2 Chronicles 4:1-22
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
4 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5 And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowersa of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.
6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basonsb of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
10 And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.
11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons.c And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;
12 To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;
13 And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upond the pillars.
14 He made also bases, and laverse made he upon the bases;
15 One sea, and twelve oxen under it.
16 The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the LORD of brightf brass.
17 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clayg ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;
20 Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfecth gold;
22 And the snuffers, and the basons,i and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.
FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE
(vv.1-22)
Some of the furnishings for the temple were placed on the outside, others inside. The bronze altar (v.1) was of course outside, and much larger than that made for the tabernacle, in fact 20 by 20 cubits, and 10 cubits high, - about 30 feet square and 15 feet high. Bronze (or copper) speaks of the holiness of God, so that the bronze altar emphasises the holy judgment of God borne by His holy Son as the one sacrifice for sin. Thus, we must meet God at the cross before there is any possibility of entering His temple.
The Sea answers to the laver of the tabernacle, but again how much higher! It was 10 cubits in diameter (about 15 feet) and its height 5 cubits (7 112 feet) (v.2). It was supported by 12 bronze oxen, all facing outward, three toward each direction of the compass. The 12 tribes of Israel are thus represented. The oxen speak of lowly, patient service. The priests washed in the Sea (v.6), symbolising moral cleansing necessary for carrying out their service. The sea contained 3,000 baths of water (v.5), which amounts to over 12,600 gallons. Being a hand-breadth thick (about 4 inches), its weight must have been great.
Solomon also made ten lavers, their size not noted, putting five on the right side and five on the left of the Sea (v 6). The lavers were for washing the burn offerings before offering them. The sacrifice had to be clean as symbolising the perfect purity of Christ. He required no cleansing, but if the animal was to picture Him, the animal must be cleansed.
The tabernacle had only one golden lampstand, but the temple had ten, five of them being on each side of the outer sanctuary (v.7). Each of these no doubt had seven branches. The lampstands speak of Christ as the Sustainer of testimony, and being ten reminds us that all the claims of the law are fulfilled in this One whose testimony is perfection, including His great sacrifice by which He has fulfilled the law on behalf of others.
Similarly, though the tabernacle had only one table, the temple had ten, with five on each side of the outer sanctuary. The table pictures Christ as the Sustainer of communion. A mere legal covenant would only hinder communion, for the law could not bring anyone near to God. But the number ten again shows that Christ has fulfilled all the law's requirements. Israel will understand this in the millennium, to which the temple has special application, so that nothing will be present to hinder the precious flow of fellowship based on the person of the Lord Jesus.
It seems difficult to understand what purpose 100 golden bowls would serve in the temple, though we may be sure that God has a spiritual reason for this. These things in verses 7 and 8 were inside the outer sanctuary.
The court of the priests would be close to the temple and the great courts on the outside of that (v.9). The doors (or gates) were overlaid with bronze, emphasising the holiness that is necessary for any entering of the temple area.
Pots, shovels and bowls are mentioned in verse 11, and in verse 16 these are said to be made of burnished bronze (or copper), so that they were used outside the temple in connection with the sacrifices and the fire provided for the sacrifices. The furniture inside the temple was either of gold or covered with gold.
The list of things Huram provided is seen from verse 11 to verse 16. Added to what was previously mentioned are carts (v.14) that carried the lavers. It may be that the carts were made in order that the lavers could be moved to the location where the animal of sacrifice was brought. The amount of bronze used in connection with the temple was so great that its weight was not determined (v.18).
Verses 19 to 22 recount the furnishings inside the holy place (not the most holy); the golden incense altar, the tables of showbread, the lampstands with their flowers and lamps of pure gold, wick trimmers, bowls, ladles and censers. Wicks themselves are not mentioned, for they do not speak of the Lord Jesus, but of believers who bear testimony, but must be trimmed, for the testimony of one day cannot avail for the next day. No matter how brightly we may have shone for the Lord at one time, the burnt wick must be removed, so that we may continue to shine with new energy. Forgetting the things that are past, we should press forward with constantly renewed desire for the honour of the Lord Jesus.
Inner doors leading in to the most holy place were gold. Thus, there were both doors and a veil separating the two sanctuaries. The doors of the main hall also, that is, apparently the doors of the entry into the outer sanctuary were of gold. It is said they were gold, not overlaid with gold, so their value must have been great indeed. Gold speaks of the glory of God, so that the very entrance into the holy place was to be for the glory of God, not for the blessing of the one who entered, though if God is glorified, there cannot but be blessing for the entrant. There may have been a curtain also, as there was in the tabernacle, but this is not said.