THE Tabernacle and the Temple differ considerably in the matter of interpretation. It has pleased the Spirit of God to give us the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews as His inspired commentary on the institutions of the former, but no New Testament book opens up for us the latter. This is the more remarkable because the Tabernacle had long passed away, and the Temple was functioning in Jerusalem. The explanation is that the position of the saints when the Hebrews were addressed answered more to Tabernacle than to Temple conditions. For the world had become a wilderness to them because of their identification with the rejected Christ. Nevertheless, as we meditate upon the Temple and its vessels as described in the Books of the Kings and Chronicles spiritual suggestions will not be lacking.
There is nothing superfluous in the Scriptures, although we are not always able to grasp the significance of its varied contents. The question may easily arise in some minds, Why have we double accounts of the reigns of David, Solomon, and other kings? Why the Books of the Chronicles seeing that there were already existent the Books of the Kings? Examination will show that the Holy Spirit had His special aim and purpose in connection with each set of books. It is observable, for example, that in the Chronicles the sins of David and Solomon are omitted, while their triumphs and glories are emphasized. Also, as we look through the divine instructions concerning the Temple, we shall find some striking variations between the two accounts. As a general statement, it may be affirmed that the teaching of the Books of the Kings is moral, and the teaching of the Chronicles is typical. In the later books David and Solomon are foreshadows of Christ, but in the earlier books we see the men as they really were in their weakness and failure. It seems suitable that the typical should be prominent in the Chronicles, for the books were written after the return from Babylon, when the Holy Spirit sought to cheer the faith of the pious remnant with the glories of the coming Christ by the ministry of Haggai, Zechariah, and others (Ezra 5:1).
The Threshing-Floor Site
What was it that constrained David to say when standing upon the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt-offering for Israel?” (1 Chron. 22:1). There was no direct word from God to this effect. David was a man of spiritual perception, and the pardoning grace of God expressed at that spot suggested to his heart that in that place Israel’s Jehovah would delight to dwell. The grievous sin of numbering the people (mainly that the king might know how many soldiers he had!) brought down judgment. David’s humble repentance, and his pleading for the suffering sheep, brought him an angel from Jehovah bidding him set up an altar in Oman’s threshing-floor. As the smoke of the sacrifice ascended to heaven, Jehovah answered by fire, and He commanded the destroying angel to sheathe his sword (1 Chron. 21). This intervention of God in grace suggested to David that Jehovah had thus indicated His choice of site for the sanctuary. Accordingly, when building-time came, we read, “Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where He appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite” (2 Chron. 3:1).
God delights to dwell with men, but it is only possible on the ground of accomplished redemption. In Patriarchal times He visited His own and communed with them, but He sought no dwelling-place with them. But when He took Israel into relationship with Himself on the ground of the blood of the lamb, He said, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). When the victorious Christ went up on high having finished His great redemptive work on earth, the Holy Spirit came down to build for God a habitation amongst the saints (Eph. 2:22). In keeping with this great divine principle, Solomon was to build the Temple of Jehovah on the spot where the sacrifice was offered and accepted. It was in the same neighborhood that Abraham laid Isaac upon the altar (Gen. 22:2).
We note also that the Temple was to be built upon the threshing floor of a Gentile. Hiram, King of Tyre, another Gentile, collaborated heartily with both David and Solomon in the great work (1 Kings 5). Thus Israel’s God had Gentiles before His mind to share the blessedness of His presence on earth amongst His people. “Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples” (Isa. 56:7). Just a hint in advance of the largeness and universality of God’s grace in this Gospel day.
Kings and Chronicles
It is not in vain that the Holy Spirit has given us four presentations of Christ in the New Testament. Each Evangelist, as surely we all know, had his own line given him by God; and in result we have all that the all-wise Spirit judged our limited capacity could receive concerning the wondrous theme (John 21:25). In like manner the Books of Kings and Chronicles give us two views of the Temple. In Kings it is looked at as the dwelling-place of God, with special reference to the Millennial Kingdom; in Chronicles the Temple is rather the seat of divine government, and the place of approach for God’s people. This will account for the omission of the Brazen Altar and the Veil in Kings, both being reserved for the Chronicles. The chambers that were built into the walls of the house round about are a special feature of the Kings account. They were designed for the occupation of those who served in the sanctuary, for God delights to have men dwelling with Him. The attitude of the large Cherubim in the Holy of Holies, looking down the house as if they would fain look outside, is noted in Chronicles alone. This suggests that when the Kingdom of David’s greater Son is established righteousness will look abroad no longer in judgment, but in blessing upon men. Other points of difference between the two descriptions of the Temple will be noticed by the careful reader. Nothing in God’s blessed Word is without significance.
Jachin and Boaz
The Holy Spirit in 1 Kings 6:1 dates the building of the Temple from Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Thus would He emphasize the fact that it was amongst a people saved by sovereign grace Jehovah was about to make His abode. The work was commenced in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign “in the month Zif, which is the second month.” This month corresponds with the British May. Zif means “splendor.” Spring was in its glory, physically and otherwise. Israel was about to experience a glorious summer-time of blessing and prosperity. Alas, that it did not continue. The unfaithful nation has passed through a long dark night of sorrow since. But summer is approaching, for “HE is nigh, even at the doors” (Matt. 24:33).
