THE LESSON IN ART.

Cutting Cedars for the Temple, Doré.
Building of the Temple, by Raphael.

Solomon's Temple, from Schick's Model.*

Solomon's Temple Restored, by Fergusson.

I. DAVID'S PREPARATIONS FOR THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM, I Chron. 28 10-21; 29: 1-19. The whole of David's reign was in truth a preparation. It was as necessary that the kingdom and the people should be prepared as that the materials should be collected.

1. David established the kingdom firmly on a basis of peace.

2. He organized the priests, and choirs and orchestras for the religious services. They had become experienced before the large call for their services had come. 3. David had gathered together treasure belonging to the throne,

gold, silver,

brass (bronze or copper), iron, wood; precious stones and semi-precious stones, and marbles.

(After Geo. Adam Smith's "Jerusalem.")

1. Greater or Outer Court.

2. The Temple.

3. Court of the Temple.

4. House of the Forest of Lebanon.

5. Hall of Pillars.
6. Throne Hall.
7. King's House.
8. House of
Daughter.

had accumulated a sufficient amount.

1

Pharaoh's

4. He gave for the same purpose a large amount of his private fortune, 5000 talents of gold, 7000 talents of silver.

5. He allowed the people to have their share in giving, and they did so generously, and " rejoiced for that they offered willingly."

Some have thought that the huge sums mentioned were a mistake in transcription, or that the meaning of " talent" in this place was less or different from that to which we are accustomed. But according to an article in a recent Youth's Companion by Robert W. Woolley, formerly director of the U. S. Mint, princes and potentates gobbled up virtually all the known gold. The great accumulations of gold were the spoil of conquest, as in the case of Croesus and David. Several thousands of millions of dollars' worth of gold is hoarded in India, besides the immense amount used in the magnificent buildings for temples and tombs.

Perhaps the immense, almost unthinkable sums spent daily in the World War may indicate the presence of more of the precious things of earth than we realize.

II. SOLOMON'S PREPARATIONS FOR THE BUILDING, 1 Kings 51-18; 2 Chron. 2: I18. There is no mention of the gathering of gold, silver, or precious stones by Solomon. Probably David But there were still some things necessary. 1. Wood, for beams, sheathing boards, ceilings, chambers around the Holy House, For these purposes Solomon sent to Hiram, King of Tyre, who had been a great lover of David, and was more than glad to aid Solomon. But why did Solomon not use some of the trees which grew in his own country? Because the cedars which grew on the mountains of Lebanon were the finest wood that could be found anywhere in the world. The wood is of a red color and bitter taste, which prevents its injury by insects. It is very durable; there is in the British Museum a piece of cedar 3000 years old, taken from a palace at Nineveh. "It is tough, hard, fragrant, takes

etc.

a high polish which develops a beautiful grain, and it grows darker and richer by time." Dr. G. E. Post. These cedars were floated down the mountain streams to the Mediterranean Sea, then formed into rafts and towed to Jaffa; and thence carried to Jerusalem over probably the same route as that followed by the modern railroad. 2. Building Stones, for the great foundations, and for other parts of the building of the Holy House. Some of these are still visible far below the present level of Jerusalem. These stones came from Phoenician quarries, and some from the quarries discovered under the very rock on which Jerusalem is built. The stones were all prepared at the quarry, so that nothing was necessary when they reached the site of the temple but to lay them carefully in their proper places. By this means it was that no sound of hammer or axe or any iron tool was heard during the building (1 Kings 67).

3. Skilled Workmen. The Israelites were not skilled in this sort of work. The skilled laborers were largely Phoenicians supplied by King Hiram of Tyre. The overseers were partly Canaanites and partly Israelites. "There were 30,000 Israelites levied to do the work one month and remain home two months, in turn. Besides these there were 150,000 laborers probably from foreign subject nations." These 180,000 were for the comparatively unskilled labor.

III. THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE, 1 Kings 6: 1-38; 7: 13-51; 2 Chron. 3:1-4:22. The Site was on Mount Moriah, overlooking the valley of the Kidron and the Mount of

were finished only 30 feet in height."

