The Charge to Solomon

As we have seen, God had selected Solomon to be king, just as he selected David to replace Saul. Each of the three rulers were taken for a purpose and their lives were to illustrate the Plan of God in the 6,000 years of the creation from Adam and the closure of Eden leading up to the millennial rest of Jesus Christ.

1Kings 2:1-46 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, ² I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;³ And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: ⁴ That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. ⁵ Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. ⁶ Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. ⁷ But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.⁸And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. ⁹ Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood. ¹⁰So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.¹¹ And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

David had seen the problems caused by those who had affected him, such as Joab, and Shimei the Benjamite, and he entrusted Solomon with their punishment in blood. Solomon was entrusted with the kingship and had specific duties. From that time also he was given wisdom in discernment and the first instance we saw was with the sentence on Adonijah.

¹² Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. ¹³ And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. ¹⁴ He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. ¹⁵ And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD. ¹⁶ And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.¹⁷ And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. ¹⁸ And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. ¹⁹ Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. ²⁰ Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. ²¹ And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. ²² And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. ²³ Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. ²⁴ Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. ²⁵And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

Solomon had spared the lives of these men conditionally upon their proper conduct and loyalty. Adonijah’s request shows his intent on the throne after he had consolidated the marriage of Abishag the Shunamite, as she was David’s last companion and held in high esteem. It would have provided the link that Adonijah wanted to attempt to seize the throne again.

Solomon spared the life of Abiathar, the priest, because he bore the Ark of the Covenant before David. However, he banished him to Anathoth. This was the home of the prophets also.

²⁶ And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. ²⁷ So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. ²⁸ Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ²⁹ And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. ³⁰ And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.³¹And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. ³² And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. ³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD. ³⁴So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. ³⁵And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. ³⁶And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. ³⁷ For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. ³⁸ And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. ³⁹ And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. ⁴⁰ And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. ⁴¹ And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. ⁴² And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. ⁴³Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? ⁴⁴The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; ⁴⁵And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.⁴⁶ So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. (KJV)

Shimei, the Benjamite, could not be trusted as he had raised a rebellion and was capable of doing it again. The charge was given to him so that when he broke it, as he disregarded the charges of the king previously, he could be killed without blame.

Solomon then began the task of establishing trading alliances by marriage with the neighbouring rulers. This practice was to ultimately bring him undone and divide the kingdom under his son. God did not do that in his reign because the Plan of God was to be revealed in it, and it was not to be marred in any way that would reflect on the rule of Christ and the Church, which Solomon’s reign was to symbolise. This entire sequence was to constitute the plan of salvation, known as the Key of David, and must remain complete until the restoration of the Last Days.

Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh before the Temple was constructed. This was no doubt done to secure peace with Egypt until he had finished the Temples.

The Pharaoh concerned was of the 21^st Tanite Dynasty that ruled Egypt from ca. 1070-945 BCE. This Pharaoh would have been Psusennes II Titkheprure (ca. 976-962), and he was succeeded by Siamun Nutekhepere (ca. 962-945). Solomon reigned for forty years to ca. 933 BCE. Thus, his relatives in Egypt were secure over his reign and peace was fairly assured. The Tanite Dynasty was displaced by the 22^nd Dynasty (945-730 BCE), which was founded by Sheshonq I. He was descended from former Libyan mercenaries, the Meshwesh. He supported Jeroboam against Rehoboam king of Judah, perhaps because of Rehoboam’s father Solomon’s alliance and marriage to the Tanite princess. He campaigned in Palestine ca. 930 and laid tribute on Judah.

In this text in 1Kings 3 we see the wisdom given to Solomon as he had asked, and it was demonstrated in his judgments.