The Temple was 60 cubits long, 20 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high. In its breadth and length it was double the size of the Tabernacle. The Holy of Holies was 20 cubits long, and the Holy place 40 cubits. In the front of the house broadways was a porch 20 cubits long and to cubits broad (1 Kings 6:23). The great pillars are described with much detail in 1 Kings 7:15-22; much more briefly in (2 Chronicles 3:15-17. They were named Jachin, meaning “He will establish,” and Boa; “In Him is strength.” These great pillars, each about 18 cubits high, were a public testimony that stability is found in Christ, and only in Christ. Early in the building operations, Jehovah spoke afresh to Solomon. “Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in My statutes, and execute My judgments, and keep all My commandments to walk in them: then will I perform My word as to thee, which I spake unto David thy father: and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel” (1 Kings 6:11-13). Here again is the fatal “if.” Everything at the moment depended upon the faithfulness of king and people. All was soon lost, never to be restored until the day of the Lord Jesus. But “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Rom. 11:29), and He will yet fulfill all His promises of grace to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Such is the evil and instability of, poor flesh, that each one of us must humbly say, “Saved by grace alone; this is all my plea.”
The brass (more probably “copper” or “bronze”) of which the pillars were made was brought from Syria by David in war, so we are told in 2 Chronicles 18:8. Brass signifies the righteousness of God in judgment. Hence its use in the Altar of Burnt-offerings. Four figures of righteousness are found in Scripture:
GOLD―Intrinsic divine righteousness.
BRASS (or copper)―Divine righteousness as applied to man in judgment.
LINEN―”The righteousness of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).
FILMY RAGS―The righteousness of the flesh (Isa. 64:6).
The ornamentations of the pillars suggest what Christ works for and in His own. “Nets of checker work”: He has caught us out of the sea of humanity for Himself (Matt. 13:47; Luke 5:10). “Wreaths of chain work”: He binds and secures all whom He acquires (Hos. 11:4). “Pomegranates” are frequently used in Scripture as emblems of fruitfulness. All who are Christ’s are meant to be fruitful. “Upon the top of the pillars was lily work”: the lily character, purity and lowliness, is precious in His sight. Solomon’s massive brazen pillars were in the Lord’s thoughts in His promise to the overcomer in Philadelphia: “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God and He shall go no more out.” What encouragement to all who with little strength seek to keep His word and not deny His name! Looked down upon today by the great ones of ecclesiastical Christendom; small here and now; but made great and notable in the day of recompense by our appreciative Lord. Where will others be then?
“He will establish: in Him is strength” ―precious assurance both for Israel and for ourselves. He is willing: He is able. David’s royal house has forfeited everything by unfaithfulness; but Christ will restore it all in the day of His power. Meantime, Solomon’s noble pillars have been broken up as “scrap,” and carried to Babylon (Jer. 27:19-22; 52:17-23). The Holy Spirit dwells mournfully upon their beauty whilst recording their destruction.
The Chambers
“Against the wall of the house he built chambers round about... both of the temple and of the oracle” (1 Kings 6:5). The Tabernacle had nothing answering to this; but the Temple in contrast with the Tabernacle represents a settled condition of things, for wars were at an end, and rest had come. Privileged indeed were the men who were thus permitted to dwell with God. We are reminded of the longing of David’s heart as expressed in Psalms 27:4: “One thing have I desired of Jehovah, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire in His Temple.” He spoke also of the joy of it. “Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple” (Psa. 65:4). The natural man understands nothing of this. The thought of God is repulsive to him. Gladly would he flee to the uttermost parts of the universe if thereby he could get away from God. Every atom of longing after God; yea, of delight in God that we discover within ourselves is the fruit of sovereign grace. The Apostle strikes a high note in Romans 5:11: “We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the reconciliation.”
The Lord Jesus had the Temple-chambers in mind when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions (abodes).” In John 2:16 He called the Jewish Temple “My Father’s house,” and in chapter 14:2 He applies the same title to Heaven. At His coming we shall find ourselves in the presence of God known to us as Father; we shall be in the company of the Son; we shall bear His image; and we shall share with Him the infinite wealth of the Father’s love.
The Temple-chambers were built in three stories, the higher being reached by winding stairs. The lowest stories were five cubits broad, the middle were six cubits, and the third were seven cubits. Is this meant to suggest continual progress in the Father’s house above?
There is a beautiful notice of the chambers in 1 Chronicles 9:33 (Revised Version): “These are the singers, heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites, who dwelt in the chambers and were free from other service: for they were employed in their work day and night.” Delightful picture! Elderly men, living with Israel’s God in His house, and released from all other service but praise! The time may come when some of us may have to cease active labor, but we can still praise our God. If our hearts are in tune!
In the midst of the instructions concerning the chambers in 1 Kings 6 we find these remarkable words: “the house when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building.” A colossal work wrought without noise! How unlike man’s methods! God is preparing a building for Himself today. It is composed of living materials—sinners saved by grace. “The whole building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21). In the midst of all the clamor and turmoil of earth this work of God is proceeding. Unostentatiously, but surely, the work grows, and it will be seen in glorious result at the Lord’s return. Unlike Solomon’s Temple, it will never be overthrown,
The Walls
If the Church is to be God’s holy Temple eternally, the walls of Solomon’s Temple will show us something pictorially of our future state. The stones for the walls were fully prepared away from Jerusalem. God is today getting His stones out of nature’s quarry by means of the Gospel. Evangelists are God’s quarry men, and pastors and teachers are His masons, by their unfoldings of Christ shaping and fashioning the stones according to the mind of God. Direct divine dealing in the way of suffering also helps largely towards the desired end. David’s afflictions molded his character as uninterrupted prosperity could never have done. But no stone was seen in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:18). All were completely covered with refined silver (1 Chron. 29:4). In like manner, all that we were by nature is covered by Christ’s redemption. The walls were also covered with boards of cedar. In the Tabernacle shittim wood is prominent. It was the incorruptible acacia of the desert, the only wood that was available there. In the Temple the principal woods used were the cedar and the olive. The shittim wood suggests what was true of our blessed Lord even when in wilderness circumstances; the cedar points to what will be true of the saints in glory. “This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53).
