Israel and Humanity - The Temple of Solomon
§ 2.
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.
The story of the first Temple seems to be a repetition of the Tabernacle. Tyre and its king Hiram replace this time Egypt and Pharaoh. Hiram is in effect which, at the request of Solomon, the latter provides the necessary materials and artists to build the Temple in Jerusalem, which is no less important are the statements of monotheistic faith that accompany coat cooperation of the king of Tyre.
The attitude of the foreign sovereign, the eager assistance it gives to Israel at this solemn occasion, were not without knocking even very independent mind, not prejudiced in favor of the Bible. It was noted that this was obviously a case where no commercial or political allies are two kings, but a business with an eminently religious and that the two sovereigns were also taking interest. A reply to the message of Solomon who said: "Here, I raise a house in the name of the Lord, my God ... It must be great, because our God is greater than all gods. But who has the power to build him a house, since heaven and heaven of heavens can not contain him and who am I to build him a house, except to burn incense before Him? Send me a clever man, etc.. ... [1] ". Hiram king of Israel to address a letter in which he speaks as a Jew could have done in his place. "Because the Lord loves his people he thee king over them. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, that he gave to King David a wise son, cautious and intelligent, who will build a mansion in [2] the Lord and a house for him [3] ". And the choice of the king of Tyre stops on a skilled artist Hiram, that Scripture is careful to designate as the son of a Jewish mother and a father of Tyrian purple, as if in the person of one who would play a important role in the company, Israel and the Gentile joined together in the divine work.
In a passage from Ezekiel, the prophet returns with complacency on the merits of the sovereign pagan regret that pride has corrupted his heart: "Thus saith the Lord GOD: you put the seal of perfection, you were full wisdom, perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God ... You were a guardian cherub, with outstretched wings, I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God [4] ". This garden of Eden which he is alluding here probably represents Jerusalem and its sanctuary. The memory of the Temple is especially evident in this image of the cherub which Hiram is compared. Like the cherubim housed the Ark under the wings, even the king of Tyre extended its protection over Jerusalem and its Temple to the construction of which he participated in a manner so effective.
