest on every side,” and was enabled to look
upon a future without so much as the shadow of an adversary upon it, yet he was
determined not to be indolent. Suppose a man to come into the circumstances
which we have described as constituting the royal position of Solomon, and
suppose that man destitute of an adequate and all-controlling purpose, it is
easy to see how he would become the victim of luxury, and how what little
strength he had would gradually be withdrawn from him. But at all events, in
the opening of Solomon’s career, we see that the purpose was always uppermost,
the soul was in a regnant condition, all outward pomp and circumstance was
ordered back into its right perspective, and the king pursued a course of noble
constancy as he endeavoured to realise the idea and intent of heaven. The same
law applies to all prosperous men. To increase in riches is to increase in
temptation, to indolence and self-idolatry: to external trust and vain
confidence, to misanthropy, monopoly, and oppression; the only preventive or
cure is the cultivation of a noble “purpose,” so noble indeed as to throw
almost into contempt everything that is merely temporal and earthly. Even the noblest
purpose needs the co-operation of sympathetic and competent men. Thus the Jew
seeks assistance from the Gentile in building the house of the Lord. How
wonderful are the co-operations which are continually taking place in life! so
subtly do they interblend, and make up that which is lacking in each other,
that it is simply impossible to effect an exhaustive analysis, Nor would it be
desirable that such an analysis should be completed. We should fix our minds
upon the great fact that no man liveth unto himself, that no man is complete in
himself, that every man needs the help of every other man, and thus we shall
see how mysteriously is built the great temple of life, and is realised before
the eyes of the universe the great purpose of God. Co-operation is only another
word for the distributions which God has made of talent and opportunity. In
vain had Hiram responded in the
language of generous sympathy if Israel itself had been a divided
people. This must be the condition of the Church as a great working body in the
world. It will be in vain that poetry, history, literature, music, and things
which apparently lie outside the line of spiritual activity, send in their
offers, tributes, and contributions, each according to its own kind, if the
Church to which the offer is made is a divided and self-destroying body. When
all Israel is one, the contributions of Tyre will be received with thankfulness
and be turned to their highest uses. A beautiful picture is given in verse 14.
The picture represents the difference between cutting down and setting up; in
other words, the difference between destruction and construction. It was easier
to cut down than it was to build up. The two operations should always go on
together. The business of the Church is to pull down, and to build up; even to
use the materials of the enemy in building up the temple of the living God. The
picture has aa evident relation to the ease with which men can pull down faith
and darken hope and unsettle confidence. Thus the work of foreign missions
should help the work of missions at home. Every idolatry that is thrown down
abroad should be turned into a contribution for the upbuilding and
strengthening of the Church at home. The care shown of the foundation is
another instance of the wisdom of Solomon. The stones which were used in the
foundation were in no sense considered insignificant or worthless. The stones
which Solomon used are described as “great stones, costly stones, and hewed
stones”; the terms which are used to describe the foundation which was laid in
Zion are these--“A stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure
foundation.” We read also of the foundations of the wall of the city which John
saw in vision--“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” A curious illustration of the union
between the permanent and the temporary is shown in all earthly arrangements.
Solomon laid foundations which might have lasted as long as the earth itself
endured. Judging by the foundations alone, one would have said concerning the
work of Solomon, This is meant for permanence; no thought of change or decay
ever occurred to the mind of the man who laid these noble courses. It is the same with ourselves in
nearly all the relations of life. We know that we may die to-day, yet we lay
plans which will require years and generations to accomplish. Yet we often
speak as having no obligation to the future, or as if the future would do
nothing for us, not knowing that it is the future which makes the present what
it is, and that but for the future all our inspiration would be lost because
our hope would perish. Let us see that our foundations are strong. A beautiful
illustration of contrast and harmony is to be found in the distribution which
Solomon made of his workers and the labour they were required to undertake.
Here we find burden-bearers, hewers in the mountains, officers, and rulers.
There was no standing upon one level or claiming of one dignity. Each man did
what he could according to the measure of his capacity, and each man did
precisely what he was told to do by his commanding officer. It is in vain to
talk about any equality that does not recognise the principle of order and the
principle of obedience. Our equality must be found in our devotion, in the
pureness of our purpose, in the steadfastness of our loyalty, and not in merely
official status or public prominence. The unity of the Church must be found,
not in its forms, emoluments, dignities, and the like, but in the simplicity of
its faith and the readiness of its eager and affectionate obedience. (J.
Parker, D. D.)
Verses 1-18
Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon . . . to
build the house.
The co-operation of Hiram
According to tradition, Hiram was a tributary or dependent
monarch. The embassy which Hiram sent on this occasion was evidently meant to
express the congratulations of the King of Tyre--in 2 Chronicles 2:14-15, we find the
words, “My lord,” “My lord David thy father.” There is a notable mixture of
affection and reverence in the spirit which Hiram showed to Solomon; Hiram was
“ever a lover of David,” and yet he speaks of David in terms which an inferior
would use to a superior. Hiram preserved the continuity of friendship, and
herein showed himself an example, not only to monarchs but to other men.