The cedar-wood boards were beautifully carved. Cherubim, palm-trees, and open flowers were wrought upon them, and all were covered with gold. The walls were treated exactly as the doors, which will come before us in due course. Seeing that the doors typify Christ, who is the only way to God, the carved doors remind us that we shall be like Christ when the work of grace is completed in glory. “The whole house (Solomon) overlaid with gold” (1 Kings 6:22). “All was bright with the glory of divine righteousness that distinguished the throne of God which was placed there” (J. N. D.). Gold being the most precious of metals is frequently used in Scripture as symbolical of that which is of God.
Even the floor-boards were covered with gold. For the Tabernacle no floor was provided; the feet of the priests trod the desert sand. In the Holy City Jerusalem “the street is pure gold, as it were transparent glass” (Rev. 21:21). What a spectacle of glory and majesty was the interior of Solomon’s Temple! Above, the ceiling was “overlaid with fine gold” (2 Chron. 3:6); below, the priests walked upon gold― “gold of Parvain,” says the record, as if to suggest to us that only the best was used. All around the ministering priests gold glittered; and as if this were not glorious enough, even the gold was “garnished with precious stones for beauty” (2 Chron. 3:6). Truly, when we look around us in “God’s eternal day,” not at a mere material structure, but at the glorified saints who will form His holy temple, our eyes will behold everything that is expressive of Christ. None of His divine graces will be lacking in a single saint. “What hath God wrought!” (Num. 23:23).
The Great Cherubim
One of the most unique features of Solomon’s Temple were the great cherubim which were set up in the Oracle, or Holy of Holies. They were in addition to the gold figures which were upon the ark. The ark was exactly the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle, save as regards its contents. The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet); and each had two wings. “Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits” (1 Kings 6:24). Thus the breadth of the wings was as the height of the cherubim themselves. They touched the walls of the Oracle on either side, and they touched each other in the middle. They were made of olive wood, and were covered with gold. (The four wings are put together in 1 Chronicles 3:11―”twenty cubits long”).
The cherubim have been well described as “God’s judicial executive, to whomsoever entrusted, and in whatsoever circumstances displayed.” They do not appear to be a distinct order in the creation of God; they are rather symbolical figures. In His ways of government and judgment God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it may be, the instruments employed would be God’s cherubim for the moment.
Their faces (given not in 1 Kings, but in Ezekiel 1) suggest to us the varied qualities of God’s dealings in government and in judgment. The man’s face suggests intelligence; the lion’s face power; the eagle’s face rapidity of execution; and the face of the ox suggests patience.
The cherubim are mentioned for the fourth time in Scripture in connection with the Temple. (1) In Genesis 3:24 we see them placed forbiddingly at the gate of the garden after Adam’s sin (living creatures doubtless). (2) In Exodus 25:18-20 we see golden cherubim upon the ark, beaten out of the same sheet of gold as the mercy-seat. The contrast between these Scripture passages is instructive. The executors of God’s judgment who are seen opposed to transgressors in Genesis 3 are seen in Exodus 25 looking down peacefully upon the mercy-seat from which the blood of the sacrifice was never lacking. Blessed be God, the atoning blood of Christ makes blessing sure for sinful men, and puts judgment far away. (3) The cherubic symbol comes before us next (but in the singular) in 2 Samuel 22:11: “He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and He was seen upon the wings of the wind.” This is really part of Psalms 18, a rapturous song written by David “in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.” It is a remarkable outpouring. David was carried by the Spirit far beyond the circumstances of his own case. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt is also in the Psalm; and, what is much more important, the Psalm speaks of the deliverance of Christ from the power of death, and from all other foes. He becomes “head of the nations.” The cherub is introduced into the Psalm as expressive of the righteous government of God acting on behalf of the objects of His favor.
In a Chronicles 3:13 we have the interesting statement that the Temple cherubim “stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.” The margin reads “toward the house.” Now, seeing that the cherubim were situated at the far end of the Temple, “towards the house” would in result mean “outwards,” for they were looking in the direction of the front door. Here we have the delightful suggestion, so fully taught in the prophetic word, that in the day of Kingdom-glory all that God is in righteous government will look abroad in blessing upon men—not Israel only, but all nations. Judgment will have done its needful work.
The Doors
The doors and the walls were alike in their beauty, and together they speak of Christ, and of what divine grace will work in those who are His. The pitiful lament of Psalms 74 comes to mind here. Asaph describes the desolation of the sanctuary by an outside foe. In measure this Psalm was fulfilled in the days of Nebuchadnezzar; but its complete fulfillment awaits the period of “the great tribulation.” The King of the North will come down with overwhelming hosts; and because of the evil of the Jewish mass, he will be allowed to wreak his vengeance on their land and sanctuary (Dan. 11:40; Joel 2). The pious remnant will feel the position keenly. “A man was famous according as he had lifted up his ax upon a thicket of trees. But now they break down the carved work thereof with axes and hammers” (Psa. 74:5-6). Men once famous for felling trees now spending their strength in destroying the sanctuary of God! Heart-breaking to those who loved the house for the sake of the One who dwelt therein. Asaph was a contemporary of David. It is not certain that he lived to see the Temple built, yet he writes thus graphically of its destruction! The spirit of prophecy is divinely wonderful. By its means God “calleth the things which be not as though they were” (Rom. 4:17).
