Saturday after the Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on August 24, 2019 by under
Scripture: 1 Kings 7:1-12 (NKJV)
7:1 But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.
2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.
7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.
9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the dinner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the temple.
Devotion
After building the Temple, Solomon used the next thirteen years to build his own palace complex. Some buildings were used as a court for making royal judgments, granting audiences, and conducting the business of a worldwide theocracy. Others were used as a residence for himself, his wife, and his family/officials.
King Solomon served both as the head-father of the nation of Israel and as the biological father to his children. Although he was not a priest, he was also a spiritual father, who governed and guided by the Word of God. Psalm 127, which is attributed to Solomon, speaks figuratively of the biological family saying, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Parents “should consider that they are under obligations of obedience to God; and that, first of all, they should earnestly and faithfully discharge their office, not only to support and provide for the bodily necessities of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but, most of all, to train them to the honor and praise of God…If that were done, God would also richly bless us and give us grace to train men by whom land and people might be improved, and likewise well-educated citizens, chaste and domestic wives, who afterwards would rear godly children and servants. (Large Catechism, Ten Commandments, 168, 175)
The Church’s Husband gave Himself up to make His Bride holy. Jesus speaks to His Church with the Word, cleanses her with Holy Baptism, and feeds her with His Body and Blood for forgiveness.
We pray: We thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for the blessing of body and soul. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