1Kings 3:1-28 And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. ²Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days. ³ And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. ⁴ And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. ⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. ⁶And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. ⁸And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. ⁹Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? ¹⁰And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; ¹² Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. ¹³ And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. ¹⁴And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. ¹⁵ And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. ¹⁶ Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. ¹⁷And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. ¹⁸And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. ¹⁹ And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. ²⁰ And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.²¹ And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. ²²And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. ²³Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. ²⁴And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵ And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. ²⁶ Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. ²⁷Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. ²⁸And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment. (KJV)

It was the capacity to see to the heart of the matter, and see the heart of the person under judgment that made Solomon great. Adonijah’s intent was clear, as was the motivation behind the harlot who would see the child dead. No true mother would do that even one who genuinely thought the child was her own rather than the other woman’s child. The motivation behind a woman who would see a child cut in half just to ensure another woman was not happy is a twisted mindset, and Solomon was able to get at the heart of the matter by a simple test and answer. Many in Israel were disconcerted at this news, as they knew that by his judgment in great matters he would be able to see through any ruse or deceit of theirs.

The blessing of Solomon is also recorded in Chronicles.

2Chronicles 1:1-17 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God [was] with him, and magnified him exceedingly. ² Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.

At the outset, Solomon set out to worship God and be loyal and diligent.

2Chronicles 1:3-6 So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that [was] at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. ⁴But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. ⁵ Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. ⁶ And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which [was] at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. (KJV)

As a result of his loyalty and obedience Solomon was asked by the Elohim (that we know as Jesus Christ) what he wanted.

⁷ In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

Solomon here asked for wisdom and as a result received far more.

Chronicles 1:8-17 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. ⁹Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. ¹⁰ Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? ¹¹ And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: ¹² Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. ¹³ Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. ¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ¹⁵And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. ¹⁶ And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. ¹⁷ And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means. (KJV)

This text shows that the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria were allies with Solomon, and were provided with chariots and horses for their armies to the north of Israel, while Solomon’s alliances and commerce secured the border with Egypt under the 21^st (Tanite) Dynasty, as it controlled the Nile Delta and the north of Egypt. The Syrians kept the lands to the Euphrates and ensured peace to the North East. At that time, the Hittite alliance of Hatti and Kalti (Celts) stretched from the north of what is now Lebanon, to the north of Turkey, to the borders of the lands of Meshech and Tubal in the north and eastwards towards the Caspian. They extended to the remains of the former kingdom of Wilusia and the city of Troy, which was destroyed in the last years of Eli’s rule as judge in Israel. They were to become mingled with Israel in alliance from then until after Israel’s captivity in 722 BCE. The Assyrians placed the Ten Tribes to the north between them and the Celts as a buffer to protect themselves. The Israelites in turn mingled and formed part of the horde with the Parthian Celts into Scythia because of these earlier alliances. They subsequently entered Europe in the second century CE.

Today they are a group of people with differing languages spread over North-West Europe, distinguished only by their YDNA Haplogroups but totally interbred by matrilineal mtDNA. The Hittite Celts and the Lost Ten Tribes are now both the children of Abraham (see the papers The Genetic Origin of the Nations (No. 265) and War of Hamon-Gog (No. 294)).

The Administration of Solomon

1Kings 4:1-34 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.² And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, ³ Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. ⁴ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:⁵And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend: ⁶And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. ⁷ And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.

Thus, the twelve tribes were detailed to supply for the provisions of the household in Jerusalem on the basis of one month per tribe. In like manner, the priesthood and Levites were divided among the tribes on the basis of two divisions per tribe, and these received the tithe also from those tribes and paid the tithe of the tithe to the Temple at Jerusalem, which was under Zadok.

Appendices 1 and 2 deal with the Egyptian Dynasties related in the Bible and with the time-frames of the Key of David. Appendices 3 and 4 deal with the significance of the Levitical Priesthood established from and with the Temple, and also with the Mighty Men of Israel, of the thirty and the seven and the administration.

These are the names of the twelve officers of the tribal levies.

