Gospel of Wealth – Chapter Six

Solomon's Temple

It was no secret, everyone knew that Solomon’s wisdom was more than just smarts. Solomon worshiped the Spirit of Wisdom.

We see him writing in the Wisdom of Solomon 7:7-13
I (Solomon) prayed, and prudence was given to me; I called for help, and there came to me a spirit of wisdom. I valued her above scepter and throne, and reckoned riches as nothing beside her; I counted no precious stone her equal, because all the gold in the world compared to her is but a little sand, and silver worth no more than clay. I loved her more than health and beauty; I preferred her to the light of day; for her radiance is unsleeping.
So all good things together came to me with her, and in her hands was wealth past counting; and all was mine to enjoy, for all follows where wisdom leads.

Solomon courted the Spirit of Wisdom like a lover. He introduced Her into the earth in a way no one had ever seen before. Divine wealth was the result.

Through this wonderful worshipful Spirit Solomon built a temple that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Unsurpassed by anything ever seen or heard, the fame of this temple was known the world over. Kings and queens, wise men and astrologers, traversed barren continents to see what the noise was all about. What they saw shocked them. The Holy Spirit of Wisdom lived there. More than just a shrine built next to a smart mans house, this place was where God himself lived and every visitor knew it instantly.

One visitor, the Queen of Sheba, came to ancient Jerusalem bringing gifts for Solomon. She loaded her camels with the finest riches her kingdom could provide in hopes of gaining an audience with the opulent king. What she witnessed when she arrived took her breath away.

It might not be hard to steal a poor man’s breath but stealing the breath of a wealthy queen is a different story. Before her stood far more than she ever imagined – the consummate measure and standard of kingly excellence by which all else must be compared. The Wisdom of God was at work.

An unearthly perfection pervaded the place. Every facet of the domain flowed in pure eloquence beyond anything any mere mortal could manage. The standing at attention of his servants, their apparel, and the ascent by which he went up to the temple: The wisdom and skill with which Solomon handled his affairs was seamless, like looking to the mirror of eternity or the fiery heart of a flawless diamond.

Overwhelmed, the queen immediately gave glory to God. As did every person confronted with a work of the Wisdom of God. "Oh, my God," was the response of choice, God’s hand was so evident.

God was revealing himself using Solomon as an instrument. The more Solomon yielded himself to the Spirit of God the more the Spirit flooded his life. The more Solomon gave glory to God the more God’s personality shined through. The temple excelled beyond words. Solomon’s wealth could not be surpassed.

Solomon’s father David received supernatural instructions on how to build this structure. Divine revelation made possible engineering feats not possible for centuries to come. This pattern was so exact that a command could be given that no sound was to be heard on the building sight. Stones weighing several tons had to be cut to precise specifications and then moved to the building location and fit perfectly.

The Temple was built of dressed stones already prepared and fitted in the quarries, and all the beams and other woodwork were also prepared away from the site of the permanent erection, "so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building" (I Kings vi, 7).

Imagine a building up to 20 stories tall completely covered in gold. Sitting atop of mount Moriah it could have been seen from over the whole land. When sunlight hit it the glow was heavenly. When Solomon asked God to hear those who prayed when facing this place it was easy to understand because from most locations in the kingdom you could see it.

Some would contend that the building was flat or built horizontally. This is not true. God is high and lifted up. There were three main rooms to the structure and two winding staircases. It takes two staircases to join three floors. This also accounts for some of the universal awe surrounding it. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Everyone had seen a horizontal temple.

Experts like to make speeches on how men in Solomon’s time didn’t have the knowledge to build a vertical structure of such proportions. To that I say, exactly! Man alone couldn’t do it. It’s structural blueprint was given by God.

The same working of the Spirit that enabled Noah to construct a massive ark without former formal knowledge was working in Solomon’s day; not only through Solomon but through his masons.

All these things had far greater meaning than even David ever knew. The design, quarrying, and implementation of the temple pointed directly to you. You are the temple of the living God. As God has said I will dwell in them.

You as a believer are built out of living stones from the One the builders rejected – Jesus. Do you think God would put this much effort in building wealth into his early temple only to leave his later ones impoverished

Table of Contents | Chapter Seven