I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 7.

It took Solomon 7 years to build the Temple, but 13 years to build his own palace. At least part of this difference is a result of the Temple being a single function building while Solomo’s palace served multiple functions. The Temple was designed and built for offering sacrifices to God and for worshiping Him. Solomon’s palace on the other hand was built as a residence and seat of government. Therefore Solomon’s palace needed living quarters, a place for Solomon to hold court and greet foreign dignitaries, and space to meet with his advisers. However, all of this being said I believe that the extra time King Solomon put into building his palace reflects the beginning of what led to his kingdom being divided upon his death.

As I mentioned when we read the description of the Tabernacle, I do not get much out of these passages which give detailed descriptions of the furnishings used in worship. That does not in any way mean that I don’t understand why some people do. That being said, today’s description of all of the bronze items King Solomon commissioned for the Temple does tell us something interesting. Bronze is an alloy made by smelting copper and tin together. While copper was relatively common in that part of the world, tin was not. In fact the tin used in the bronze here either came from the Iberian peninsula(modern day Spain and Portugal), or from even further away in Britain. The large amounts of bronze used in the Temple is the first hint we have of King Solomon’s vast trading network.