But 1 Kings 6 speaks of palmy days when the blessing of Jehovah rested upon Israel, before the sin and folly of both king and people blasted everything. The recorder appears to speak of two sets of doors: in verses 31-32 folding doors into the Oracle, thus separating the holy place from the holiest of all; and in verse 32-35 folding doors into the Temple itself, the entrance into the Oracle being slightly the narrower of the two sets. The Oracle doors were made from the olive tree and the Temple doors from the fir tree. The Revisers in their margin, and J. N. Darby in his text, think the cypress to be meant rather than the fir. The following Scriptures connect this tree with desirability and beauty―Isaiah 55:13; 60:13; Hosea 14:8. A suitable type of Christ, assuredly! The doors were carved with cherubim, for this blessed One will rule and execute judgment for God; with palm-trees, for victory is with Him; and with “half-open flowers” (J. N. D.), suggestive that there are with Him always greater and more delightful things to come. Over all this was placed gold, typical of the righteousness and glory of God. Even the hinges of the doors were gold (1 Kings 7:50). The lintel and side posts of both sets of doors were made of olive-wood. The power of the Spirit is in mind in this. Only by His power are we able to avail ourselves of Christ for access into the divine, presence. Ephesians 2:18 gives us a sweet statement in few words of our great privilege as men saved by grace. “Through Him (Christ) we have access by one Spirt unto the Father.”
This Molten Sea
This great receptacle for water was placed in the outer court of the Temple. Its full capacity was 3000 baths (about 22,000 gallons); the usual quantity therein was 2000 baths. In 2 Chronicles 4 the molten sea follows the brazen altar, with which in its teaching it was morally connected; but in 1 Kings 7 it follows the pillars Jachin and Boaz, the brazen altar being omitted altogether.
The molten sea took the place of the laver in the Tabernacle, but there are interesting points of difference between the two vessels. The laver was made from the women’s mirrors (Ex. 38:8); the sea was made from the spoils of David’s conquests (2 Chron. 18:8). The mirrors suggest renunciation on the part of those who gave them; the spoils speak of victory, in keeping with the Kingdom glories which are set forth in the reign of Solomon. The size and capacity of the laver is not stated; for the sea these particulars are recorded. Both laver and molten sea were for the use of the priests. From these vessels they drew water for the cleansing of their hands and feet when serving in the sanctuary of God. When Israel’s priests were consecrated, they underwent a total washing (Ex. 29:4). In Hebrews 10:22 and John 13:10 this is alluded to as typical of what we have experienced spiritually. The New Birth is meant. But more than this is required in those who would draw near to a holy God. The New Birth has made us in nature meet for His presence; but the laver and the molten sea teach us that we must also be meet in practice if we would enjoy His presence. The Psalmist said when confessing his love for Jehovah’s house, “I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compass Thine altar, O Jehovah” (Psa. 26:6). Grace has made “a holy priesthood” of the whole household of faith, but holiness demands purity of thought and life in us all. The Book of Leviticus was the guide-book of the Aaronic priests, and throughout purity is inculcated. chapter 10 is particularly solemn in its instructions and warnings, having been occasioned by the impiety of Nadab and Abihu. God resents irreverence and carelessness in the holy things, as the Corinthians experienced painfully (1 Cor. 11:30).
The molten sea, unlike the laver, “stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward” (1 Kings 7:25; 2 Chron. 4:4). In all probability there were pipes running downward through the mouths of the oxen whereby the water, when needed, flowed forth. Possibly the Lord had this in view when He stood and cried on the great day of the feast of Tabernacles, “If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). In the great kingdom age the water of the Word will first be applied to Israel. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech. 13:1). “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you” (Ezek. 36:25). The pious remnant, preserved through the great tribulation, nucleus of the new nation, will not then need to teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, “Know Jehovah,” for all will know Him, and that as a pardoning God (Jer. 31:34). Great spiritual activity will result. “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3). “They shall declare My glory among the Gentiles” (Isa. 66:19). “The remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles as a dew from Jehovah, as showers upon the grass” (Mic. 5:7). The ox is in Scripture a type of the patient laborer for God: twelve is the number of Israel’s tribes. Under the mighty impulse of the latter-day outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Israel will be filled with desire that all the nations should know their God, and join with them in songs of joy (Psalm 67). Blessed contrast to their attitude during this day of grace. Their determined hostility, and their evil efforts to hinder the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles is described in 1 Thessalonians 2:16; Acts 13:45; 14:2-59. But when the Redeemer comes to Zion, and their hearts are wrought upon by divine grace, they will realize the purpose of God in their election, and will gladly throw themselves into the current of the Spirit’s operations, thus spreading blessing far and wide. Did not God say to Abraham, “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed?” (Gen. 22:18). For Israel’s conversion the world’s blessing waits.
Israel will in that day, as compared with other nations, stand in priestly nearness to God. At Sinai He said, “If ye will obey My voice... ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6). This has never yet been realized. In Hosea 4:6 we hear the voice of Israel’s indignant God, “I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me.” But in the day of kingdom-glory, “ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah: men shall call you the ministers of our God” (Isa. 61:6). The knowledge of God and His great salvation will be spread universally. The twelve oxen under the molten sea looked north, west, south, and east.
