1 Kings 6:1

1 Kings 6:1 says, And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.  It had been four-hundred and eighty years since the people of Israel had been set free from Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that the building of the Temple began.  A lot of time had passed since God had delivered them from Egypt, but Solomon hadn't waited long to start building the Temple.  We should never wait long before starting to do what God has called us to do.  Verse two adds, And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.  We are told the size of the Temple, the house of God.  Matthew Henry points out that this was about twice the size of the Tabernacle, since the size of the nation of Israel had grown.  Verse three continues, And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.  Next, we are told of the size of the porch of the Temple.  Verse four states, And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.  The Temple had narrow windows for light.  Matthew Henry says they were broad within and narrow without, which meant that we should look inward at ourselves more than outward at others.  Verse five adds, And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:  Solomon had chambers made in the walls for use of the priests, according to Matthew Henry.  Church buildings today should be functional and not just for show.  Verse six adds, The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.  There were three chambers, which were not attached to the walls of the Temple, which Matthew Henry says could have weakened it.  Verse seven adds, And 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 axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.  The stones for building the Temple were precut so that no tool was needed to make them fit together.  When Jesus Christ destroyed the Temple, or died for our sins, He brought us salvation if we choose to accept it, and it is perfect.  We cannot reshape salvation to make it conform to our desires.  Verse eight continues, The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.  There was a door and a winding staircase to access the middle chamber which was on the right side of the Temple and you entered the third fom it.  Verse nine states, So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.  When the Temple walls had been completed, Solomon had them covered with cedar.  Verse ten adds, And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.  The chambers were also covered with cedar. I believe this would have been more to enhance the look of the Temple than to add to its strength.  I also believe that we today need to be careful that we don't become more concerned about the look of church buildings than we are about their function.