Although Solomon was blessed with “rest on every side,” and was enabled to look
upon a future without so much as the shadow of an adversary upon it, yet he was
determined not to be indolent. Suppose a man to come into the circumstances
which we have described as constituting the royal position of Solomon, and
suppose that man destitute of an adequate and all-controlling purpose, it is
easy to see how he would become the victim of luxury, and how what little
strength he had would gradually be withdrawn from him. But at all events, in
the opening of Solomon’s career, we see that the purpose was always uppermost,
the soul was in a regnant condition, all outward pomp and circumstance was
ordered back into its right perspective, and the king pursued a course of noble
constancy as he endeavoured to realise the idea and intent of heaven. The same
law applies to all prosperous men. To increase in riches is to increase in
temptation, to indolence and self-idolatry: to external trust and vain
confidence, to misanthropy, monopoly, and oppression; the only preventive or
cure is the cultivation of a noble “purpose,” so noble indeed as to throw
almost into contempt everything that is merely temporal and earthly. Even the
noblest purpose needs the co-operation of sympathetic and competent men. Thus
the Jew seeks assistance from the Gentile in building the house of the Lord.
How wonderful are the co-operations which are continually taking place in life!
so subtly do they interblend, and make up that which is lacking in each other,
that it is simply impossible to effect an exhaustive analysis, Nor would it be
desirable that such an analysis should be completed. We should fix our minds
upon the great fact that no man liveth unto himself, that no man is complete in
himself, that every man needs the help of every other man, and thus we shall
see how mysteriously is built the great temple of life, and is realised before
the eyes of the universe the great purpose of God. Co-operation is only another
word for the distributions which God has made of talent and opportunity. In
vain had Hiram responded in the
language of generous sympathy if Israel itself had been a divided
people. This must be the condition of the Church as a great working body in the
world. It will be in vain that poetry, history, literature, music, and things
which apparently lie outside the line of spiritual activity, send in their
offers, tributes, and contributions, each according to its own kind, if the
Church to which the offer is made is a divided and self-destroying body. When
all Israel is one, the contributions of Tyre will be received with thankfulness
and be turned to their highest uses. A beautiful picture is given in verse 14.
The picture represents the difference between cutting down and setting up; in
other words, the difference between destruction and construction. It was easier
to cut down than it was to build up. The two operations should always go on
together. The business of the Church is to pull down, and to build up; even to
use the materials of the enemy in building up the temple of the living God. The
picture has aa evident relation to the ease with which men can pull down faith
and darken hope and unsettle confidence. Thus the work of foreign missions
should help the work of missions at home. Every idolatry that is thrown down
abroad should be turned into a contribution for the upbuilding and
strengthening of the Church at home. The care shown of the foundation is
another instance of the wisdom of Solomon. The stones which were used in the
foundation were in no sense considered insignificant or worthless. The stones
which Solomon used are described as “great stones, costly stones, and hewed
stones”; the terms which are used to describe the foundation which was laid in
Zion are these--“A stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure
foundation.” We read also of the foundations of the wall of the city which John
saw in vision--“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” A curious illustration of the union
between the permanent and the temporary is shown in all earthly arrangements.
Solomon laid foundations which might have lasted as long as the earth itself
endured. Judging by the foundations alone, one would have said concerning the
work of Solomon, This is meant for permanence; no thought of change or decay
ever occurred to the mind of the man who laid these noble courses. It is the same with ourselves in
nearly all the relations of life. We know that we may die to-day, yet we lay
plans which will require years and generations to accomplish. Yet we often
speak as having no obligation to the future, or as if the future would do
nothing for us, not knowing that it is the future which makes the present what
it is, and that but for the future all our inspiration would be lost because
our hope would perish. Let us see that our foundations are strong. A beautiful
illustration of contrast and harmony is to be found in the distribution which
Solomon made of his workers and the labour they were required to undertake.
Here we find burden-bearers, hewers in the mountains, officers, and rulers.
There was no standing upon one level or claiming of one dignity. Each man did
what he could according to the measure of his capacity, and each man did
precisely what he was told to do by his commanding officer. It is in vain to
talk about any equality that does not recognise the principle of order and the
principle of obedience. Our equality must be found in our devotion, in the
pureness of our purpose, in the steadfastness of our loyalty, and not in merely
official status or public prominence. The unity of the Church must be found,
not in its forms, emoluments, dignities, and the like, but in the simplicity of
its faith and the readiness of its eager and affectionate obedience. (J.
Parker, D. D.)
Verses 7-11
When Hiram heard the words of Solomon.
Hiram and Solomon
I. Gratification.
Hiram “rejoiced greatly” when he heard the words of King Solomon. This arose
partly from the love he bore to his father David. The gratification of Hiram
sprang also from a recognition of Solomon’s wisdom: gratification in another’s
good.
II. Consideration (1 Kings 5:8). The demand of Solomon
was no small one, and deserved consideration. It involved, in all probability,
a great sacrifice on the part of the Tyrians.
