In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it (1 Kings 6:37-38).
Solomon’s Temple was extraordinary. The construction began in Jerusalem 490 years after the Jewish exodus from slavery in Egypt. It required the labor of 183,000 workers over seven years. Solomon’s father David began the process, collecting many of the materials from around the world for the construction. Besides stone, precious gems, copper, and bronze, the Bible says that 108,000 talents of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver were used. One talent equals 75 pounds or 34 kilograms. In total, as of February 2021, more than 300 billion US dollars was the value of the gold and silver alone! (By comparison, that’s the amount the US Federal Government spends every 2 weeks).
The cost spent to build a temple for God in Jerusalem was incredible, and First Chronicles 29:9 says that every Israelite from the richest to the poorest, gave willingly and with a loyal heart to the project. It was an amazing and beautiful structure dedicated to the honor and glory of God.
Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, rebuilt in 535 BC, and then remodeled by King Herod in about 20 BC. It was eventually destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and remains in ruins today.
The New Testament describes the building of another temple, a temple still under construction. This temple, however, isn’t being built by followers of God, but by God Himself. Before going to the cross, Jesus said, I will build My church (Matthew 16:18). His Church isn’t a building or organization, but those whom He’s saved through faith in Him. He is the Chief Cornerstone of this Temple, and in Him, we are being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22).
Jerusalem’s temple was built with money, materials, and manpower; God’s worshipers all made contributions of their belongings. God’s current temple was paid for by God’s contribution, not in “things” but at the cost of the life of Jesus. This new temple is being built by God as a personal habitation for Him.
Where Living Begins 