⁸ And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:⁹ The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: ¹⁰ The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: ¹¹ The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: ¹² Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: ¹³The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:¹⁴Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: ¹⁵Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: ¹⁶Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: ¹⁷ Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: ¹⁸Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: ¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land. ²⁰ Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. ²¹ And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. ²²And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, ²³Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. ²⁴ For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. ²⁵ And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. ²⁶And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. ²⁸ Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. ²⁹ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. ³⁰And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. ³² And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.³³And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ³⁴And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. (KJV)

Solomon thus wrote the Book of Proverbs and the full number thereof was three thousand.

Solomon was thus a botanist and an expert in animals, birds and fish. He became expert in the structure and extent of the creation.

When he became King, Hiram of Tyre set about establishing his relationship with Solomon as he had with David. This was what David had sought to do with the Ammonites, but they were foolish enough to insult and provoke David. Solomon did not do that to Hiram. Instead he enlisted his aid in the provision of materials for the Temple. So too are the Gentiles enlisted in the construction of the Spiritual Temple, which is the Church of God.

1Kings 5:1-18 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.² And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, ³ Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.⁴But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. ⁵ And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. ⁶Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. ⁷ And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. ⁸ And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. ⁹ My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. ¹⁰ So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. ¹¹ And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. ¹² And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. ¹³And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. ¹⁵ And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; ¹⁶ Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. ¹⁷ And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. ¹⁸ And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. (KJV)

The just methods of dealing with Hiram were different from the sorts of ways that the more powerful kings acted in those days towards less powerful neighbours. The usual way was to oppress them, but Solomon treated his father’s friend with honour and just terms in all he did, and they both prospered. It is on equal terms and with honour that the Gentiles of all nations enter the Kingdom of God, and are added to the Temple of God. In the same way the Hittites of the north were fused with Israel in later years and spread throughout Europe.

(End tape 282C1)

The Key of David

There is a specific text regarding the matter of the Key of David. It is mentioned as applying to the Church of the Philadelphians. The promise is made by Christ that he has the Key of David and that he will give it to the Church of the Philadelphians.

Revelation 3:7-8 These things saith the Holy One the True One, the One having the key of David, the [One] opening and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens; I know your works. Behold, I have given a door being opened before you and no one is able to shut it, for you have a little power and have kept my word, and have not denied my name. (KJV)

Now it is one thing to claim the name of the Church of the Philadelphians and say you have the Key of David, and quite another thing to behave as a Philadelphian and exercise the Key and explain its power and meaning. This Church actually carries the name of God and is given the open door through the power of God. No one can stop that Church from its work. It proclaims the nature of the Faith and the power of Eloah as the One True God.

In Revelation 3:7, we see that God reveals Himself as He that is Holy, He that is true, and He that has the Key of David. Thus, it is the worship of this entity that provides the basis of the Key of David. In Revelation 1:4, we see that it is from God, who was and is and is to come, and from the seven spirits of God which are before His throne, that the revelation is given.

From chapter 4 the Revelation then proceeds to declare the holiness of God with some seventeen heavenly utterances from Revelation 4:8,11; 5:9-10,12-14; 7:10,12; 11:15,17-18; 12:10-12; 14:13; 15:3-4; 19:1-8.

God’s holiness is proclaimed prior to judgment in Revelation 4:8, and as we see in Psalms 93, 97, 99 and Isaiah 6:3.

So what is the Key of David? Why is it important to the work of the Church of the Last Days?

There is obviously some aspect of the life of David that contains a key to the function of the Plan of God as it relates to the Church. That key opens the Mysteries of God to the Church in the Last Days, and the Church of the Philadelphians is given that open door to explain it, and to do the works of God through Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Last Days.

David was the key figure in the story of the Rule of the Kings. He was born in the reign of Saul and grew up to become the Lord’s Anointed. When he was thirty he assumed the kingship and reigned forty years. He handed over the kingship to Solomon and was thus alive in all three kingships.

The major thing he did in his life was to consolidate Israel in peace, and assemble a mighty collection of materials for the construction of the Temple. He planned its construction and wrote the Psalms for its worship. The major aspect of the rule of David was the Temple. Even though he did not build the Temple himself, it is nevertheless his role in that project that forms the key to understanding the Plan of God. In understanding David’s role, and the significance of the kings in that process, we understand the Plan of God to the reign of Jesus Christ and on under the Churches of God.

