Treasury of Obedience

5 min read

1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.
— 1 Kings 7:1

It took less time to complete the temple than it did to complete Solomon’s house (eleven years versus thirteen years). In part, no doubt, this was because the temple was smaller than his palace (60x20x30 versus 100x50x30).

Maybe we shouldn’t read into this too much. Maybe the Bible is just giving us facts about the construction of the temple and Solomon’s palace. But there are a million and one facts that the biblical authors could have given us. Why these in particular? There is always some reason for whatever detail they choose to share, especially when what they share presents a comparison of two different things.

But these facts are ambivalent. That is, we can read the fact that more care was put into the building of Solomon’s palace than into the building of the temple as being either positive or negative.

For the Israelites, the temple was a significant symbol of the presence of God. So much so, that for many, the temple literally represented the presence of God’s “shekinah glory” among the Israelites. “Shekinah” is related to the word for tabernacle. In other words, where the temple is, that is where God’s glory dwells. But Jesus clarified that the presence of God is not confined to a location but is wherever the people of God call on His name (John 4:23-24).

Solomon knew this. Solomon, at least initially, knew that “to obey is greater than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). And Solomon obeyed in building the temple. And so he was free to build his palace however he wanted. And maybe he wanted to show how much God had blessed him for his obedience. He wanted to demonstrate the great wisdom that God had given him.

God does bless us for our obedience. But we have to understand this cause and effect in the right way. God’s blessing is always found in the kingdom of God. That is the nature of the kingdom of God. We find ourselves dwelling in the kingdom of God through our faith and obedience. And when we dwell in the kingdom of God, we find ourselves surrounded by God’s blessings.

As far as Solomon is concerned, however, we know that God had warned the Israelites about the extravagance of kings, and Solomon was no exception (1 Samuel 8:10-18). We also know that Solomon acquired many horses and many wives and also established his power through a treaty with Egypt, all of which was in contradiction to the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). And all of this disobedience led to his idolatry of worshiping other gods (1 Kings 11:1-11).

When God blesses me, I need to guard my heart more earnestly against idolatry. I must earnestly treasure Christ’s presence in me more than the blessings of His kingdom.

Father, We are so blessed in Your kingdom. We know that Your blessings are for us whenever we dwell in Your kingdom through faith and obedience. May You continue to be our treasure and our great reward and our protection. In Jesus’s name. Amen.