Reading for July 6th

Read 1 Kings 5.1-18
Solomon prepares to build the Temple.
In verse 1: Tyre was a Phoenician city-state on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel, essentially modern Lebanon.
The trees from this area were highly valued in antiquity.
King Hiram provided building materials to David for his palace in Jerusalem (2 Sam 5.11-12).
In the ancient Near east a god's house was his temple.
In verse 3: The house for the name of the Lord is the temple of Yahweh.
Since the Lord does not actually reside in the temple, it is built for his "name."
In verse 4: rest is an important theme in the deuteronomistic History (see 2 Sam 7.1).
The Lord promised the people rest when they entered the promised land and come to the "place" where he would make his name dwell (Deut 12.10-11).
With Solomon the promise of the rest is fulfilled so that the Temple can now be built in Jerusalem.
This emphasis on rest may be a play on Solomon's name, should sounds like the Hebrew word "shalom," meaning peace ( see 1 Chr 22.9).
In verse 6: The Sidonians were people from Sidon, another Phoenician city-sate.
here, however it seems to refer to Phoenicians in general.
In verse 13: Solomon's labor force was conscripted from Israel as distinguished from Judah.
It is clear from ch 12 that the use of this conscripted labor continued after the temple was completed.
In verse 18: Gebalites were people from the Phoenician city-state of Byblos (also known as Gebal).
Comments or Questions..