The whole was situated according to the points of the compass, the front entrance being toward the east.

Its Contents. For the making of the holy things within

Candlestick, Table of Shewbread, Altar of Incense, and Ark of the Covenant.

the temple a man named Hiram or Huram, whose mother was an Israelite and father a man of Tyre," was sent by the king of Tyre to Jerusalem, as being especially skilled for that work. He made, or oversaw the making of, (1) the great brazen altar of sacrifice, 15 feet high and 30 feet square, and the brazen sea, or laver, supported by 12 huge brazen oxen, each 7 feet high. These were placed immediately in front of the entrance into the second court, so that the first things which the people could see as they entered were the altar of sacrifice for their sins, and the laver of cleanliness.

(2) The golden candlestick, signifying the guiding light from heaven; the table of shewbread, symbolizing the bread of life; and the altar of incense, symbolizing the life of prayer; all within the Holy Place, apart from the defiling influence of the world. (3) The cherubim resting on and protecting the ark of the covenant of God, representing God's presence as dwelling among his people.

I.

THEN Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

2. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

3. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4. And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

5. And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

6. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim.

Its Magnificence. "Alone and isolated in its grandeur stood the Temple Mount. Terrace upon terrace its courts rose, till high above the city, within the enclosure of marble cloisters, the temple itself stood out, a mass of snowy marble and of gold, glittering in the sunlight against the half-encircling background of Olivet.. Nor has there been in ancient or modern times a sacred building equal to the temple, whether for situation or magnificence."-Edersheim.

IV. THE CEREMONIES OF THE DEDICATION, 1 Kings 8: 1-66; 2 Chron. 5-7. "No building in the world has ever been more widely famous than the Temple of Solomon. The ceremony of the Dedication was by far the most magnificent that

Solomon's Temple.

the nation had ever seen. So immense were the preparations that it had to be postponed for nearly a year. It was thus nearly coincident with the autumn Feast of Tabernacles." - Far

rar.

After the Temple had been completed and the most of its furniture placed, a great assembly of all the people of Israel gathered for the dedication ceremonies. The first and central act in the great pageant was the carrying of the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, where David had years Jerusalem (see Lesson V. of

Note that there was no repetition of the mistake once made in the carrying of the ark, the priests took up the ark (v. 3). With the ark were brought the tabernacle, and all the holy vessels which had been used during the long period when the tabernacle was the central place of worship in the land. The tabernacle and its furnishings were no doubt brought from Gibeon, where they were when Solomon began his reign (1 Kings 3:4). Now once again the ark and the tabernacle were reunited. Preceding the ark, as a guard of honor, were all Israel, led by the king in person. Sacrifices were offered, so many that they could not be told nor numbered for multitude (v. 5).

7. For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

8. And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.

9. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD.

II. So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

Then the priests placed the ark in the oracle of the house, the Most Holy Place which had been prepared for it, under the wings of the cherubim, which represented the presence of God, to which after this time no one but the high priest was allowed to approach.

Verse 8 should be read in the Revised Version, for a real understanding of its meaning, "the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle; but they were not seen without."

9. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables, etc. "There had never been anything else in the ark; the book of the law and the pot of manna and Aaron's rod were beside or before the ark (Deut. 31: 26; Ex. 16: 33; Num. 17: 10). It is easier to think that the author of Hebrews 9: 4 has confused his phraseology than to think that he was ignorant concerning these Old Testament statements." Prof. Willis J. Beecher, D.D.

Solomon took his seat in the presence of the people on a brazen scaffold 41⁄2 feet high, 7 feet broad, and 7 feet long.