The understanding of the plan and the sequence is given to the people entrusted with it by the One True God, Eloah, in time as He determines to reveal the Mysteries of God to the world. Thus the One True God, Eloah, is the central place of worship in the Church of the Philadelphians. They cannot therefore be Ditheist, or Binitarian, much less Trinitarian.

God gives His understanding of the Key of David to his servants the prophets, and we see from the prophets what exactly is entailed in this Key.

The prophet Isaiah mentions the Key of David specifically.

Isaiah 22:17-25 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. ¹⁸He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. ¹⁹And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. ²⁰And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: ²¹And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. ²²And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. ²³And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. ²⁴And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. ²⁵In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it. (KJV)

The Key of David is thus an aspect of prophecy and of understanding the process of the Government of God.

The person here is referred to in 2Kings 18:18-26. Thus the Key of David was entrusted to Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who was head of the household in Hezekiah’s reign when the Assyrians came up against Jerusalem. When they had called to Hezekiah, Eliakim came out with Shebna the scribe and Joah (the son of Asaph) the recorder as heralds. Eliakim rent his clothes when he told Hezekiah of the words of Rab-shakeh the messenger of the king of Assyria, and Hezekiah rent his clothes also and sent him Isaiah, son of Amoz, the prophet.

Isaiah uttered the oracle of the Valley of the Vision in chapter 22. In this chapter he refers to Jerusalem and the “Valley of the Vision”, which was the area where the most solemn visions had been seen firstly with Abraham (Gen. 22:2,14; cf. the name Yahovah Yireh; and also that of David in 1Chr. 21:16,28; and the many visions of Isaiah 1:1; 6:1-4; The Septuagint reads Zion). Shebna was stated to be the treasurer and he was to be sent into captivity. He may well have been an alien or heathenised Jew. He was apostate and God said that He would drive him from his station and remove him (Isa. 22:17-19).

Thus the overthrow of apostasy was involved in the establishment of Eliakim in the place of the apostate Shebna.

Shebna was the one who thought he was the nail in the house of the Lord with the Key of David. However, he was overthrown and removed and the true servant of God established. The prophecy deals with the system that will be established, and the true oracles of God (which will be set up as the Key of David) as were set up originally. Thus the true oracles of God are set in place at the last phase before the Witnesses take their stations (see the paper The Witnesses (No. 135)). The system of the Church that was before it is replaced, and the Gospel is preached once and for all. The system of the Plan of Salvation and the Mysteries of God are delineated for the whole world as a witness, and then the end of this age shall come.

This text was to deal with the captivity and then the restoration of the Temple at Jerusalem under a prophet of sound knowledge, who was able to restore the Temple system and to deal with the Mysteries.

From this text we see that there were to be two dispersions and two restorations of the Temple system. Thus the Key of David was in understanding when those dispersions and restorations occurred and how they would be carried out. It is also clear that the first Restoration was to be by Judah under an appointed priest. Hezekiah was responsible for one of the restorations but so was Josiah, and then after the dispersion there was Nehemiah and Ezra, as we see here with Hezekiah and Eliakim. The restorations down to Christ are examined in the paper The Seven Great Passovers of the Bible (No.107).

There were thus two Temples: one from Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity, and the Second Temple from the construction in the reign of Darius II through Ezra and Nehemiah to the Destruction in 70 CE (see the paper The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13)).

The Last Restoration is to be for the Third and final Temple. That phase is to be by the Church in the work of the Last Days. The Philadelphian system explains the process prior to Messiah’s return and then carries it out under the Messiah at His return for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. There will be two phases of this restoration for both the Spiritual Temple and then the physical restoration of the Physical Temple at Jerusalem, and the establishment of its religious system for the rule of the planet as prophesied by Ezekiel.

