Solomon - and the Holy Place of the Temple

In the temple that Moses built, as the instruction of God, there were several parts of this temple. There was the outside of the temple signifying that this was the place where non-believers gathered. Then there was the courtyard where all believers came to meet with God via the priest. This is where the sinner brought his sacrifice to allow the death of another to take the place of the sinner. Then the priest took the blood and went into a place where the average person was not allowed to go. This place was the Holy Places inside the vail. These Holy Places were divided into two different areas – the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. There were different pieces of furniture in the two places and they had two different functions especially divided by time, as well as location. In the Holy Place the priest could go every day to accomplish a variety of activities and services, but the priest could go into the Most Holy Place only one time during the entire religious year. This one time took place during the Day of Atonement, and it was part of the final religious services of the year. It is the purpose of this article to discuss the Holy Place in the temple that Solomon built for God.

In the temple that Moses built for God there were three basic pieces of furniture. There was the Table of Shewbread, the 7 Branched Candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. Exodus 25:23-40; 30:1-10. In addition there were two curtains – one to separate the Holy Place from the Courtyard, and one to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Exodus 26:31-37

In the Temple that Solomon built the same basic outline was maintained and the same general pieces of furniture. However, in the Temple that Solomon built there were some major changes. First of all the Holy Places, Holy Place and Most Holy Place joined together, were 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. That would be 90-ft long, 30 feet wide, and 45 ft high. However, the Most Holy Place was a cube 20 cubits, by 20 cubits, by 20 cubits. We will discuss this in the section on the Most Holy Place. With the Most Holy Place being 20 cubits long and 20 cubits wide this means that the Holy Place would be 40 cubits long, and 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Again that is 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

When Solomon built the house he used stone as the foundation and walls. He then had the floors covered with fir and the walls with cedar. In the wood he had carved descriptions of Cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. Then he had all of the walls in the Holy Places covered with gold so that no wood and no stones could be seen. He also had the doors into the Holy Place and Most Holy Place covered with gold as well. In addition Solomon had a vail made to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place and it was made out of fine linen, colored blue, purple, and crimson and had Cherubim woven into the cloth. II Chronicles 3:14

In the Holy Place Solomon had 10 Candlesticks made and 10 Tables of Shewbread made as well. He had 5 Candlesticks set on the North side and 5 Tables of Shewbread set on the North side of the Temple. In addition he had 5 Candlestick and 5 Tables of Shewbread set on the South side of the Temple. II Chronicles 4:7-8. The directions are sure because one looks at the Temple facing West with ones back to the Sun in the East. So 5 would be on the right side or North, and 5 on the left side or South.

Solomon also records that the Candlesticks were of pure gold, as well as the bason, tongue, snuffers, spoons, and censers were of pure gold. But there was apparently only 1 golden altar. This would be set directly before the vail that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. See II Chronicles 4:19-22.

Now that we have the physical outline of the Temple and its physical furniture, let us discuss briefly what these things were for, what it was that God wanted from these tools, and how it applies to the future and to us. The most elaborate counsel on the use of the Temple was in the book of Exodus and Leviticus. Exodus tells us the details of the construction of the Sanctuary/Temple, and Leviticus goes into elaborate detail of how the various services work. So let us do a brief story-line of how the Temple functioned for the sinner.

The sinner comes under some conviction of the need to be reconciled to God because he law has developed a guilty conscience in the mind of the individual. The individual hears that there is hope for a restoration of At-one-ment in the temple that Solomon had built. He goes to the temple, hoping for reconciliation and tells the priest of his burden. The priest suggests that the individual purchase a lamb without blemish. The person is to bring the lamb into the Temple and brings it to the priest. The priest asks the individual to place his hands on the head of the lamb and confess his sin over the lamb thus transferring the sin from the individual to the lamb. The individual then takes a knife and kills the lamb, thus symbolizing that an innocent dies for the guilty. The priest then catches some of the blood and places the blood on the four horns of the altar. After this the priest takes some of the blood into the Holy Place and sprinkles the blood on the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This signifies that the sin has been separated from the sinner and placed on the Temple itself. The sinner can now walk away reconciled to God by the death of the innocent.

But there is more. After the death of the lamb, the body is opened up and the internal organs are removed and burned on the fire of the altar of burnt offerings. Certain sections of the body are trimmed from fat, showing a removal of sin, and the hide and other parts of the body are given to the priest as offerings for the priest’s use. The parts that have been separated for offerings are taken to altar of burnt sacrifice and are salted, showing the covenant relationship with God, and then are placed on the altar to be consumed as a testimony of service and to be used up for God.

The priest, acting in behalf of the sinner, also goes into the Holy Place and participates in the various rites of the Holy Place. He trims the Candlestick, revealing the light of the World, eats of the Shewbread, that he participates in eating the Word of God, and that he offers incense – indicating the prayers of the saints. All of these are to be done in service to the God one is now reconciled to. All of these activities are now participated in by the individual because of a love for God and a feeling of joy due to the release from sin that had been bothering the person’s conscience.

In addition to these benefits to the individual, the Temple is also a prophecy of what Jesus, the true temple (John 2:18-21). Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. John 1:29. He was the Passover sacrifice who died and shed His blood to protect us from the avenging angel. I Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 12. He is the light of the world thus He is the true Candlestick. John 1:4-9; 8:12. He is the shewbread of the world. John 6:48-51. He is the One who handles all of the prayers of the saints. Hebrews 7:25; Revelation 8:3-4. He is our great High Priest. Hebrews 7:21.

The good news is not done yet. Jesus also uses the Holy Place of the Temple of Solomon to reveal the things He is doing for us in heaven. He is revealed as the Priest of God in Revelation 1:13. He is ministering for us before the great 7 branched Candlestick in heaven. Revelation 1:12-20. He ministers before the Altar of Incense in Revelation 8:3-4. He is revealed as the Great Sacrifice for man in Revelation 5:6. He is the Master of the Word of God in Revelation 5:1-7. He gives it to us, through John, to eat and then to prophesy what God has granted to us. Revelation 10.

All of the above is revealed through the ministry of the Priest in the Holy Place of the Temple of Solomon. All of what is revealed literally is for us to meditate and pray over in regards to the great Temple in Heaven above of which the Temple that Solomon built is but a copy. Hebrews 8:1-2 Let us go into this Temple by faith, and receive the ministry of Jesus in our