III. Satisfaction.
“All his desire” (1 Kings 5:10). There was not one
thing which Solomon asked, which Hiram did not grant; it is not right to ask or
expect unreasonable things. It is right to grant reasonable requests, even if
they should occasion sacrifice. Unreasonable requests should not be granted,
even if it should be more easy to do so than to refuse.
IV. Recognition.
“Endued with understanding “ (2 Chronicles 2:13). Knowledge,
genius, skill are of heavenly birth, and to despise them is to be guilty of a
sin.
V. Combination.
Solomon and Hiram were not independent of each other. No one can serve God
properly in isolation: “two are better far than one,” etc. Query--Have
Christians a right to remain detached from the Church of Christ?
VI. Distribution (2 Chronicles 2:16). Each did the
part allotted to him; the result was success. (F. Wagstaff.)
Joy
Joy of sharing in a good work:--It was a saying of
the late Professor Samuel Miller, of Princeton, that he loved to have “a nail
in every building intended for the glory of God or the good of man.” Here and
there he scattered the gifts he had, a portion to seven and also to
eight--benedictions wherever he went. Few are so poor but that they can adopt
this plan of continuous beneficence.
Verse 14
A month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home.
Church and home
The building of the temple was the distinctive glory of the reign of Solomon, the
most important monument of his administration. Although its erection was not
originally contemplated in the Mosaic law, it had long been evident that such a
building was necessary.
I. Every great
undertaking demands great and varied effort for its accomplishment. The design
of the temple, originated by David, had been adopted and elaborated by Solomon.
Solomon’s was the inspiring and directing mind. The results which fill us with
gladness bear a direct proportion to their causes. “Out of nothing, nothing
comes.” You can achieve no worthy purpose, you can rear no solid structure,
either as a witness to the glory of God or a place of sanctuary and healing for
men, without an expenditure of thought, of affection, and of energy. In matters
temporal and spiritual alike, success is, under the blessing of God, given to
unrestrained labour. There is being reared among men a grander temple than
Solomon’s. Believers in Jesus Christ are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-stone. It is
for us to dig deep in the earth, to fashion the stones into shape, to place
them row upon row, until the whole edifice is complete. We have to rear the columns,
to execute the carved workmanship, and to fix in their places the richly
stained windows.
II. The importance
of the duties which belong to our business and our home. “A month they were in
Lebanon, and two months at home.” The men whom Solomon drafted off to aid him
in his momentous task were not to neglect the cultivation of their fields and
their vineyards. Devotion to the duties of religion neither justifies nor
requires the neglect of our “secular calling.” Business also is a Divine
appointment; an essential element in our moral and spiritual education;
training us to habits which can be learned in no other way so simply and
effectually. So likewise of our homes. The family is the oldest of all our
institutions, older even than the Church. Our first thoughts are associated
with it. We should not be absent from our homes more than is really needful. Do
not forget the proportion--one month at Lebanon and two at home. By no ethical
or spiritual standard with which I am acquainted can negligence be justified.
No husband is true to his name unless he is indeed “of house and home the band
and stay.” Even religious and philanthropic meetings should not be allowed to
thrust home duties into a corner. (J. Stuart.)
Homes and how to make them
Every human being ought to be a member of some household, and
every household ought to have a fixed place of residence, a place of its
own--in one word, both short and sweet, a home. That is the only right way of
living. A home is, for every human being, the first condition of the highest
happiness and the best growth. No one ought to be satisfied until he has
supplied it for himself. There are among us a multitude of homeless ones. Of
these there are several sorts. There are the sturdy tramps, who go wandering
about from city to city and from hamlet to hamlet, stopping where night finds
them. When men take up the trade of vagrancy, they are too apt to follow it as
long as they live. We cannot afford to have this subdivision of our homeless
class increase. Next are the gypsies, that dusky race from over the seas, who
have managed for so many years to puzzle the ethnologists and frighten the
children. Here is a whole race that for centuries has been homeless, and for
that reason has no history, no literature, not much religion if any, and hardly
any knowledge of the arts of civilisation. Such possessions and acquirements as
these are scarcely within the reach of people who have no homes: Next after the
gypsies there is a considerable class of persons who are too restless to stay
long in any place, and whose lives are spent in constant migrations from one
place to another; who tarry nowhere long enough to get wanted. Next after the
floating population comes that large class of persons who have a local
residence but not a local habitation; who continue to live in the same
community, but do not live in homes; who make their abode in such public
residences as hotels or boarding-houses. Now, as respects these, it must be
said that many of them are compelled to adopt this manner of life. Young men
and women whose homes have been broken up by the death of their parents, or who
have been called forth from the habitation of their childhood to seek education
and livelihood in distant places, cannot, of course, have homes of their own.
1. The strongest justification of the home life, is in the fact that
there are certain affections of the soul that can be developed in no other
manner of life. The domestic virtues and graces are not easily described or
catalogued, but they form an important part of the best human character. There
are sentiments, sympathies, habitudes of thought, which are native to the home,
and which are essential to the best growth and highest development of human
beings. Domesticity gives to every beautiful character an added charm. No man
is truly good who is not good at home; and the best men are always best on the
side that touches home.