Meantime, while Israel continues in obstinate unbelief, it is our privilege and responsibility to preach the Gospel of the grace of God to every creature. Are we wholeheartedly in this blessed service?
There is an allusion to the molten sea in Revelation 4:6; but what John saw.in heaven was not a sea of water, but “a sea of glass like unto crystal.” The purity of heaven is fixed; no more shall we need to “cleanse ourselves” as we are exhorted in 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Ten Bases and Ten Lavers
Ten bases of brass, with wheels, were made upon which ten lavers rested. Remarkably, more is said about the bases than about the lavers. This would scarcely be man’s method of writing; but the Holy Spirit’s ways are always divinely wise whether we understand them or not. The bases and lavers are described at some length in 1 Kings 7:17-39; but their use is told us in 2 Chronicles 4:6. “Such things as they offered for the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.” Every sacrifice that was brought to the altar spoke to God of Christ. This being so, they must be absolutely clean. When Noah came out of the ark, he “builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings upon the altar” (Gen. 8:20). This action showed that he had been taught of God. When the leper was to be cleansed, a very lowly offering was prescribed― two sparrows; but it was stipulated that they should be clean (Lev. 14:4). Thus would God teach us pictorially lessons concerning His Holy One:
“He did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22).
“He knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“In Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5),
Well may we sing: ―
“Thy life was pure without a spot,
And all Thy nature clean.”
His spotlessness was necessary for His sacrifice. Prove one flaw in the Christ of God, and the blood of His cross loses its value, and nothing can save us from the damnation of Hell.
“Which of you convinceth Me of sin?” was His challenge soon after His pointed words to the accusers of an adulterous woman, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7-46). Men felt constrained to say of Him, “He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:37); and the Father said immeasurably more when twice He opened the heavens, and testified, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).
Ten Lampstands
The number ten and its multiples has a large place in the Temple arrangements. The Temple itself was 60 cubits long, 30 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high; the Oracle was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits broad, and 20 cubits high; and the porch in front of the house was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits high, and 10 cubits broad. Amongst the furnishings we find ten brazen lavers set upon ten bases; ten candlesticks (lampstands) of gold (1 Kings 7:49); ten tables of gold, and a hundred golden bowls for sprinkling (2 Chron. 4:8).
Numbers in Scripture have meaning. Ten is the number of responsibility, evidenced in the ten commandments of the Law. The prominence of ten in Solomon’s Temple is thus a reminder that everything was being set up on the ground of responsibility, and that the continuance of that marvelous system of glory and blessing depended upon the faithfulness of king and people. “The candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, five on the left, before the Oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold” (1 Kings 7:49). The Tabernacle had but one lampstand, and for the Millennial Temple none at all are mentioned. The ten in Solomon’s temple are therefore particularly suggestive. Would the royal house of David be true to its trust as witness for God amongst the nations? Alas, for the answer! Yet the forbearance of God was wonderful. When in His anger He told Solomon that his kingdom should be rent, He added, “but I will give one tribe to thy son for David My servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen” (1 Kings 11:13). To Jeroboam He said that David His servant was to have a lamp always before Him in Jerusalem, “the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there” (1 Kings 11:36). When recording the unfaithfulness of Abijam, Solomon’s grandson, God said, “Nevertheless for David’s sake did Jehovah his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem” (1 Kings 15:4).
In 2 Kings 27 the whole situation as regards Israel is divinely summed up. After 260 years of separate national existence under nineteen kings, all evil, Jehovah gave the ten tribes up to the Assyrian oppressor. “Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight: there was none left but Judah only” (vss. 8). Judah learned no lesson from the ruin of their brethren. For 130 years longer Jehovah bore with their evil ways, and finally gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. “Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight” (vs. 19-20). The “throne of Jehovah,” established in Jerusalem, was overthrown; and David’s lamp was extinguished. All is lost on the ground of responsibility, but grace will yet more than restore what Solomon and Israel so foolishly threw away. God has pledged Himself that David shall never want a man to sit upon his throne. Christ is the fulfillment of this. Rejected by the people in their blindness at His first corning, He now sits at Jehovah’s right hand in heaven. “Sit Thou,” is God’s word to Him today; “Rule Thou” will be His mandate to Him shortly (Psa. 110:1-2). Until that great day Israel and the nations must continue to writhe in ever-increasing wretchedness. “The times of the Gentiles” must run on to their appointed end (Luke 21:24). Sin’s wages are very terrible.
John in Patmos was shown seven golden lampstands (Rev. 1:3). These represented seven local Assemblies then existing; and prophetically they show us the Church as a whole from first to last. It was a testimony set up in divine righteousness, but the failure is made painfully clear. The lampstand will be removed. Christ alone is God’s “faithful witness” (Rev. 1:5).
The Veil
The Oracle was shut off from the Holy Place by folding doors made of olive wood, joined to the side posts by hinges of gold. But there was also a veil as in the Tabernacle, apparently hung with chains of gold (2 Chron. 3:14-16). It is noteworthy that neither the veil nor the brazen altar are mentioned in the “Kings” description of the Temple, but in the “Chronicles” account only. This is because in the earlier description the Temple is viewed primarily as the dwelling-place of God; but in the later it is rather the seat of divine government, and the place of approach for God’s people. A somewhat similar distinction is found in the instructions concerning the Tabernacle. In Exodus 25-27:19 the manifestation of God is the great thought; thus we begin with the ark and other vessels of display. From Exodus 27:20 onwards we have the means whereby the people could have to do with God, and in those chapters we find the priesthood and the altar of incense. In the first section we have God drawing near to men, and in the second we have men drawing near to God. Let us seek grace and wisdom to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
The veil was alike in both Tabernacle and Temple. Hebrews 10:20 teaches us that it typifies the flesh of Christ. A divine wonder is here. Hebrews 1 is occupied with the greatness and majesty of the Son. He has an eternal throne, and angels worship Him. Yet He took to Himself “the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3). He became truly man in order that He might undertake our cause. But He is nevertheless our Lord and our God (John 20:28): Not only is He the perfect and only manifestation of God to men, He is the only way of approach to God. “Through Him we have access.”