We will see how the Key of David is the opening of the Mysteries of God as they concern the Temple, and its ultimate construction as a spiritual edifice that is the Church of God in which God dwells in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We will now look at the significance of the dates and sequence of the revelation of God.

The Temple is Commenced

We see that in the 480^th year after the children of Israel came out of Egypt the Temple was commenced. Israel had been in its land for 440 years (or eleven cycles of repentance) and still the Temple had not been started. It was commenced in the year 968/7 BCE in the fourth year of the reign of King Solomon.

Israel had been 40 years in the wilderness and then 436 years under the Judges (see the paper Samson and the Judges (No. 73)), and then under Saul and David; and now four years under Solomon.

Relevance to the Exodus

The Exodus occurred in the year 1448/7 BCE. If we take the earliest chronology offered that would make the Pharaoh of the Exodus Amenhotep II (1450-1412 BCE). If we take the later chronology of say Oxford then the Pharaoh is Thumoses III. The Karnak Stele erected by Amenhotep II’s son Thutmose IV speaks of the campaign in year 2 of his father’s reign (1448 BCE would be in that year of his reign based on the earlier chronology). There he is recorded as having a victory over the Asiatics, but the record of the booty is pitiful (quiver of arrows, etc.) and it is obviously a disaster for them. It seems he merely brought back a few strays.

The Karnak Stele says he captured 18 people and 16 horses. In the ninth Egyptian month of year 2 he captured 2 horses, 1 chariot, a coat of mail, 2 bows and a quiver of arrows and a corselet and an unknown object less important.

Then, in the following month, he faced a rebellion on returning to central Egypt among a garrison town of infantry at the behest of its occupants. He quotes this as a victory also, but it is Thutmoses IV that does so after his father’s death. This view would accord with the Exodus account. These accounts are not records of victories.

After quelling the rebellion he tried to save face. It appears as though he then attacked Gaza after the Exodus disaster and brought back 550 men, and 240 of their wives, and also some 612 kilograms of gold and 45 tonnes of copper.

This is based on the earlier chronology. However, this view is now challenged. It makes no difference whatsoever as to which Pharaoh was at the Exodus as both their reigns could easily have accommodated the Exodus from what is known of them.

The name Moses is derived from the family of the 18^th Dynasty of Egypt. It appears, on the earlier chronology, that Amenhotep II succeeded his father in the 39^th year of Moses’ sojourn in Midian. Moses was 79 years of age. Amenhotep’s father was Thutmoses III Mekhepere.

Moses’ foster mother was the daughter of Ahmose I Nebpehtyre (ca. 1570-1546) founder of the 18th Dynasty, and thus Moses was named for that fact. Moses was born in 1528 BCE. Depending on the chronology used, it was either in the reign of Amenhotep I Djesekare (early dates ca. 1546-1527) who became Moses’ foster uncle, or in the reign of Amosis I, which seems to be the correct chronology. He would have thus died when Moses was almost two years old. Thutmose I Akheperkare succeeded him and he was succeeded by Thutmose II Akheperence. He was succeeded by Queen Hatshepsut Maakare (see Appendix 1 for analysis). She reigned as co-regent with her young nephew Thutmose III on the death of Thutmose II in 1498. Older documentation from the 1960-1970s held that Thutmose III reigned conjointly with Thutmose II from 1504 to 1498 BCE. That was based on an unsustainable reign of 35 years for Thutmosis IV (ibid.). The modern chronology states Thutmose III reigned from 1479-1425.

It is thus a complete fiction to assert that Moses knew the Pharaoh of the Exodus at all other than by name, until he appeared before him. These facts and sequence can be deduced from the detail given here regarding the Temple, coupling them with the finds of modern archaeology.

The Temple was begun in the Second month of Zif or Iyar of the 480^th year from the Exodus. The Second month was required for the consecration of the Temple sequence in the First month as required by Law.