2. Public spirit is fed and fostered at the fireside. The man who has
a home of his own is interested that the community in which he lives should be
lacking in nothing that could help to make it desirable as a place of
residence. He who makes himself a householder by that act gives a hostage to
society for his good behaviour and his devotion to public interests.
Patriotism, too, has its foundations laid upon the hearthstones of the land.
The patriot’s love for his country is rooted and grounded in his love for his
home. And for the nation’s heart-beats you must listen in the nation’s homes.
When the great mass of the people are not only householders but
free-holders--when they own the homes they live in--the sentiment of patriotism
finds its intensest development.
3. Your home must be a place of comfort and repose. That, of course.
You will take delight in contriving all its appointments so that the burdens of
toil shall rest as lightly as possible upon those who have the ordering of it;
you will find pleasure in furnishing and arranging it, so far as you can, in
such manner that gloom and cheerlessness shall be excluded, and it shall seem to
be a true haven of rest and good cheer to all upon whom its hospitable doors
shall open.
4. Your home must be a school of culture. I do not mean that you will
fill it with pedagogic instruments and appliances; but it will be so arranged
as to educate by impression those who dwell within it. Probably few of us are
fully aware how sensitive we are to the influence of external objects. A
minister travelling in Vermont entered a farmhouse, and fell into conversation
with a farmer and his wife, persons in middle age. He inquired for their
children, and learned that they had four boys, and that they were all at sea,
following the hard trade of the sailor. “But how happened it,” asked the
minister, “that your boys should take such a fancy? They never lived by the seashore.”
The good people could offer no explanation whatever. It was simply a notion,
they said, and a strange one, they had always thought, but it was a very strong
one, and they had found it impossible to dissuade the boys from their purpose.
But, pretty soon, the minister was invited into the little room which served
the family for parlour, and there, hanging over the mantelpiece, the only
picture in the room, was a magnificent engraving of a ship under full sail. The
parents said it had been hanging there ever since their boys were little
children. Who could doubt that the daily sight of this beautiful picture had
had much to do in inflaming the passions of the farmer’s boys for the seafaring
life? This is hardly an exaggerated instance of the effects produced upon our
lives by the objects that surround us.
5. Your home will also be a place of enjoyment. Innocent play will
often be in order. If there are young folks in the house, they will more easily
be kept at home by liberal provision in this direction than in any other way.
The grown people should not only tolerate the children’s pastimes, they should
participate in them for their own sakes, as well as for the children’s.
6. Finally, your home, when it is builded, will be, I trust, a
sanctuary of religion. There will be an altar there on which, every day, the
sacrifices of prayer and praise will be laid. The children of your household
will remember, when they are grown up, that their first impressions of the
Christian life, and their strongest impulses to enter upon it, were furnished
them in their earliest years at home. (W. Gladden.)
The conduct of life
I.
The wisdom of regulated time.--In the days in which kings could
command the labour of their people, sometimes without regard to their people’s
convenience, the wisdom of Solomon was shown in this, that he did not press
over-harshly upon the people under his command. He gave them labour to do, but
tempered it with the opportunity of following their own avocations. When he
wanted wood hewn down from Lebanon, he arranged that those who were to be the
labourers in this behalf were to work in what we call relays or shifts; they
were to spend one month in Lebanon doing that work which was needful for the
temple of the Lord, but two months they were to spend at home. It is this
division of work, time, and labour, which constitutes one of the suggestions of
wisdom. Every man was brought face to face with two sides of life’s own
affairs, which were constantly pressing upon him, and the larger affairs and
interests of the nation. Every man was brought face to face with two aspects of
life--the aspect of life in which he had to labour for the support of his own
family, and the aspect of his life in which he had to be contributing his share
towards the work, as it were, of God in the world. They were to recognise two
things--the Divine side and the human side, the heavenly side and the home side
of their careers, and therefore they were given that opportunity which
contributed to the enlargement of their thoughts. You see, then, the principle
which comes here in the conduct of life. What principle then shall I adopt?
This, that whatever else my life shall be it shall not be wanting in the
capacity of living on the slopes of Lebanon and facing the Divine thought and the
Divine meaning of life, neither shall it be so much the life of an indolent
recluse, that it cannot minister amidst the neighbours and the friends of my
own old home.
