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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 5, NUMBER 17, MAY 1, 2005 “SO HE BUILT THE HOUSE AND FINISHED IT” Without a doubt, the single most significant accomplishment of Solomon’s reign was the construction of the magnificent temple of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem. The account of the building is found in 1 Kings 6:1-7:51 and 2 Chronicles 3:1-4:22. It was a structure, the plans of which had been given to Solomon’s father, David, by the Lord. The actual construction of this building took 7 ˝ years, rounded off by the Holy Spirit to 7 years in 1 Kings 6:38. This was a structure that occurred miraculously. The building did not just appear through the supernatural intervention of God. It took a tremendous amount of planning, including the gathering of all of the materials to be used in its construction. It took a tremendous amount of organization. Consider with me 1 Kings 5:13-16. “Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers. Now Solomon had 70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work.” We can see that all of the work was overseen by “chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work.” As we think about the overseers of the construction of the temple, one other individual comes to mind. In 2 Chronicles 2, we have the account of a message that Solomon sent to Huram, the king of Tyre. Picking up in verse 3, we find, “Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me. Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him, and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on Sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, this being required forever in Israel. And the house which I am about to build will be great; for greater is our God than all the gods. But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him? And now send me a skilled man to work n gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.” Huram answered Solomon’s request via a letter, and part of what he wrote is found in verses 13-14, “And now I am sending a skilled man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men, and with those of my lord David your father.” The temple would not have been built without the skilled guidance and direction of men who knew what they were doing and who made the construction of that facility the top priority in their lives. That is how anything of real value gets accomplished in this world. In my years of preaching I have now been involved, to various degrees, with 4, that’s FOUR, 1+1+1+1, building projects. None have ever been completed as quickly and efficiently as the classroom and office wing of our building. The framing of the building began in mid January, and last Friday was our final inspection. I am writing this on Thursday, so I don’t know what the results of that inspection will be – but it doesn’t matter as far as this article is concerned. What has been accomplished is tremendous. It was accomplished because we had someone who was skilled in moving dirt and mud, skilled in concrete, skilled in design, skilled in carpentry, skilled in roofing, skilled in insulation, skilled in flooring, skilled in plumbing and electric, skilled in dry wall and staining of woodwork – and who was absolutely single-minded in the pursuit of the goal. He made the completion of this building quickly and cost efficiently as possible – seeking every avenue to save the Lord’s money without harming the quality of the materials and workmanship, the number one priority of his time. This building would not have been completed without the incredible work ethic and organizational skills of Marvin Saylor. He is probably going to rebuke me somewhat for writing this article, but so be it. Harry Heflin and Keith Adams and many others have contributed time and effort, and everyone who did is deeply appreciated – but Marvin shouldered the burden and with the Lord’s help, and Sheila’s patience and support, brought it to fruition. Thank you, Marvin, for a job incredibly well done. Greg Litmer
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