The Exodus occurred in the 26^th year of the 51^st Jubilee. This was the fifth year of the fourth cycle of the Jubilee, the year of Grace when the Law was given at Sinai.

The Temple was commenced in the Sixth year of the first cycle of the 61st Jubilee from the closure of Eden in the Jubilee year of 3974 BCE. The period was exactly 3006 years from Adam’s expulsion and immediately following the Jubilee at the halfway mark in the rule of Satan. This was to mark the turn of the creation in the Plan of God. In a way, this was a divine parody of the worship of the Sun God where after the solstice the sun begins its ascendant in the worship of the Mystery Cults of Satan.

Thus the 480 years marked the commencement. It took twenty years to complete the work of the Temple and the King’s house, and the work was completed in the 500^th year from the Exodus. It took seven years and seven months to complete the Temple building itself but twenty years overall. Thus it was exactly ten Jubilees from the removal of Israel as God’s chosen nation from Egypt to the completion of the first physical Temple, and the establishing of Israel as the focal point of worship at Jerusalem.

It was the same time-frame for the restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah to the declaration of the Jubilee under Christ, and the establishment of the Church from Jerusalem.

The Seventy Weeks of Years of Daniel 9:25ff. went from the construction of the Temple to the destruction and dispersal at the end of the 490 years, and the Jubilee saw the 497 years of the cycle (see the paper The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13)).

The 1263.5 days of the Witnesses are added as a section of this period at the end. These are the two golden lampstands that stand before the god of this Earth.

From Ezra to Christ and on to the Millennium is 49 Jubilees, ending in 2027.

Christ’s ministry, as the son of David, began in 28 CE and the Forty Jubilees given to the world for repentance ends in the 120^th Jubilee in 2027. Prior to this period, the Witnesses will deal with the Earth from Jerusalem at the Temple site. They will preach 1260 days and lie dead for three and a half days, after which they will be resurrected. That is the last marker before the Messiah returns in all glory.

2028 begins the Fiftieth or Golden Jubilee of Jubilees from the Restoration of the Temple as the second physical Temple at Jerusalem.

Thus the Golden Jubilee is the First Jubilee of the millennial system. That period is used to re-establish the physical Temple and the Law of God from Jerusalem. The Earth will almost be destroyed by 2027. The Jubilee from 2028 to 2077 will see the Earth restored to all its glory, with the administration of the camp of the saints at Jerusalem.

The return from Babylon under Ezra and Nehemiah for the Reading of the Law, and the restoration at Jerusalem for the Second Temple, marked the commencement to Christ in the same way the Exodus marked the commencement under Moses to the completion of the First Temple at Jerusalem. That period was to see the destruction of the physical Temple and its dispersion.

It will be exactly fifty Jubilees from Nehemiah and Ezra’s Restoration to the establishment of the millennial system under Christ and the construction of the millennial Temple. There are forty-nine Jubilees to 2027. The Fiftieth Jubilee is 2028 to 2077. In that Jubilee the construction of the Houses of worship and administration will take place in Jerusalem. The Millennial Temple, or House of Worship of the One True God under the rule of Messiah and the elohim who are the elect, will be finished in that Jubilee.

The subjugation and the sanctification of the nations take place over the last 21 years of the 120^th Jubilee, that is, from 2006 to Atonement of 2027 (see the paper Sanctification of the Nations (No. 77)).

The restoration of the system takes place from that time. Christ will return prior to that time to save the elect. If he did not there would be no flesh saved alive (see also the paper The Last Thirty Years: the Final Struggle (No. 219) and Forty Years for Repentance (No. 290)).

The First Temple

David passed the rule to Solomon in the First year of the 61^st Jubilee. The preparation began so that the Temple could be built for the Reading of the Law in that Jubilee. It was to take twenty years to complete the House of God and the King’s house and the other houses (see below). The completion of it all was done by the 25^th year of the 61^st Jubilee.