II. The right
synthesis of life. Is not this the combination.of exactly the two principles--the
recognition of the great Divine, the aspiring aspect of life, the recognition
also of its serious and solemn duties; the recognition of God, and the
recognition also of self as a labourer in the midst of the world. A man who
lives upon the slopes of Lebanon all the year round, and is acquainted with the
cedars of Lebanon, and knows something of the sky, over his head, and the
shifting scenes of the beauty of that sky, may be absolutely without any
knowledge whatever about the big world and the home and the children that he
has left there, and the man in the home. Why, what destroys our judgment, what
makes us full of pride, but this, that we live so much in our own little
affairs, that we arc not capable of taking a dispassionate view at all. This
man, so eager in business, so devoted to it, measures an event entirely by the
influence it will have upon his opportunity, industry, or vocation, as the man
who merely measures the legislation which is proposed in the Houses of
Parliament by its effect upon his own trade. This makes it impossible for him
to judge dispassionately. In order to escape from the egotism which thrusts
aside and perverts your judgment you should live somewhat in the Lebanon, that
you may come back to the world, and judge somewhat impartially concerning the
affairs and the propositions for the improvement of life.
III. How to grow
character. Not only does all this improve and strengthen the powers and
faculties of your minds, delivering you from one-sidedness, delivering you from
a dreamy, unreal idea of life, and from that careworn egotism which distorts
men from the larger outlook, but it also tends to strengthen character. Over
and over again it has been said thought ripens in solitude, character in the
busy world. So true it is. Like the artist who wishes to paint his picture
truly, you must sometimes go to a distance from your easel to judge of it in
its due proportion. Character loses its proportion from being continually in
one atmosphere. So, to come down from your Lebanon into the busy world, and
test your theories in life, is to find that your character grows by the
strenuous necessity of exerting your judgment and exercising your will. Live
amongst your fellow-men that you may exercise that, and that you may test
judgment, live also upon the sunny heights where the sunlight of God falls, in
order that you may have the warm affectionate, glowing interest in things that
take away from you the meanness and selfishness in your lives.
IV. Life without
reserves. The man who lives--and that is the great temptation in the present
day--so much in the busy world that he becomes an eager and constant citizen,
following his avocation with keenness, and also public affairs, if you will,
with a certain amount of attention, but has no quiet garden, as it were, within
his life, Is a man without what I call the reserves of life. As in military
matters the strength of a position is guarded by reserves, so the strength of
your influence will be in proportion to the possession of some reserve in your
being, something which is yours and God’s and nobody else’s. Like the
difference between one man and another is the difference often between the fact
that you feel as one speaks he is putting all his wares upon the counter
immediately before you, but as another man speaks you know that he is like the
prudent shopkeeper who has a large storehouse behind and plenty to bring forth.
Also the power that the man is wielding when he is driving the nail into the
wall, is not to be measured by the sharpness of the nail, not even the surface
of the hammer, but the weight of the hammer which “drives the nail home”. And
so it is that.men have been, thought to be strong and great in their influence.
Emerson, in his essay on Character, calls attention to the fact that Lord
Chatham and Mirabeau and Washington, when their achievements are examined,
strike you as having left upon the record less reason for their reputation than
their reputations seemed, as it were, to lead you to expect; they were bigger
in their reputation than in their actual achievement. Is this to their
discredit? Nay, nay. Washington lives, you will say, less upon the result of
achievement than his great reputation would have led you to expect. But it was
precisely because these men carried a weight behind them that they were able to
achieve what they did. You are poising the hammer in your hand, and you say it
has driven but a few inches home; yes, but what a weight of iron there was in
the hammer, and how many inches it could have driven home! This is the
possession of reserves. Men knew that there was force behind these men. So I
would have it with you. Cultivate, therefore, this habit--the accumulation of the
reserves of knowledge, the accumulation of reserves of will, the accumulation
of reserves of noble and lofty thoughts, the accumulation of reserves of deep
and magnanimous ambitions. Live somewhat on the side of God’s Lebanon, whatever
else you do. Is this selfish that I should say thus prepare yourselves to be
strong and worthy in the world? Nay, nay. Just as it is the highest hills that
catch the sunshine first, and they are the pledges that by and by every valley
shall be filled with sunshine, so is it true that there are men in a nation
that are making these accumulations of sunny knowledge, they are the
harbingers, the omens, that knowledge will be widely diffused. And you who have
made these reserves, lived somewhat
upon Lebanon and caught the diviner ideas, will be centres of influence for
good, because, wherever you may be placed in the world, you will have reserves
and accumulations which you can use in helping on and in forming and inspiring
the minds and the lives of others. There is a reserve which you need more than
all else--the reserve of the Divine help. You must live upon the Lebanon which
means communion with God. Jesus Christ, your Master and mine, gave that
counsel, that there should be a little Lebanon height of prayer in each man’s
life, when he could be away from the care and the fret and the fevered
ambitious of life. (W. Boyd Carpenter.)
Verse 15
And Solomon had . . . hewers in the mountains.
The pioneers of civilisation
Alike in its building and furniture the temple of Solomon had an
evangelical and a spiritual signification. Our Lord institutes analogies
between Himself and the temple, and the apostles constantly refer to it as an
image and a foreshadowing of the Church of Christ. There are many “hewers in
the mountains” to-day--servants of Christ working in wild places, difficult
places, distant places, so that the temple of humanity may be built up for the
indwelling of God.
