A Temple Well Founded

Last week, we saw how the opening chapters of the Bible present a paradigm that is often referred to throughout the Scriptures. In particular, the description of the richness and beauty of the garden lays the foundation for subsequent expressions of the dwelling place of God. This week, we turn our attention to Solomon’s temple, and what we discover is that Solomon’s temple is well founded on the richness and beauty of the garden, especially as it is symbolically transmitted through the tabernacle design. This reflection explores the details of that continuity to fill out our understanding of our Solomon’s temple was well founded on what came before.

With respect to the tabernacle, Solomon’s temple maintains continuity in its structure and design. Most obviously, perhaps, the cherubim in the Most Holy Place connect the furnishing of that room in the temple with the tabernacle. In the tabernacle, Moses placed the ark of the covenant, and on top of the ark rested the mercy seat, made of pure gold with two cherubim on it, facing one another with their wings overshadowing the mercy seat. Now, for the temple Solomon makes two enormous cherubim, whose outstretched wings spanned the full width of the Most Holy Place. In these figures, we see continuity with what came before in that the Most Holy Place represented heaven itself with the cherubim waiting on the Lord and guarding his throne.

Similarly, we are told in 1 Kings 6 that cherubim were carved into the walls of the rooms. That, too, marks a point of continuity with the tabernacle, because the curtains were embroidered with cherubim. So, once again, we see that Solomon is faithfully reflecting the heavenly plan for the dwelling place of God, albeit with different materials.

Once more, with respect to the furnishings elsewhere in the temple, their design reflects that of the tabernacle. First Kings 7 (ESV) reads: “So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the LORD: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple” (vv48-50). As with the structure, so with the furniture, Solomon followed the plan shown to Moses.

Taking all of this together, I hope it’s obvious that the temple was never meant to be anything other than the next step in the idea that God would dwell with his people. To be sure, the temple is a permanent structure while the tabernacle was mobile, but the continuity in structure, design, and furnishing all point to the fact that Solomon was not innovating.

Indeed, when we look even farther back in time, we may note the continuity between the temple and the garden of God. First Kings 6 tells us that the walls of the sanctuary are carved, not only with cherubim, but also with palm trees and open flowers. It seems clear to me that this particular ornamentation would lead the priests in their worship right back to the garden, for these things, trees and flowers, would have been the context for Adam’s own working and keeping of the sanctuary of God, i.e. the garden of Eden. The ornamentation, then, provided symbolic continuity between the temple and the garden, both of which served as sanctuaries as well as symbols of the goodness and richness of God. With that said, we should always remember that the goodness of the garden and the tabernacle was the consequence of God’s presence. God’s presence, of course, then becomes the key point of continuity between the garden, tabernacle, and temple. This key point of continuity then also drives the story of redemption forward, because the presence of God can pose a problem for his sinful people. Only with the coming of Christ, the fullness of God’s glory present in his temple, can this problem be resolved. The beginning of this resolution is what we celebrate in the advent season. May we, then, give thanks for the continuity that roots Christmas, and more so the life and ministry of Jesus, in the fertile soil of the Old Testament; may we give thanks that with Christmas and what follows, in particular Easter, that story is advanced for us and for our salvation; may we long for the final step to come at Christ’s second advent.