35. Solomon & Building the Temple
1 Kings 5-8Background Scripture (read 2-3 times during the week)
Story Summary
David's son Solomon became the next King of Israel. The Lord promised David that he would give him rest from his enemies, and that came true. By the time Solomon became King, Israel was not at war. David passed along to Solomon his dream of building a permanent house for the Lord - a place all Israel could come to worship God - a temple.
Solomon was eager to build the temple, so he began planning to build the temple. First, he needed a place to get all the materials he needed. He found a place to get the large stones needed and ordered his men to cut the stones down to size where they found them and then transport them to Jerusalem already cut. He didn't want the noise of hammers, chisels and other iron tools around where they were building the temple. He wanted it to be a reverent experience for those working.
But he also needed a great amount of wood, and he specifically wanted cedar trees. He knew that a city called Tyre had great cedar trees and that the King of Tyre, Hiram, had always been a friend to his father, David. So Solomon asked Hiram to provide all the cedar trees he would need for the temple. Hiram agreed, but asked that Solomon provide food for Tyre in return. So they agreed. Hiram had his men cut down trees, make them into rafts and send them down the Mediterranean Sea where men from Israel could receive them and take them into Jerusalem. Here is a map of ancient Israel where you can see Tyre on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel.
Solomon also asked that a man from Tyre named Huram (different guy than Hiram, the king) come and help him. He was skilled in using bronze. You can read about all that Huram did for Solomon in 1 Kings 7:13-51
Here are some of the features of the temple:
- 90 feet long
- 30 feet wide with a porch that ran along side the temple
- 45 feet tall
- It had 3 separate floors
- It had an inner room called the Most Holy Room
- On all the walls inside the temple were ornate carvings of cherubim (angels), palm trees and flowers
- The temple contained lots of bronze and gold items
The Most Holy Room was a room inside the temple where Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant to its permanent home. He had them create 2 huge angels with wings that spanned 30 feet from tip to tip and he placed the Ark behind those angels so they hid it from plain sight.
The temple took 7 years to complete. Then Solomon dedicated the temple the Lord in a ceremony where they brought the Ark of the Covenant in to the Most Holy Room. When the priests did this, the whole temple filled with a cloud. God was telling the Israelites that he was present with them. Then Solomon prayed and dedicated the temple to the Lord.
Solomon was also known for being one of the wisest individuals in history. In 2 Chronicles 1, we see that Solomon asked God for wisdom above all other things, and God granted his request. As a result, a large portion of the book of Proverbs was written by Solomon and is still a source of wisdom for us today.
What You Will Need
- Snack Suggestion
- Pretzel Rafts or Graham Cracker Temple
Video Options
From Life Kids
From Life Kids
From Saddleback Kids
Resource Sheet
This coloring sheet depicts what Solomon's temple may have been like
1. Warm Up get your kids talking and engaged
What is the biggest thing you've ever built? What did you make it out of?
Today, we are going to learn about David's son Solomon, who built a temple for the Lord. Remember when the Israelites were wandering around in the desert and they built the Tabernacle? That was a tent that was easy to setup and tear down as they were moving. This temple was a permanent building Solomon built to worship the Lord in.
2. Teach the Story teach a holistic story
Read story from a Children's storybook Bible for younger children.
For older children, read story from an age-appropriate Children's storybook Bible or tell the story yourself.
3. Bible Mastery give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud 1 Kings 5:1-10; 6:1-7; 6:19-28; 2 Chronicles 1:8-12
4. Comprehension Questions make sure they understand the story
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
- Who was Solomon?
- David's son
- Who was fighting Israel when Solomon was king?
- No one
- Where did the cedar logs come from that Solomon used for the temple?
- From Hiram, king of Tyre
- How did they get the logs to Jerusalem?
- The made them into rafts and sent them down the cost of the Mediterranean Sea
- What did Hiram, the king of Tyre ask for in exchange for the cedar logs?
- For Solomon to send food to Tyre
- Who did the bronze work for the temple?
- Huram, also from Tyre
- What was the Most Holy Room?
- The room that contained the Ark of the Covenant
- What was hiding the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Room?
- Angels, whose wings spanned 30 feet
- How long did it take to build the temple?
- 7 years
- What happened when the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Most Holy Room for the first time?
- God's presence filled the room with smoke
- What else was Solomon known for?
- For being one of the wisest people in history
5. Faith Questions open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer
- In the Old Testament, the tabernacle and the temple were where the Israelites worshiped God.
- Did you know that you can worship God wherever you are? Do you know how to worship God?
6. Memory Verse hide God's Word in their heart
Pretzel Rod Rafts
- Tie pretzel rods together with Twizzler candy to make rafts.
Popsicle Stick Temple
- Have the children build their version of the temple
- Describe to them how it is laid out and use the coloring sheet to give them ideas
Interview a Builder
- Invite a builder to your class. Ask the visitor ahead of time to bring tools that they use for building.
- If you cannot invite a builder, bring tools and materials that are commonly used today for building (hammer, screwdriver, nail gun, piece of sheet rock, screws, nails, etc)
- Contrast these tools with tools mentioned in the Bible.
- Read through 1 Kings 5 and 7:13-51. Solomon put great care into building the temple.
30 Foot Tall Angels
- The angels in the most Holy Place were 30 feet tall.
- Use students to provide a visual of how tall the angels were.
- Prior to class, measure out 30 feet across the floor or grass.
- Have students lay down in a straight line to the length of 30 feet.
- They will be surprised to see how many of them it takes to make 30 feet!
Graham Cracker Temple
- Break graham crackers into 4th's.
- Use icing like glue to make the crackers stand up.
- Direct students to build a temple.
- Enjoy!
Wood Rafts
- Place small twigs together, side by side.
- Use twine to tie sticks together to make a raft.
- Place in water to see if they float!
- You can use glue and popsicle sticks, as an alternative.
Broken Stone Necklaces
- Provide large rock
- Bring chisels and hammers and allow student to break small pieces off.
- Use jewelry wire to wrap around rock.
- Provide cord to make into a necklace
Parchment Proverbs
- Solomon asked God for wisdom, so God granted him wisdom and wealth.
- Solomon was credited with writing many of the Proverbs.
- Take a white sheet of paper and make it look like old parchment.
- Crumble up a white sheet of paper and soak if briefly in coffee.
- Dry in oven on 250 degrees for a couple of minutes or allow to air dry on paper towels. (A hair dryer can speed the drying, also.)
- Write your favorite proverb on the parchment.
Lego Temple
- Give the kids the coloring sheet for the lesson and a bunch of Legos
- Have them build a replica of the temple out of Legos.
- Some photos of a class who did this are below.
Popsicle Stick Temple Example
Parchment Proverbs Example
Lego Temple Example
Lego Temple Example
Lego Temple Example