I. The immense
importance of the initial work of the Church of Christ. These “hewers in the
mountains” did the initial work of the temple building. They came before all
masons and carpenters; in fact, the building of the glorious shrine was out of
the question without the toil of these humble workers. It was so with the old
civilisations with Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome, they all emerged
out of, were vitalised by, a spiritual faith. And it is still more clear that
the modern civilisations were inspired by a spiritual faith, the faith of
Christ. Out of the Gospel of God s love in Jesus Christ preached in Italy, in
Greece, in Spain, in the forests of Germany, in the forests of Britain, arose
the rich civilisation in which we rejoice, and in which is the hope of mankind.
And as our civilisation originated in the Christian faith so it is still
sustained, invigorated, and developed by spiritual life. Edgar Quinet says:
“Any political revolution to be permanent, must be preceded by a religious one,
and here is the secret of the comparative failure of the French Revolution.”
And may we not add, that the success of the modern Reform movement in this
country is largely owing to the fact that it was preceded by the Evangelical
Revival?
II. The initial
work of the Church is attended by much that appears violent and objectionable.
The “hewers in the mountains” had rough work to do--their instruments like the
axe and the crowbar, were rough, their methods were rough, and their work was
announced by the thunder of the riven rock, the crash of the falling tree.
Their action meant noise, dislocation, disruption, destruction. And the
superfine critic of the period would turn impatiently from this scene of
violence to admire the cunning work in gold, the lily work of the pillars when
the temple reached a more advanced stage. So it is still. In certain stages the
work of God is almost necessarily attended by much that offends the philosophic
mind, the critical taste. When Christ came, He who is the Adoniram, who is over
the levy of all the “hewers in the mountains,” what disturbances He made! He
disturbed Church and State.
When the apostles commenced their mission it was the same. They were
aggressive, they disturbed the existing order, they troubled cities and
empires, and soon awoke the protest, “These that have turned the world upside
down are come hither also.” Luther made much noise, which has exasperated the
tranquil critics--he fiercely wielded axe and hammer, and tremendous cleavages
and crashes followed his blows. It was the same with Wesley; his critics
objected to an enthusiasm which often meant ecclesiastical, social, and
political rendings. And the evangelical worker in heathen lands has been open
to the same criticism. Again and again have the missionaries been accused of
violence and imprudence in one form or another. Sometimes they are accused and
attacked in the interests of antiquity. The missionary is attempting ruthlessly
to destroy creeds and systems, which have existed for thousands of years, and
critics with a eructation for antiquity are indignant. No sooner does God’s
forester lift his axe to smite
some hoary error than they raise the cry, “O! woodman spare that tree.” But,
this is the normal course of the development of the purposes of God Bring
together certain chemicals and an explosion is inevitable; bring the truths of
God into contact with systems of superstition and idolatry, and terrible
consequences ensue--not unlikely, many even perish. In the Book of the
Revelation the development
of the kingdom of God is dramatised, and it expresses the fact that that
kingdom comes largely through antagonisms and martyrdoms. Trumpets peal,
lightnings flash, thunders boom; trees are burnt up, rivers become worm-wood,
seas turn into blood, and suns and moons are darkened; the redeeming purpose of
God unfolds amid battles, earthquakes, plagues, and voices. The regeneration of
the earth is not to be worked out in a serene atmosphere. The time comes when
civilisations grow silently, as the temple was built without hammer or axe or
any tool of iron being heard in the house; but there must be the preliminary
stages, when the “hewers in the mountains” startle and trouble by their blows
and cries.
III. The initial
work of the church of christ implies tremendous sacrifice. These “hewers in the
mountains “ made certain sacrifices and encountered great difficulties that
Solomon might be put in possession of the stone and timber essential for his
projected house. And so the temple of humanity built on the grandest pattern is
possible because certain pioneers are willing deeply to deny themselves.
IV. The splendid
hopefulness of this pioneer service. Out of the wild mountain these devoted
hewers brought the wonderful temple. Rough, violent, forbidding as their work
might seem, it at last took shape as the palace of God. The Papuans, the
Polynesians, the Malays, the Amazonian Indians, the aboriginals of Africa, and
other uncivilised tribes have distinct and precious powers, although mainly
undeveloped. Some excel in poetry, song and music, some in the artistic sense.