No one but the priests ever saw the veil either in the Tabernacle or in the Temple. Others saw the entrance to the sacred enclosures, and they could enter through them in order to reach the altar of sacrifice; further, the people in general dare not go. When King Uzziah ventured into the Temple itself he was smitten with leprosy for his presumption (2 Chron. 26:16). Our privileges as believers in the One who has entered in in the power of His own blood are truly wonderful. Not only have we been permitted to draw near to God as sinners seeking pardon (this would answer to the Israelite approaching the brazen altar); we are now worshipping priests, and may enter freely into the holiest. We not only gaze upon the veil, we pass through it.
The divine action at the moment of the Saviour’s death, whereby the veil of the Temple “was rent in the midst” (Luke 23:45) “from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51) signified God’s rejection of that order of things which kept His people at a distance from Himself. But how persistently has Satan labored through the centuries to enslave men to priestly orders and ritualistic observances, to the dishonor of the work of the Lord Jesus and to the damage of their souls! Every believer should be able to joyfully sing:
“So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son
I am as near as He.”
But this would raise a great outcry, and the unwanted officials might say as Demetrius of old to his fellows, “Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth!” (Acts 19:25).
One verse describes the Temple Veil. “He made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon” (2 Chron. 3:14). Its very existence proclaimed that “the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest” (Heb. 9:8). But it nevertheless spoke of Christ. The blue reminds us that He is “out of Heaven,” in contrast with the first man who was “out of the earth, earthy” (1 Cor. 15: 47). Such is our wonderful position in relation to God that we need a heavenly Priest (Heb. 7:26). If the Aaronic priesthood existed today, Sit could not help a people who are nearer to God than themselves. Purple is suggestive of His universal dominion. Not yet is this in His hands; but we shall yet behold Him honored and adored throughout God’s wide creation. Crimson speaks of both suffering and glory. He who suffered here will in God’s appointed time have glory here. Meanwhile, the harlot of Revelation 17 arrays herself with every mark of earthly splendor. The fine linen into which the colors were wrought tells of the spotlessness of Him who suffered on the tree; the cherubim assure us that it is He who will judge righteously for God, when the present period of grace has come to an end.
“Within the Holiest of all,
Cleansed by His precious blood,
Before the throne we prostrate fall,
And worship Thee, our God.”
The Brazen Altar
As with the veil, so with the altar of Burnt Offering, the Holy Spirit gives us but one verse concerning it in the Book of Chronicles. In the Book of Exodus fifteen verses are devoted to its predecessor in the Tabernacle, and in Ezekiel many verses are appropriated to the altar and its service in the Millennial Temple. Solomon “made an altar of brass; twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof” (2 Chron. 4:1). Here we have no description whatever of this most essential vessel. But its great size is noted. In length and breadth it was four times as large as the altar in the Tabernacle. It was approximately 30 feet long, 30 feet broad, and 15 feet high! Its measurements in length and breadth exactly corresponded to the Oracle, “the most holy house” (2 Chron. 3:8), thus giving us the sweet assurance that the sacrifice of Christ is equal to all the demands of the holiness of God. What rest and peace this gives to conscience and heart!
The altar of Burnt Offering was made of brass. Bronze or copper is perhaps the correct word for the metal used. Here is a quotation from a departed friend: “Gold is the righteousness of God for drawing near where God is; brass is the righteousness of God for dealing with man’s evil where man is” (W. Kelly). This being so, the vessels within the house were made of gold, and those outside―altar, molten sea, bases and lavers, were made of brass.
The brazen altar leads us in thought to “the wondrous cross on which the Lord of glory died.” No vessel in the Temple compared with the altar for size. Truly, there is nothing like the cross. When the great sacrifice was drawing near, “Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him” (John 13:31-32). Man’s side of the cross―the shame and spitting, is not in view in these words. (1) The cross was the glory of the Son of Man. Perfect love and perfect obedience were expressed there. (2) God was glorified. All that He is shone out in the cross of Jesus―His righteousness, holiness, truth, grace, and love. In no other way could God have thus displayed His glory. (3) As surely as the Son of Man delighted to glorify God at all cost to Himself, so God delighted to glorify Him. He has not to wait for the day when He will sit upon David’s throne, God “straightway” glorified Him at His own right hand in heaven.
Every sacrifice offered upon the brazen altar spoke to God of Christ. All the offerings prescribed in Leviticus 1-7 found their perfect and final answer in His death upon the tree. Calvary’s cross became for Him, in His wondrous grace, the altar of sacrifice. The fire of God’s judgment went forth against Him in the day of His grief, and the whole dread question of sin was settled by His sacrifice never to be raised again with those who believe in His name.
