[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":85},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fseven-years-to-build-it":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fseven-years-to-build-it-surround":74},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":56,"date":57,"description":18,"extension":58,"image":59,"meta":60,"minRead":61,"navigation":62,"path":63,"postType":64,"publication":65,"publicationUrl":59,"seo":66,"stem":67,"topics":68,"__hash__":73},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fseven-years-to-build-it.md","Seven Years to Build It",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"1 Kings","John","Ephesians",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":52},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,28,31,34,37,40,43,46,49],[16,17,18],"p",{},"If you've ever been involved in a major building project, you understand the amount of effort it requires. And of course, construction was much more difficult in the days before electricity and power tools. First Kings chapter 6 tells what it took to build Solomon's temple.",[16,20,21],{},"The building was solid and well-proportioned. Stonecutters measured with such skill and exactness that \"only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built\" (v. 7).",[16,23,24],{},"The temple was aesthetically pleasing, designed to appeal to the senses. \"Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold\"—including the floors (vv. 21, 30). Sweet-smelling wood beautified the temple's interior space. \"The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers\" (v. 18).",[16,26,27],{},"Most of all, the temple was designed to fulfill a spiritual purpose. More than a showplace, it was a holy place with an inner sanctuary built to contain the ark of the covenant. More than a tribute to the skill of the architects and builders, it was a reminder about the presence and power of God.",[16,29,30],{},"It only takes a few minutes to read about the construction project, but 1 Kings 6:38 adds an interesting note when it sums up the completion of Solomon's temple with these words: \"He had spent seven years building it.\"",[16,32,33],{},"Seven years! That's a long time. The builders devoted approximately a 10th of their lives to this project. Upon completion the finished temple was a beautiful sight to behold, but for nearly seven years it was a rugged, unfinished construction site—a hardhat zone. Centuries later when the temple was rebuilt, the project took even longer. \"It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,\" the Jewish leaders told Jesus (John 2:20).",[16,35,36],{},"Once a building has been completed, there's a tendency to take it for granted. This is true of school buildings, church buildings, and even private homes. Other than the architects and the construction workers themselves, who remembers all the labor it took to draw up the blueprints, lay the bricks, and pound the nails? How many of us walk down the halls of a large public building and ponder the fact that it took someone \"seven years to build it\"?",[16,38,39],{},"And so it is with most worthwhile endeavors. The greater the project, the greater the patience required to accomplish it. As someone has quipped, \"Overnight success usually takes about 10 years.\"",[16,41,42],{},"The growing church everyone's talking about? It didn't spring up overnight. Someone planned, gave, and sacrificed, trusting God's Word and investing in God's work over the long haul.",[16,44,45],{},"The vibrant marriage you admire—the mature man and woman who seem so comfortable and at peace with each other? Their love didn't just happen. We admire the finished product, but for years the couple's home was a construction zone. Their marriage took time and effort, give and take, love and laughter, tears and tenacity.",[16,47,48],{},"The same is true with most personal relationships, whether they involve friends, extended families, or members of the church. It's even true in our relationship with God.",[16,50,51],{},"If you want to build a doghouse or a toolshed, you can probably throw something together in a day or two. But to build a temple that's strong, beautiful, and honoring to the Lord? That takes time. Maybe even seven years. Maybe even more.",{"title":53,"searchDepth":54,"depth":54,"links":55},"",2,[],"First Look","2009-04-26","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fseven-years-to-build-it","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fseven-years-to-build-it",[69,70,71,72],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Christian Unity","Spiritual Formation","zEshxok8U0M0Ug1T0a0AEIOsea-AMfuTjUikH4PZ2nU",[75,80],{"title":76,"path":77,"stem":78,"description":79,"children":-1},"Serving with Soul","\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-with-soul","articles\u002Fserving-with-soul","Something's getting lost in the translation.",{"title":81,"path":82,"stem":83,"description":84,"children":-1},"Sharpening Arrows","\u002Farticles\u002Fsharpening-arrows","articles\u002Fsharpening-arrows","Is parenthood harder today than it was in previous generations? Not necessarily. Has there ever been a time when Christian parents haven't fallen on their knees in prayer wondering, \"Will our children hold onto the faith and values we've tried to impart to them? Will they make wise choices about marriage, money, and work? Will the world's temptations overpower them?\"",1790466176291]