Intermediate Level, Block 7, Week 62: Solomon—Building a House for God

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Intermediate Level, Block 7—Kingdom Degrading

Week 62
Solomon—Building a House for God

Point to Emphasize: We need to be those who carry out instructions according to how they were given.

Reference Reading: 1 Chronicles 22—23; 1 Kings 5—8

Memory Verse: Hear instruction, and be wise; / And do not neglect it. (Proverbs 8:33)

Story Sample

Last week we learned about someone who was concerned for God’s house because he was a man according to God’s heart—who was he? That’s right, it was King David. Because David cared for what was on God’s heart, God gave the design of the house to David. And David prepared everything, all the materials, according to the design. David really wanted to build it for God; instead, God promised that David’s son would build the house for God.

So when Solomon, David’s son, became king, David gave his son the charge to build the house for God. Now Solomon was a very wise man. In fact, he was the wisest man in all the land, because God had given him wisdom and understanding of heart. But do you think he built the house of God according to his wise mind? He could have looked at the design and said, “I think I can improve this part and that part, maybe change this part a little bit.” No! In fact, Solomon was very wise by actually listening to instructions; he built the temple according to his father’s charge, with the materials prepared by his father, and according to God’s own design given to David. Solomon followed God’s design perfectly, down to the last measurements, using all the materials that were prepared by his father, David. He gathered workers, officers over the work, and materials such as timber, stone, silver, and gold. But all was done according to his father’s instructions and preparations. This huge task of building the house of God, the temple, took seven years to complete.

As children, we are told HOW to do many things, such as picking up your things, taking out the trash, clearing the table, washing the dishes, sorting the dirty laundry, doing our homework, and so many other things. Well, someone older than us and who have more experiences than us such as our parents, teachers, and serving ones already know how to do all these things. Maybe they’ve already tried all sorts of different ways and they found that this is the best way to do something. We simply need to carry out how to do everything by following their pattern and their instructions, not thinking that our idea is better. The Bible tells us that we are blessed if we do this.

One day, my son and I were preparing breakfast for some guests we were having the next day. We decided to make a yummy French Toast Casserole. We found a recipe and collected all the ingredients. While we were making it, we decided to skip a step. We thought, “why is it asking us to do something that makes no sense at all!” So, we made the French Toast Casserole OUR way. Well, the next morning, we put it in the oven, and when it was ready…oh…it smelled SO good!! But when we took it out of the oven…it looked SO bad and tasted SO bad. There were flavorless areas and hardened areas. We realized we really needed to follow the instructions as they were given. [Storyteller, insert your own example about how you followed or did not follow instructions.]

After the temple was built correctly and according to God’s instructions, do you know how we know that God was pleased? God’s glory filled the temple! That means that God’s presence was there. That is quite something. God now had a house that He could dwell in among His people!

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