1 Kings 5 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Kings 5 Short Summary:

In 1 Kings 5, Solomon makes preparations for building the Temple in Jerusalem. He calls on Hiram, his father’s ally, to help him cut cypress and cedar timbers from the forests of Lebanon. In exchange, Solomon agreed to pay the king of Tyre with huge quantities of wheat and oil, over 1,000,000 gallons annually.

1 Kings 5 Extended Summary

WHEN:

• 1 Kings 5 discusses events that took place in the early years of King Solomon’s reign. Solomon was king for 40 years according to 1 Kings 11:42, from approximately 1015-975 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Solomon – The son of David and the 3rd king of Israel and Judah.

• Hiram – King of Tyre. He was an ally of David.

WHERE:

• The capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah was Jerusalem.

• Tyre was north of most of the Promised Land, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

OUTLINE:

• SOLOMON AND HIRAM PREPARE TO BUILD THE TEMPLE (5:1-18):

  • Solomon sent messengers to Hiram, King of Tyre, asking him to help him build the Jerusalem Temple.

  • Hiram, who was a long-time friend of David, was delighted to help.

  • Hiram agreed to cut cedar and cypress trees and send them to Jerusalem.

  • Solomon agreed to pay for Hiram’s labor costs, provide workers from Israel, and to pay Hiram with large quantities of oil and wheat.

  • Every year, Solomon would provide Hiram’s household with 20,000 cors of wheat and 20,000 cors of beaten oil (20,000 cors = 4,400,000 liters or 1,157,895 gallons).

  • Solomon drafted 30,000 men from Israel to work in shifts in Lebanon (Hiram’s land). 10,000 men would work in Lebanon for 1 month and then they would return home for 2 months.

  • Solomon also employed 70,000 burden-bearers, 80,000 stonecutters, and 3,300 officers to manage the labor.

  • They “quarried out great, costly stones” for the foundation of the Temple.

APPLICATION:

• The phrase, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself” isn’t always a good motto when doing the Lord’s work.

• Solomon knew, if he was going to make the Temple as marvelous as he envisioned, he needed the help of his friends and those who had resources he didn’t.

• He acknowledged, “there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians” (5:6).

• Sometimes, doing the Lord’s work well, requires us to acknowledge we don’t have all the skills to accomplish the job ourselves.

• God has surrounded us with other believers who are talented in ways we are not.

• It is healthy and God glorifying to utilize the talents and resources of those God has placed around us.