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4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 12, Session 2: Solomon Built the Temple TEACHER BIBLE STUDY When David was king, he wanted to build a temple for God, but God did not allow him to. “When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). God said King David’s son would build the temple. King Solomon began to gather materials to build the temple. He ordered cedar and cypress timbers from Lebanon. He gathered 30,000 men from all of Israel as laborers to excavate stone and prepare the timbers for the temple’s construction. The temple was impressive. The entire interior was cedar. King Solomon had everything covered with gold. In all, it took seven years for the temple to be completed. Inside the temple was furniture and accessories. (See 1 Kings 7:48-50.) It came time to dedicate the temple. All of the Israelites gathered in Jerusalem. The priests brought the ark of the Lord to the most holy place, and a cloud filled the house of the Lord. God’s glory filled the temple. Solomon prayed to God. He praised God for keeping His covenant with David. Solomon recognized that God is not confined to a temple. “Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built” (1 Kings 8:27). Solomon’s prayer and speech to the Israelites was followed by a great offering to God. The temple was where God met with His people, and it gave God’s people a more permanent place to worship Him. The priests followed specific instructions to approach God on behalf of His people. Jesus changed everything when He died for our sins on the cross. By taking our sin upon Himself, Jesus made the way for sinners to come to God. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Solomon Built the Temple Bible Passage: 1 Kings 6:1–8:66 Big Picture Question: What did God promise Solomon? God said, “I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people.” Key Passage: 1 Kings 8:61 Unit Christ Connection: Solomon’s grand earthly reign is a picture of the eternal reign of Christ. Solomon’s sin divided his kingdom, but Christ’s perfect Kingdom is forever. Transition Time Welcome time Activity Sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) 1 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 12, Session 2: Solomon Built the Temple Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (3 minutes) Timeline map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Tell the Bible Story (10 minutes) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Sing (5 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Key passage (5 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Table Time Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Solomon Built the Temple 1 Kings 6:1–8:66 Solomon became king of Israel after his father David died. God was with Solomon, and He made Solomon very wise. During the fourth year Solomon was king, he began to build a temple for the Lord. The temple was to replace the tent where God had met with His people for 480 years—ever since God led the Israelites out of Egypt. Solomon ordered thousands of workers to help build the temple. The workers cut cedar logs and stone blocks. They laid a foundation and built the outside of the temple. God blessed the temple and made a promise to Solomon. “If you obey My command and do what I say, I will keep the promise I made to David. I will live among the Israelites, and I will not abandon My people.” The construction of the temple took seven more years. The craftsmanship was remarkable! The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds and flower blossoms. Solomon overlaid everything on the inside of the temple with pure gold. Solomon also hired men to make bronze furnishings for the temple, such as bronze basins for holding water. With God’s temple complete, it was time for Solomon to move the ark of God from its place on Mount Zion to the new temple in Jerusalem. Solomon gathered the leaders of Israel. As the priests 2 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 12, Session 2: Solomon Built the Temple moved the ark, its holy utensils, and the tent of meeting, King Solomon and everyone who had gathered sacrificed sheep and cattle to the Lord. The priests positioned the ark of the covenant in the most holy place in the temple. When the priests came out of the temple, the temple was filled by a cloud. God’s glory was in the cloud. Solomon turned to speak to the Israelites. “Praise God!” he said. “God promised David that his son would build a temple. We did it! God kept His promise!” Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord. He prayed with his hands spread out toward heaven. Solomon recognized God for who He is: “There is no God like You!” Solomon thought about the future. He knew Israel would sin one day and make God angry again. Solomon asked for forgiveness, and he asked God to hear their prayers. When Solomon had finished praying, he turned toward the Israelites and encouraged them to love and obey God. The people offered sacrifices to God. When they returned to their homes, they were joyful because God was good to them. Christ Connection: Because God is holy, only the priests could approach God—and only if they followed specific instructions. Ordinary people had no direct access to the holy presence of God. Jesus changed all that. By His death on the cross, Jesus took away our sin. We can approach God intimately and individually when we trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Solomon Built the Temple Bible Passage: 1 Kings 6:1–8:66 Big Picture Question: What did God promise Solomon? God said, “I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people.” Key Passage: 1 Kings 8:61 Unit Christ Connection: Solomon’s grand earthly reign is a picture of the eternal reign of Christ. Solomon’s sin divided his kingdom, but Christ’s perfect Kingdom is forever. Welcome time Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Ask kids to share if they made or broke any promises in the past week or past month. Invite kids to elaborate on their responses. 3 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 12, Session 2: Solomon Built the Temple Activity page Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “Promise Match” / “Solomon’s Temple” activity page, 1 per kid Bibles pencils markers Assist kids in locating the Scripture passages on the activity page “Promise Match.” Lead kids to match the promise to the person who received the promise to the Scripture. Say • Who made all of the promises on your activity page? (God) Has He kept all of those promises? (Yes) Does God always keep His promises? (YES!) God made another promise in today’s Bible story. As time allows, lead kids to use the Bible to complete the activity page “Solomon’s Temple.” Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Melt or Freeze Guide kids to stand up and spread out a little. Explain that you will name something that is either temporary or permanent. If it is temporary, kids should melt (slide down to their knees). If it is permanent, kids should freeze in a pose like a statue. Guide kids to shout “temporary” or “permanent” as they begin the appropriate action. (Suggestions: ice cream, a car, a rock, books, God’s Word, happiness, money, God’s forgiveness, rain, friendship, God’s promises, Jesus) Kids may provide different answers. Ask kids to briefly share why they answered the way they did. Say • Our Bible story today involves a building that was temporary. But God, who has always existed and will always exist, is permanent. He will never end. Option 2: Box Building large, medium, small boxes; 1 set per team tape Using tape, make arrows to designate a path for teams to walk around the room instead of a straight line. TIP: If the boxes are heavy, lead kids to carry them on both open palms. Create two teams. The first team member must carry the large box on the open palm of his hand as he walks the path. If he drops the box, he may pick it up and continue from his location. The first team member will hand the box to the second player, and the second player will walk the path. The cycle continues until each player has carried the large box around the path. The team will begin the process again, this time stacking the medium-sized box on the large box. In the final round, players will carry all three boxes. Say • In today’s Bible story, Solomon built a building. Solomon is known for building many buildings during his time as king, but this building was very special. The builders carefully cut the stone for 4 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 12, Session 2: Solomon Built the Temple the building and brought the stone to the building site.
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