The King of the Heart
1/13/26 Bible Thought (1 Kings 7)
Our actions denote our priorities more than our words ever will.
A Look at 1 Kings 7
In today’s chapter, a bit of a darkened haze begins to develop in the biblical account of the temple building project. Up to this point, everything looked good. Solomon was building a lavish temple. He spared no expense. He wanted something glorious that would faithfully represent his glorious God.
However, the narrative is darkened with the first words of chapter seven. The narrator recounts:
Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house (1 Kings 7:1).
At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a very big deal.
However, it appears that this account was put here strategically to foreshadow that which is to come in Solomon’s life. One scholar has pointed out that the very first words of this chapter in Hebrew are “his house.”[1] This appears to be an intentional contrast with the previous chapter.
The sixth chapter was entirely devoted to temple building, and the seventh chapter ends with temple furnishing (1 Kings 7:13-51), yet there is a small excerpt in today’s text where we get a slightly different picture of Solomon.
We must remember that no biblical book was originally written with chapter and verse divisions. As such, if we ignore the chapter break that begins our text today, we’ll notice something interesting.
Solomon spent seven years building the temple (1 Kings 6:38), and then he spent thirteen years building his palace (1 Kings 7:1). Just as Solomon spared no expense building the temple. He spared no expense building his palace. His house was likewise covered in cedar (1 Kings 7:3) and costly stones (1 Kings 7:9).
Certainly, it seemed Solomon was doing the right thing as he invested so much into temple worship for God. However, then it appears he invested much more in himself. Consider that Solomon’s palace complex was nearly twice the size of the temple complex! (1 Kings 6:2; 7:2).
The chapter then transitions to end with the completion of the temple furnishings and, therefore, the temple itself.
The chronology can be a bit difficult. It is hard to know for sure whether Solomon left the temple ninety-nine percent finished until his palace was done, but that seems unlikely. We know that, altogether, the building projects were twenty years in the making (1 Kings 9:10). So, presumably, the palace construction followed temple construction.[2]
Nevertheless, it appears the narrator puts the palace-building account here to showcase that while Solomon had a heart for Yahweh, his heart wasn’t as wholly true to Him as we might have anticipated.
Bringing it Home
It can be easy for us to claim that we give our best to God, that we give our first to God, that He is the One to whom we are completely devoted. But do our lives back this up? Worship is far more than words. It’s the lives that we lead. It’s the priorities that we keep. It’s the honor we bestow on God in comparison to other things.
Solomon claimed that a glorious God deserved a glorious house. Yet, he showcased who the true king of his heart was when the earthly king received a greater house than the heavenly One.
Challenge for Today:
What drives my decisions in life most: Self, or God?
[1] J. Gary Millar, “1-2 Kings,” in 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. III, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 561.
[2] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Ki 7:1.
You certainly make me think, there, Young Man!!!!!