The order of exercises, according to Professor Beecher, was:

1. Sentences pronounced by the king, facing the sanctuary (vs. 12, 13).

2. Solomon turns and blesses the people, all standing (v. 14).

3. Address by Solomon, standing on the scaffold (vs. 15-21).

4. Dedicatory prayer, by Solomon, kneeling (vs. 23-53);

5. Psalm 132, Arise O God" (2 Chron. 6: 41, 42), probably by the great whiterobed choir and orchestra that stood to the east of the altar. Fire descended, the glory filled the house, and the people prostrated themselves (2 Chron. 7: 1-3). 6. The response by the people, "For his mercy endureth forever." 7. Solomon's closing address, 1 Kings 8: 54-61.

The space near the huge altar was occupied by groups of musicians robed in white, and holding in their hands the glittering harps and cymbals and the psalteries. A hundred and twenty trumpeters, all priests, rent the air with the sudden blast of their silver trumpets as the king took his seat in his gorgeous robes, conspicuous in his manly beauty.

the

The mighty song of praise swelled from innumerable voices. The whole congregation were wrought to the highest pitch, and amid the blaze of sudden gloryShekinah, or glory-cloud, the token of God's approval. "The cloud was the veil that hid the glory of the Lord, for that glory was too bright to be seen by mortal eyes. This was the same as the pillar of cloud and of fire that guided the people through the wilderness."

V. PUTTING OUR BEST INTO THE HOUSE OF GOD. In all this work, which was going on for seven years, Solomon was putting his best into the House of God. The building did not attract attention from its size, or the grandeur of its architecture, Egypt held many more wonderful in these particulars, but because of its interior beauty and gorgeousness.

The great cathedrals of Europe, for the most part built during the Middle Ages, are so grand and so huge that they entirely overshadow the little dwellings of the people. There are treasures enough in some of them to keep the poor of the city from suffering for many a day, were they so used.

On the other hand there are wayside shrines, mission churches of mud and straw

or rough-hewed timber. What are the marks by which we may know the true church of God? And how may we be sure that the best of what the people had was put into it?

For some of the great churches the poor were taxed, and were forced to work long hours for small pay; the churches were built more for the glory of the nobleman of the region than for the glory of God. Did he put his best into it? Was his the best

that was put into it?

Illustration. In a poem, "The King's Temple," a certain king planned to build a temple to God, by himself alone.

"From gilded spire to the great crypt stone,

It shall be my offering, and mine alone."

On a great white stone in the chancel his name was carved. But one night he dreamed that his name was gone, and a woman's name was in its place. After long search, he found an aged dame bearing that name.

""What work have you done?' the monarch said.

'I've built all the Abbey, and asked no aid.'

'If the king had asked us, I often thought,

I could not have given, for I have naught.

But when the builders were ready to sink,

I carried some water, and gave them to drink.'"

There are those who believe that the house of God should be no better than the average home of the people who worship in it. Would that be putting one's best into the house of God? Would it be doing Him the honor that is His due ? We can learn some lessons in church building from Solomon's Temple. "A true church is an echo of God," said Joseph Cook. And the building should be the fittest instrument for expressing and repeating that echo, that men may know and feel the character and love of God. Its foundation must be deep, strong, and enduring. It is built (1 Cor. 3: 11) upon Jesus Christ. Its structure should, with the best beauty and costliness at our command, be as perfectly as possible adapted to accomplish the object for which it was built. All the genius and invention and taste which are used in our dwellings and stores and factories and public halls should be applied to the church building. It should be better adapted to its work of teaching the children, of reaching the masses, of helping the poor, of training its people in Christian work, than the best machinery in the best factory in the town is adapted to its work. It should be a real home, a family home for all the people. And being for all the people, it should be as beautiful and cheerful as possible. The poorest have a part in it as much as the richest. Mr. Ruskin is right in insisting that the public buildings should be the best in the city. The church should stand before the community as the expression to the world that religion is the most important thing there. A church that is the best building in the city for its purpose, and work, continually points men to heaven, keeps before their minds the importance of religion, and speaks to them of better things. The worship must best express our devotion and spiritual life, and proclaim the true God to all men. the gospel over all the world is an act of worship.

Ancient Shrines.

gratitude to God, must train in Giving to the poor and to spread The church is not a club-house