Richard Semon says: “I dare to maintain that the love of artistic ornament is
deeper and more general in the poor and naked savages of New Guinea than in
ourselves.” Now can we believe that all these endowments are in vain? That
these peoples will be the curse of the future? If we believe in the rationality
of the universe we cannot believe in anything of the kind; it is much more sane
to believe that the fulness of the Gentiles will enrich and raise civilisation
gloriously. “The light and power of the Gospel” will work the miracle and
develop, uplift, and perfect all nations and tribes. Christ can see the
glorious possibilities of men even when they are at their worst. Anybody knows
a Rembrandt when he sees it in a sumptuous frame in the National Gallery--even
if it isn’t one!--but we need a fine eye to detect an immortal masterpiece on a
blackened canvas, amid the dirt and lumber of a cellar. But this is the very
genius of Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost. When
we were without strength, down in a gulf of dark despair, He recognised our
essential glory and stooped from heaven to lift us to the throne. And Christ
has opened the eyes of His people and caused His Church to recognise the
intrinsic greatness of the savage and the slave, whatever the cynic may have to
say. A sculptor can see in the rough marble quarries of Carrara a world of
glorious imagery, an architect can see in the wild forest of Lebanon palaces
and temples, and since Christ has opened our eyes we can see in the forlorn and
lapsed classes, in the outlandish and savage nations of the earth, the most
splendid possibilities of life and destiny. We hear from critics of a certain
sort a great deal about failure in our work, but in all directions we judge of
the worth of men’s efforts by their triumphs, not by their failures. Just
outside Rome there is an ancient artificial mound, formed through long years by
the pile of earthenware vessels in which various wares were brought to the
great market of Rome, and whose fragments the peasants threw into this rubbish
heap. Now if I wished to judge of the art of antiquity I should not waste my
time turning over these miserable, worthless potsherds; I should study the
vases, wonderful in amplitude, grace and colour, which are the jewels of
museums and palaces. So we do not judge the efficacy of missions by what our
critics may consider as rubbish
cast into the void, but by tens of thousands of noble souls gathered into the
Church of Christ, by myriads of glorified saints who are the pride of the
palace of the King. (W. L. Watkinson.)
Partakers in the process share in the honour of the result
Imagine how Solomon s temple was built, that went up in Jerusalem
without sound of the hammer. In the umbrageous forest of old Lebanon, many and
many a day-labourer worked, cleaving and sweating, cleaving and sweating in
obscurity, and wondering of what consequence all his work could be. As they
toiled, day after day, at the large butt of some century-crowned cedar, with
the rude instruments of their time, till at last it came down with a crash; and
as they lopped off the limbs, and sawed up the vast trunk into various forms,
they said to themselves, “We are slaves, labouring here among the mountains
unrewarded.” And not far from them, in the gorge, were men that wrought in
stone. In another place were workers in metal. Some did one thing, and some
another; but none knew the plan of the temple, none knew what they wrought,
till on a certain day, when they all trooped to Jerusalem. It was the day on
which the dedication was to take place. And when they gathered there; when the
hewer of wood, the carver of stone, and the worker in metal, from the various
seclusions where they had wrought, each on his separate part, came together to
see what had been made with all the different parts, they saw in the columns,
in the cornices, in the decorations, in all the paraphernalia of the wonderful
temple, the result of their toil. They stood entranced, and wondered that out
of things so insignificant in the mountains, there should come such glory in
Jerusalem. God has sent some to the cedar forest, some to the stone quarry,
some to the dark and dank places of this world; but He is collecting materials
which will glow with untold splendour in the temple that He is building for the
New Jerusalem. What the issue of life is to be you cannot tell now; but you are
working for God, and with God, and according to God’s plans; and ere long you
will be summoned to see the result of all your work. Before that time, you
cannot tell what that result is to be. (H. W. Beecher.)
Scope for every faculty in Christ’s service
It is impossible to find in one man a summary of all
qualifications; take each one in his own sphere and you will discover a vast
variety of gifts--there is the polished scholar, the eagle-eyed critic, the
eloquent orator, and we ought to recognise and appreciate the ability of each.
Do you depreciate the sun because he is destitute of fragrance? Do you
undervalue the rose because no light flashes from its leaf of beauty. So each
man has his own style of working, and is never so effective as when he is
natural. A recognition of this fact will save us from passing adverse criticism
upon any individual if he is diligent in cultivating the different gifts God
has given into his possession. (R. Venting.)
Men of many types used in the work of God
How many have aided in the erection of Christ’s spiritual temple?
Keenest intellects have toiled, noblest hearts have planned, sweetest, purest
lives have been lived in this sublime effort. O varied workers! Paul, with his
relentless, flaming logic. John, with eagle eye, scanning and then writing of
the future and the past. Augustine, with his pauseless, countless toffs of pen
and speech. Chrysostom consecrating his golden eloquence to themes of
transcendent and golden worth. Bede labouring on our own northern shore, and in
making the blessed Gospel accessible to the Saxon people, finding “the last
dear service of his parting breath.” Luther, with his strong human tenderness
and unquailing knowledge. Calvin, with his severe purity and indomitable industry.
Latimer, with his home-siren, ready, and racy heart-compelling speech. Bunyan,
that true Greatheart of countless pilgrims. Wesley, that statesman. Whitefield,
that captain of preachers. And what more shall I say? Time would fail me to
tell of the great preachers and teachers with voice and pen who have lived to
win souls to Christ. If His service can be ennobled by human associations, it
is ennobled by such names as these. Let us be worthy of them. (G. T. Coster.)
Verse 17
The foundation of the house.
Foundation work
“The king commanded”: that is the beginning of all Holy zeal waits
for the king’s orders. But as soon as the command was given there was neither
pause nor hesitation; “the king commanded, and they brought.” Solomon began to
build the temple at the foundation. Begin with the foundation. The foundation,
in his case, had to be carried to a great height, because the area upon which
the temple stood was on high above the valley. Very much of foundation work is
out of sight, and the temptation is to pay but small attention to its finish.