The GOLDEN ALTAR, upon which incense was burnt daily (Luke 1:9), is only mentioned incidentally in the Temple instructions, no description at all being given in the three brief notices of it (1 Kings 6:22; 7:48; 2 Chron. 4:19). Yet fourteen verses are devoted to the golden altar in the Tabernacle. For the Millennial Temple, no golden altar is indicated in Ezekiel.
In close proximity to the altar of Burnt Offering in Solomon’s Temple stood the molten sea. Atoning blood characterized the one, and water for cleansing characterized the other. This recalls two utterances from the lips of the Lord Jesus on the night of His betrayal. As He sat down with His disciples at the Supper Table, having first washed their feet, He said:
“He that is washed (bathed) needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” (John 13:10).
After supper, He took up, not the basin again, but the wine-cup, and said:
“This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28).
The water and the blood! thus meeting our whole need as guilty before God, and also in nature unfit for His holy presence. Nothing but the blood could make expiation for our sins. Solomon’s multitudinous sacrifices were not sufficient to remove even one sin (1 Kings 8:63; Heb. 10:4); but they spoke eloquently to God of the coming sacrifice of His beloved Son, by which He made an end of our sins once and forever. In virtue of His one offering God is able to say to His people, “Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more,” and we stand before Him “sanctified” and “perfected forever” (Heb. 10:12-17).
But this applies to our guilt. More than this, we are in nature evil irremediably. The life inherited from the first fallen man is corrupt. “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). A new life as well as pardon, for sins, is necessary ere any man can dwell with God. Blessed be His name, our whole need is met in the death of Christ. He died for the sinner as well as for his sins, and faith can say “our old man has been crucified with Him” (Rom. 6:6). The Word of God brings this home with power to heart and conscience, and the believer henceforth lives before God in the life of the risen Christ. He “is our life” (Col. 3:4). The proof of this is seen in new tastes and aspirations. The things once loved are no longer wanted, and the things once despised are the objects of deep delight. It is a moral purification—new birth. This can never be repeated. Hence the Lord’s words to the impulsive Peter, who first refused to allow Him to wash his feet, and then said, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head, He that is washed needeth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” (John 13:9-10).
Aaron and his sons on the day of their consecration were washed with water by Moses at the door of the Tabernacle (Lev. 8:6). This typified new birth, and was never repeated. Hebrews 10:22 applies the reality of this to Christians. But Aaron and his sons needed daily cleansing, and for this they had recourse to the laver. In like manner we need continual cleansing for our feet, for we walk in a sinful world, and for this there is “the washing of water by the Word” (Eph. 5:26).
The efficacy of the blood of Jesus has been applied to us by the Holy Spirit, and it abides. There is no repetition of it, for our guilt has been canceled forever. But the water, by means of which Christ and His great work wrought on our behalf is brought before us, is a daily and hourly necessity. Only thus can we walk with God in unclouded communion.
The Ark of the Covenant
The ark was not a distinctively Temple vessel. It was the same as was placed in the Tabernacle, and which accompanied the children of Israel in all their vicissitudes. But amongst all the beautiful and costly things that Solomon made for the sanctuary of God none compared with the ark in importance. Indeed the Temple was the resting-place of the ark! Quoting the words of Psalm 132, we hear Solomon saying at the close of his great prayer at the dedication of the Temple, “Now therefore arise, O Jehovah God, into Thy resting-place, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength: let Thy priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and let Thy saints rejoice in goodness” (2 Chron. 6:41) The ark was the highest type of Christ in that age of types. The shittim wood (acacia), and the gold which covered it speaks of His person as both man and God; the mercy-seat upon the ark speaks of His sacrifice, for the blood of the sin-offering was always upon it. As the receptacle for the tables of the law, righteousness was expressed by it. Grace in God has found a way whereby transgressors can be blessed. That way is Christ and His atoning sacrifice.
The history of the ark may be briefly stated:
Moses placed it at the first in the Holy of Holies (Ex. 40:21). On the march it was appointed to be carried in the center of the host (Num. 2:17).
Moses’ strange request to Hobab caused Jehovah to send the ark three days’ journey in advance (Num. 10:33).
The ark passed through Jordan before the people (Josh. 3:11). It was carried around the walls of Jericho on the shoulders of the priests (Josh. 6).
Its first abode in Canaan was Shiloh, in Ephraim’s territory (Josh. 18:1).
Having been used by Israel as a “mascot,” Jehovah delivered the ark to the Philistines (1 Sam. 4.; Psa. 78:60-61).
Dagon fell before it (1 Sam. 5), and Philistine cities were smitten: Jehovah thus asserted His majesty amongst the heathen.
Bethshemesh was smitten because of irreverence on the return of the ark (1 Sam. 6).
Kirjath-jearim, house of Abinadab, was its next halting-place (1 Sam. 7:1).
David moved to bring the ark up to Zion, but his error in placing it on a cart, and Uzzah’s irreverence in touching it, caused it to be carried instead to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite (2 Sam. 6:10-11).
The report of the great blessing to the Gittite led to the ark being removed on the shoulders of the Levites to the city of David with great rejoicing (2 Sam. 6:14-19).
The ark never returned to the Tabernacle. Solomon offered sacrifices before it in 1 Kings 3:15.
When the Temple was completed, the priests put the ark into the Holy of Holies, and drew out the staves. Its travels were ended (2 Chron. 4:7).
At the destruction of Jerusalem the ark was not specifically mentioned, but the following words may be noted: “The king of Babylon... carried out thence all the treasures of the house of Jehovah” (2 Kings 24:13).
Amongst the sacred vessels that were restored in the days of Zerubbabel, the ark is not mentioned.
