(15) В¶ And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. (16) And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. (17) And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. (18) And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. (19) And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. (20) And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar. (21) So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. (22) And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold. (23) And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. (24) And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. (25) And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. (26) The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. (27) And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. (28) And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. (29) And he carved all the walls of the house roundabout with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. (30) And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. (31) And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. (32) The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. (33) So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. (34) And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. (35) And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work. (36) And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
I include all these verses in one and the same point of view, for shortness sake. No doubt, many things here mentioned are highly significant of gospel mercies. As Solomon is elsewhere said to have built himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon; the pillars whereof were silver, the bottom thereof gold, the covering of it purple, and the midst thereof paved with love; (See Song of Solomon 3:9-10.) so here we find in the temple the walls of the house were of the cedar of Lebanon, the floor and chains pure gold, and the oracle overlaid with gold. Perhaps these things were intended as the similitude of the glorious things concerning Jesus. His human nature is the true temple, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man; for the body was prepared him. And nothing could be more expressive of the incorruptible nature of the body of the Lord Jesus than the wood of the mountain of Lebanon, which was always understood as possessing a soundness not liable to rot. The gold on the floor and the house, and all the parts of it, as strikingly referred to the God-head of Christ. And this was the bottom of all, and gives efficacy and validity to all. For the grand object of the Redeemer's mission, his blood, his sacrifice, and the merits of his righteousness, would never have been sufficient to have satisfied divine justice, and expiated the sins of our nature, had not the God-head of Jesus conferred an infinite value upon the whole, in being the blood, sacrifice, and righteousness of God. Hence Paul, in giving charge to the ministers of the church of Ephesus, dwells upon this feature as the distinguishing one to induce the utmost earnestness in their labours. Take heed (says he) unto yourselves, and to all the flock, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:28.