It was not so with Solomon. I want to urge that all our work for God should be
done thoroughly, and especially that part of it which lies lowest, and is least
observed of men.
I. This is God’s
method.
1. Observe the work of creation. God took care that even in the
material universe there should be a grand foundation for His noble edifice.
2. The same is true of God’s work called Providence. No event happens
but He has planned it, and ordained that a multitude of other events should
precede or follow it. The doings of Providence are threaded together, like
pearls upon a string; there is a relation of this to that, and of that to another.
Events dovetail the one into the other. Every fact is fitted and adapted to
take its place in the design of the Great Architect.
3. But we come into clearer light when we look at the Lord’s greatest
work of redemption. You and I are not saved haphazard. It is not as though God
had saved us on the spur of the moment, as an after-thought which was not in
His first intent. No; redemption plays an essential part in the purposes of the
Lord.
II. This must be
our method. We must build after this fashion, and make sure of our foundations.
1. Let it be so in the building up of our own life.
2. So it must be, next, in the building up of a church. Is that a
church of God which is not founded on everlasting truth? There are numbers of hasty builders
with wood, hay, and stubble; but these neither attend to foundation nor to
material laid thereon.
3. In the building up of character in others we must mind that we do
the foundation work well. Sunday-school teachers are those who do the
foundation work; for they begin first with young hearts, while they are tender
and susceptible. It is a most important thing that we have our children and
young people well instructed in Divine truth and soundly converted.
III. It is a wise
method.
1. Because it is suitable for God. You build your temple for God, and
not for men: you should, therefore, make that part of the building good which
will be seen by him; and as he sees it all, it must be all of the best.
2. Next, look well to the foundation that is out of sight, for your
own sake. No builder can afford to be negligent over the unseen part of a
building; for it would involve a serious injury to his character. The very act
of scamping is mean and degrading, and lowers a man’s tone.
3. Further, lay the foundation well, and look to that part which is
out of sight, because in this way you will secure the superstructure. There was
a bit of a flaw in the foundation, but nobody saw it; for the builder covered
it up very quickly, and ran up the whole concern as quickly as possible. The walls
were built, and built well. It seemed clear that the fault down below was of no
consequence whatever; and as it had a little cheapened the underground
construction, was it not so much the better? How long was this the case? Well,
the next year nothing happened: a longer time passed away, and then an ugly
crack came down the wall. Had there been an earthquake? No, there was no
earthquake. Perhaps a cyclone had beaten upon the work? No, there was no
cyclone: the weather was the same as usual. What was the cause of that gaping
space which marred the beauty of the building, and threatened to bring it down?
It was that blunder long age: that underground neglect produced the terrible
mischief above, which would involve a great expense, and perhaps render it needful
to take all the building down. That which was out of sight did not always
remain out of mind; it only needed time to produce a dangerous settlement.
4. Besides, to lay a good foundation, on Solomon’s hart was the way
to save himself from future fears. Buildings which have to hold a crowd endure
seasons of test and trial. Years ago, I was preaching in a building which was
exceedingly crowded, and, to my apprehension, there was a continuous tremor. I
grew so anxious that I said to a friend, who understood such matters, “ Go
downstairs and see whether this building is really safe; for it seems hardly
able to bear the weight of this crowd.” When he returned he looked anxious, but
gave me no answer. The service ended quietly, and then he said, “I am so glad
that everything has gone off safely. I do not think you should ever preach
there again; for it is a very frail affair; but I thought that if I frightened
you there would be more risk in a panic than in letting the service go on.”
Solomon had built with “great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones”; and
therefore, when the vast
multitudes came together around the temple, it never occurred to him to fear
that the great weight of people might cause a subsidence of the foundation.
5. Do look well to the foundation, and to the secret part of your
dealings with God, because there is a fire coming which will try all things.
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because
it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what
sort it is.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Faith’s foundation secure
There is no kind of construction known to the modern engineer or
builder which requires at all times so perfect and absolutely secure a
foundation as a bridge. So, precisely, there is no faculty of the soul known to
man’s keenest spiritual sense which requires so perfect and absolutely secure a
foundation as faith, and since faith is the bridge between man and God over the
otherwise impassible chasm of doubt and destruction, the Great Constructor, the
Engineer of the Universe, has seen to it that its foundations shall rest upon
nothing less secure than His own Almighty Word.
The comfort of a sure foundation
As you gaze with admiration at the wonderful tower of the
cathedral of Antwerp, it looks as if it were made of lace suspended by some
invisible chain from the heavens; but you know when you come to examine it,
that all the exquisite lacery and tracery is built upon a most solid
foundation. So the experience of the saint, which seems to pierce the very
heavens, and is lit up with the light of God, rests on a firm basis. That is
assurance of a personal interest in the salvation, procured by the atoning love
and sacrifice of Jesus. (R. Venting.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》