Sometimes reading the same account written by two different authors can provide insight. Other times it raises questions. Along with both of those, today’s reading is sure to inspire awe!
If you were wondering if there is an error in the Bible, concerning the amount of water the Bronze Sea could hold, this link to an article may be helpful. It certainly was informative for me! “How much water did the Bronze Sea hold?”.
Here are three possibilities: 11,000 gallons was 2,000 baths, and 16,500 gal was 3,000 baths. 1. over the years the Hebrew letter for 2 was smudged and looked like a 3 (they are very similar). 2. The smaller number is the amount normally in the Sea, and the larger number is what it could contain if filled to overflowing. (the water level needed to be down a little, since the Priests bathed in it). 3. The quantity of water measured in a “bath” could have changed. The first bath was a Hebrew measure, and the second could have been a Babylonian one.
Okay, now that we have that nagging doubt about the veracity and accuracy of God’s Word out of my head, let’s relax and enjoy the description given in the rest of the text. This truly is amazing…
I have poured a little concrete.. just enough to know that you’d better know what you are doing when you frame it in, or you’re in trouble. To cast something in concrete is even trickier. And to cast something that is blazing hot, that has intricate details in it….is the ultimate challenge of skill. Huram must have really been something, and certainly had the Lord’s help to pull off something of this detail and magnitude. Can you imagine the weight of bronze 3 inches thick and 15 feet across? I read online that it would have weighed around 30 tons. Something that weighs 30 tons is a challenge to move even today, with our cranes and trucks. How in the world did they move that thing…and how did they set it on top of 12 bronze oxen? It would have to be lifted above them, and then gently lowered into place. If that were to be done today, it would cost many thousands of dollars. And that’s just one part of the overall task. I mean, this temple was really incredible. If it survived, it would have been one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. The enormity of the task isn’t emphasized much here, at least not as much as it could be. It took 185,000 men working for 13 years to complete most of this work. This was truly a phenomenon.
Consider for a moment the expense, labor and extravagance of the temple (setting aside Solomon’s house for a moment, which was all in addition to the temple). What does that say about God, and His wishes for His house? Does the Lord want small buildings with left over materials and occasional volunteer help to keep the dust off the previously used artifacts? Probably not. God’s House should be a place where our best efforts are contributed. The best examples of our talent should be on display there, not our left overs. Is there any amount of money that is too great to contribute to the Lord? Certainly not! And thinking of that, shouldn’t what I bring (by way of my talents) be the very best I have to offer? I shouldn’t give to the Lord the left-over remnants of my energy and skill…it should always be my best.
Having said that, I also understand the counterpoint, which is to keep the facility simple, so that we have more resources to complete the real ministry, which is sharing the message of Christ. The tension between the two points is where we live, and as long as our hearts are intent on Christ, I think whatever we choose to do will be found acceptable. Solomon’s temple had one thing going for it that would make it obsolete today, and that is that it was the single place where God dwelt. You couldn’t go to any other shrine or building and find what you could find in Solomon’s Temple. God lived within those walls, no wonder it was so ornate! But when Christ died on the Cross, the great curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in half. Behind the curtain was the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God resided. When that curtain was split, the presence of God effectively “poured out” to everyone. Access was granted!
When God authorized the Holy Spirit to come and reside within every believer we began to realize just how much access we now had! A personal relationship like this wasn’t possible in Solomon’s day. Even if the temple were to be rebuilt in all of it’s original splendor, it still wouldn’t be any more important than any one believer in Jesus Christ. Today, each believer holds within them the presence of God. We have become the “Ark of the Covenant”.
How valuable we must be to God! How honored we should feel to be considered the dwelling place of God, considering where He chose to dwell prior to living within us!
Faithfully,
PR