“So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David, his father. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. The construction began in midspring, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. These are the dimensions Solomon used for the foundation of the Temple of God (using the old standard of measurement). It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold. He paneled the main room of the Temple with cypress wood, overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with carvings of palm trees and chains. He decorated the walls of the Temple with beautiful jewels and with gold from the land of Parvaim. He overlaid the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors throughout the Temple with gold, and he carved figures of cherubim on the walls. He made the Most Holy Place 30 feet wide, corresponding to the width of the Temple, and 30 feet deep. He overlaid its interior with 23 tons of fine gold. The gold nails that were used weighed 20 ounces each. He also overlaid the walls of the upper rooms with gold. He made two figures shaped like cherubim, overlaid them with gold, and placed them in the Most Holy Place. The total wingspan of the two cherubim standing side by side was 30 feet. One wing of the first figure was 7-1/2 feet long, and it touched the Temple wall. The other wing, also 7-1/2 feet long, touched one of the wings of the second figure. In the same way, the second figure had one wing 7-1/2 feet long that touched the opposite wall. The other wing, also 7-1/2 feet long, touched the wing of the first figure. So the wingspan of the two cherubim side by side was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced out toward the main room of the Temple. Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim. For the front of the Temple, he made two pillars that were 27 feet tall, each topped by a capital extending upward another 7-1/2 feet. He made a network of interwoven chains and used them to decorate the tops of the pillars. He also made 100 decorative pomegranates and attached them to the chains. Then he set up the two pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one to the south of the entrance and the other to the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz.”
2 Chronicles 3:1-17 NLT
As we read through this description of the Temple and what was being built there, it could be tempting to miss the theological depth of it for the measurements and ornatness, but this would be a sad mistake. We must understand first the historical significance of the Temple Mount. It was an entry point for God’s kingdom in a very real sense. After all, this is where God spared Isaac, but not creation, choosing a ram in his place. It would be in this spot that man would be responsible to continue his own war with creation through constant sacrifice. Here he would be made to stand in ironic judgment and see what he couldn’t provide by his own efforts. It was also here that David’s sin of seeking to do just that, by census, was exposed. It was here that an angel stood poised to judge the nation because he refused to let God’s providence be the true factor of success. The wide entry points suggest this fact, each with pillars named “he will establish” for Jakin, and “in him is strength” for Boaz. The place was clearly chosen to be a meeting of heart and intellect. Every person passing through the entrances stood at a place of judgment, submitting to one of these two truths, in a historical place where these concepts had to be learned and lived. For believers, the foreshadowing is profound. Christ describes himself as the temple. The only ways to enter are by recognizing God’s providence or his grace. And the only way of being made clean is by sacrifice. The only difference is that Christs temple is made truly sacrosanct by the obsolescence of the act. In Jerusalem, it will never be finished, we will always be at enmity with creation. In Christ, the war is over. The temple he rebuilt in his own body is now a place of peace in God’s strength and providence.
Theological Significance of the Temple Mount: Served as a physical manifestation of God’s kingdom, highlighting humanity’s struggle with creation and the need for divine intervention.
Historical Events at the Temple Mount: Marked by significant events like the binding of Isaac, David’s sin of census, and an angel’s judgment, emphasizing the consequences of human actions.
Symbolism of the Temple’s Design: The wide entry points and pillars named Jakin and Boaz represented the need for submission to God’s providence and strength, reflecting the historical lessons learned at the site.
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