The Temple was commenced in the Fourth year of Solomon’s reign, the year 968 BCE.

The entire construction and outfitting of the House of God and the associated buildings was completed in the Seventh month called Ethanim, or Tishri, and the Feast was held for 14 days.

As we see below, the actual construction of the building itself took seven years and seven months and was completed in the Eighth month of the Eleventh year of Solomon’s reign. The completion was thus not in time for the Feast of Tabernacles in that year. Thus there is another significance to this period. The Temple was commenced after the Passover, in the Second month of the Fourth year of Solomon and completed in the Eighth month of Bul, or Heshavan (October/November in the 487^th year from the Exodus, being the year 961 BCE).

These time sequences also form a part of the Key of David. The time-frames mentioned separately are also of significance to the period of the Last Days from the return of the Messiah and the establishment of the Spiritual Temple, and the final completion of the physical structure of the Temple in Jerusalem.

By the 28^th year of the Jubilee the Law was read in the House of God in Jerusalem. The entire period of construction covered 21 years of the Sanctification for the Temple. By the Sabbath year it was ready. The 29^th year commenced another 21 years of the period leading up to the Jubilee, and thus the nation was sanctified over that period also. It was then to be three thousand years until the establishment of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ at the 120^th Jubilee of the creation from the closure of Eden, which is due in 2027 CE.

The next 60 Jubilees were to mark the construction of the physical system and its passing into the spiritual system of the Church and the government of God. It is clear that God works to the Jubilee system and uses periods of Jubilees in blocks of 10, 20 and 40.

From the OT texts it is clear that a Messiah had to arise in the Jubilee of 27 CE and his ministry had to commence in 28 CE. He had to die to save sinners. It is equally clear that he had to make Atonement and he had to return as the King Messiah. That time-frame had to cover the six thousand years of the creation of God and end with the 120^th Jubilee in 2027.

From that time the period of Messianic Rule would commence from 2028 to 3027, being the Sabbath rest of the Messiah. After that period comes the Judgment following the Second or General Resurrection of the Dead.

The texts read:

1Kings 6:1-38 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. ²And 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. ³And 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.⁴And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. ⁵And 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: ⁶The 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. ⁷And 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. ⁸ 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. ⁹So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. ¹⁰And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

The stones of the Temple were made ready elsewhere and brought to the site. In the same way the living stones are made ready away from Jerusalem and brought there for the establishment of the Spiritual Temple at the return of Christ. They are perfect, and required no work on site, being a building fitly framed together.

There are thus two phases to the construction: one in the establishment of the Living Stones; the other in the physical system under the Law at Jerusalem.

In the construction of the Temple the word of God then was given to Solomon, establishing a covenant with Israel that was conditional to obedience.

¹¹ And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, ¹² Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: ¹³ And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. ¹⁴ So Solomon built the house, and finished it. ¹⁵ And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. ¹⁶ And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. ¹⁷ And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.¹⁸ And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. ¹⁹ And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. ²⁰ And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar. ²¹ So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. ²² And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold. ²³ And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. ²⁴ And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. ²⁵ And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. ²⁶ The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. ²⁷ And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. ²⁸ And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. ²⁹ And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. ³⁰And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. ³¹And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. ³² The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. ³³ So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. ³⁴ And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. ³⁵ And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work. ³⁶ And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams. ³⁷ In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: ³⁸And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. (KJV)

This is the first sequence of the Key of David and it relates to the primary structure, which is the House of God made of Living Stones; and that sequence relates to the return of the Messiah and its completion for the Nations.

Solomon’s House

Solomon’s house took thirteen years to build, then he built the house of the Forest of Lebanon also. The Temple was the major effort and it all took twenty years. He also set Pharaoh’s daughter up in her own house.