Before the captivity, in the good reign of Josiah, Jeremiah was guided to write thus of days of blessedness yet to come: “It shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith Jehovah, they shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall it be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah, and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, to Jerusalem” (Jer. 3:16-17). There is no mention of an ark for the Millennial Temple as described in Ezekiel.
Amongst the visions shown to John in Patmos we find the following: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the ark of His covenant: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Rev. 11:15). It was but a vision, but very sustaining to faith as assuring us of the immutability of divine counsels. In the opening verses of the same chapter we see the earthly city Jerusalem, with its Temple, at the mercy of Gentile oppressors; the concluding verse assures us that nevertheless the counsels of God stand. His ancient people are remembered in Heaven, and His covenant of grace is to be fulfilled. The world’s last fearful crisis will revolve around Israel. The judgments of God will overwhelm all their enemies, and the people will emerge from their afflictions the better fitted to lead the nations. The following vision (Rev. 12) shows us Israel in queenly splendor, adorned with all the symbols of authority—sun, moon, and stars. Satan’s opposition to this divine purpose, and much more to the Christ in whom everything is centered is also shown with God’s delivering power and grace.
“Scoured” Brass
If we understands 1 Kings 8:43-50 aright, Solomon personally superintended the making of all the vessels of gold for the house of Jehovah, and Hiram, King of Tyre, made all the vessels of brass. Under him wrought a skilled man of the same name, “son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre” (2 Chron. 2:14). The association of the Israelite and the Gentile in the two kings, and the union of both in the person of the skilled workman, reminds us again that Jehovah had Gentiles in His mind for blessing as well as His people Israel when He caused the Temple to be built. “Let not the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah hath utterly separated me from His people.... Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon My altar; for Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people” (Isa. 56:3-7). How evil therefore were the zealots who assaulted Paul in Jerusalem because they supposed that he had taken Trophimus an Ephesian into the Temple area! (Acts 21:28). Our Lord’s warning in Matthew 8:11 might well have been thundered into their ears.
The brazen vessels for the Temple were numerous. The princes of Israel, before David’s death, gave 18,000 talents of brass, in addition to their contributions of gold, silver, and iron (1 Chron. 29:7). But this was not all. “Solomon left all the vessels unweighted, because they were exceeding many; neither was the weight of the brass found out” (1 Kings 7:47).
We are told that “all the vessels which Hiram made to King Solomon for the house of Jehovah were of bright brass” (1 Kings 7:45). “Bright brass,” or, as the margin reads, “made bright,” or “scoured.” A small detail not to be overlooked by those who would learn the mind of the Spirit. Thus scouring makes bright. Surely a parable is here! “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11). There are three ways in which chastening may be treated. We may despise it; we may faint under it; or we may be exercised by it. For the exercised soul there is a blessed “afterward.” The scouring has done its work. Yet we all shrink from the ordeal. Paul, when first conscious of the thorn in his flesh, besought the Lord to remove it. He was persistent. No immediate reply being granted him, he besought the Lord thrice. But when the word of the Lord came to him, the suffering man was satisfied. “He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). If his afflictions, which tended to reduce him to a nullity, furnished opportunity for the power of Christ to spread itself like a tent over him, it was enough. Christ was seen, not Paul. This was as it should be.
God sometimes gets His best out of suffering saints. The late G. V. Wigram said, “With a heart broken, and a will subdued, I have given thanks for sorrows in which the iron entered into my very soul. I say not with levity, but as before God, ‘Thou knowest that I could not have lived through this and that if Thou hadst not given me grace to receive it at Thy hand, and to find that out of the eater came forth meat.’” The philosopher Bacon reminds us that “the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath labored more to describe the afflictions of Job than the felicities of Solomon.” It is noticeable also that the Spirit of God has devoted more than treble the space to the history of David than to the history of Solomon. The suffering David has left us a priceless heritage in the Book of Psalms, but it is certainly true that “David’s psalms had ne’er been sung, If David’s heart had ne’er been wrung.”
The Spirit has recorded the locality, and the character of the ground, in which Hiram did his work. “In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan” (1 Kings 7:46). We are all surely living in “the clay ground” while we await the coming of the Lord Jesus; but we are being formed and fashioned by His hand, and as certainly as Hiram at the end of his labors presented to Solomon a multitude of brightly shining sacred vessels fit for the sanctuary of God, so the Holy Spirit at the end of His present gracious work will present in heavenly glory a multitude of souls meet in every way for the companionship of the Firstborn Son.
It is painful to refer, if ever so briefly, to the after history of all that which Solomon and Hiram wrought. Only five years after Solomon’s death, Shishak, King of Egypt, plundered the Temple. “He took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king’s house: he even took away all: and he took the shields of gold which Solomon had made” (1 Kings 14:16). There were probably some replacements, but the Temple was plundered more than once by unfaithful kings in order to pay tribute to Gentile Powers. In due course came the terrible day when Jehovah could no longer tolerate the evil nation, and everything was given up to destruction. With sorrow of heart the inspired historian tells us of the breaking up of the famous pillars Jachin and Boaz, the bases, the molten sea, the twelve brazen bulls, etc.—all then loaded up as “scrap” in a dismal convoy of wagons, and transported to Babylon! “The brass of all these vessels was without weight” (Jer. 52:20). Thus did “the times of the Gentiles” begin, and they are not ended yet. Israel still bleeds, and the nations of the earth find no rest. Oh, the folly of sin against God!
“Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned My hand against their adversaries” (Psa. 81:13-14).