This is the Bible Book Club. I'm Heather and I'm Susan. And we're in the book of First Kings. Welcome to the club.

Last time on chapters three and four of First Kings, we began a focus on Solomon's reign as king. The first thing Solomon did was very wise. He asked

God for a discerning heart to help the people distinguish between right and wrong. God was

pleased with this request. He granted Solomon's desire and he even added to it. God said that

Solomon would be both wise and wealthy. And if he walked with the Lord, he would live long. In the next scene, Solomon's wisdom was tested by two women who both claimed to be the mother of the same baby. Solomon prepared to cut the baby in two so they could each have a half. The real mom then begged to spare the child

proving that she was the mother. With this trick, Solomon's wisdom became legend throughout the

entire world. Okay, so here's our setup for this episode. Going back to 2 Samuel 712,

remember what God promised, listen. When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors,

I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his

kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his

kingdom forever. The time has come for Solomon to build. This was a historic

occasion for the Israelites for several reasons. First and foremost, the temple was built to house

the ark. The ark was the seat of God's presence. It was also the place of atonement for their

sins. Atonement was crucial for their relationship with God.

The Canaanites, Egyptians, etc., all those people, all had temples for their God. The ark,

this great seat and place for God's presence, had been housed in a tent called the tabernacle

from the time they left Egypt to well after the time they

wandered in the wilderness. At this present time that we're in, the ark is housed in some tent

that David pitched for it in 2nd Samuel 617. So the ark has just been homeless. It needs a

permanent home. It needed a temple. So the temple would be the focal

point for Israel's worship and religious life. And the temple would give Israel a national identity

like all the other countries that had temples for their gods. In scene one, Salman prepares to build this temple. Chapter 5. When Heeram, King of

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