The sequence, as we see, is seven years and seven months for the House of God and then thirteen years for the House of the King, the Porch of Judgment, and the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

1Kings 7:1-51 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. ² He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.³ And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row. ⁴ And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks. ⁵And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.⁶And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them. ⁷ Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other. ⁸ And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch. ⁹All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. ¹⁰And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. ¹¹ And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars. ¹²And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

Hiram assisted in the construction. Hiram king of Tyre was half-Israelite. His father was of Tyre and his mother was a widow of the tribe of Napthali. So too are the allied nations of Israel today as we see in the texts mentioned herein.

¹³ And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. ¹⁴ He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. ¹⁵ For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. ¹⁶ And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: ¹⁷ And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter. ¹⁸ And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter. ¹⁹ And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. ²⁰ And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter. ²¹ And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. ²² And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished. ²³ And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. ²⁴ And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. ²⁵ It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. ²⁶ And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. ²⁷ And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. ²⁸And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: ²⁹ And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. ³⁰ And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.³¹ And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round. ³² And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.³³And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten. ³⁴ And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself. ³⁵ And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same. ³⁶For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about. ³⁷ After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size. ³⁸ Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. ³⁹ And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south. ⁴⁰ And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD: ⁴¹ The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; ⁴²And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars; ⁴³ And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases; ⁴⁴ And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea; ⁴⁵And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright brass. ⁴⁶ In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan. ⁴⁷And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out. ⁴⁸ And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, ⁴⁹And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, ⁵⁰And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple. ⁵¹ So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD. (KJV)

The names of the pillars of the Temple are derived from the names of two Israelites. One, Jachin, was a Simeonite, the ancestor of the Jachinites. The second, Boaz, was a member of Judah. The story of Boaz is well known. He became the husband of Ruth and the father of Obed and Jesse and David and thence to the Messiah (see the paper Ruth (No. 27)). His name Boaz (SHD 1162) is from an unused root of uncertain meaning and was only applied to this man, the ancestor of David. With different vowels it may relate to being strengthened.

The name of Jachin (Yachin, SHD 3199) means: He will establish, or Yah (or more fully Yaho[vah]) will establish and can be more readily seen as a reference to the meaning of the name in God as being the One who will establish.

Although we cannot discount the fact that as Simeon was to be scattered in Israel, he may also have been an ancestor of David, and that David named both pillars for the strong ancestors of his line as examples of the Faith.

It is much more likely that the symbolism of the names point to the role of God in the establishment of the Spiritual Temple of God.

Whilst the name of Boaz is not as clear in meaning, it also is explained by his redemptive role in the story of Ruth. Thus the two pillars at the entrance to the Temple mean: He strengthens (Bullinger says: in Him is strength) and He establishes. Those meanings point to the central acts of the construction of the final spiritual Temple of God.

They also have specific meaning and their measurements are given differently in a number of texts. These are not contradictions, but rather variations on the way they were measured.

In 1Kings 7:15-16, the two pillars are stated to measure 18 cubits high for one pillar, and the second pillar was twelve cubits in girth. The capitals were 5 cubits.

The totals of pillar and capitals are thus 23 cubits high and 12 cubits in girth

We assume that both pillars are symmetrical and it is merely worded as it is to show the measurements of height and girth for the both pillars. Jeremiah 52:21-22 gives exactly the same height for the pillars and capitals. 2Kings 25:17 says the pillars were 18 high, plus 3 cubits for the capitals. This measurement in all probability excluded the leaf decoration, which was lily work as mentioned in the texts (1Kgs. 7:22).

The text in 2Chronicles gives the pillars a combined measurement of 35 cubits and 5 for the capitals. So, the pillars are 35 cubits at 17.5 cubits each with a half cubit for the join, and the pedestals were 5 cubits.

Commentators rarely examine the intention of the text. The number forty is the number of repentance, and the pillars symbolise the redemption of God and His establishment over the period of repentance allocated to the individual. The pillars represent the development of a man by the intervention of God. The ratios of each pillar are 1 to 6 plus 2/3, w