Suggested reading: 1 Kings chapter 5 verses 17-18; chapter 6 verse 7.
The house of the Lord was not built in a haphazard fashion, but according to God’s plan and under Solomon’s command. It was essential that the foundation was right; therefore, the stones had to be of the highest quality. The builders made sure that the stones for the foundation were large, costly and hewed (dressed), verse 17.
Paul referred to the local church at Corinth as ‘God’s building’ and he reminded the Christians there that ‘no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST’, I Corinthians chapter 3 verse 11.
Peter wrote, ‘Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will buy no means be put to shame’, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 6. God laid this stone; therefore, it can never fail or be removed. Christ’s Person and work is the only true foundation and we need to be careful as to how we build on it.
The use of one wrong stone in the construction of Solomon’s temple would have adversely affected the entire structure! Each of the stones used was prepared beforehand in a quarry, sometimes quite a distance from Jerusalem, and then silently put in their allotted places: ‘And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished in the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built’, 1 Kings chapter 6 verse 7.
Christ is referred to in the Scriptures as ‘the living stone’ and believers in Him as ‘living stones . . . being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood’, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 5. As ‘living stones’, we take our character from Him.
The temple was overlaid with a variety of materials of which the outermost was fine gold; indeed, we are told that ‘there was no stone to be seen’, 1 Kings chapter 6 verse 18. We are also told that Solomon ‘decorated the house with precious stones for beauty’. We are often very quick to see the faults and failings in our fellow Christians. May we have the grace to see them as God sees them. He does not view us as imperfect ‘living stones’. He sees us as we are in Christ.