2 Chronicles 3

 Solomon breaks ground finally.  Remember that David passed the torch only a few short chapters ago and it seemed like things were set in motion.  2 Chronicles 3 tells us that as Solomon turns over the earth to start the actual building, it happened “in the fourth year of his rule”.  Does the word planning and preparation come to mind here?  It has been four years guys since David hands off the project to his son.  Four years to put things into motion, get his team assembled, start the hard work of getting the timbers cut and moved to the site, collecting the materials needed for completion.  This was not some quickly thrown together building here.  Lots of planning, lots of work to get the people together, lots of very detailed preparation.  Solomon shows some real wisdom.  He is not building a tree house here.  He is building the temple – the House of God.  He wants it done right – exactly as God instructs. It is 30 feet by 90 feet by 30 feet high.  It is one big barn.  He didn’t spare the expense as scripture tells us “the interior was gold-plated”.  No cheap imitation stuff for Solomon.  He covered it all with gold.  Check it out “something over twenty-two tons of gold”.  Does the word temptation creep into your mind here?  It does for me.  I may have decided we probably didn’t have to coat all of it in gold, especially the things no one could see or would notice.  “The gold nail weighed…a little over a pound”.  Can you imagine using gold nails.  Solomon is a stickler for the details.  He is going to do it right with no shortcuts or mistakes.  The lesson here is that planning and preparation are important to really succeed.  Solomon did not grab his shovel the day David passed the torch and start digging.  He waited over 4 years.  Partly because he had a lot of prep to do I am sure.  But I have to believe that he measured the enormity of the project and just wanted to be ready to get it done.  He began with the end in mind and went after it.  Wisdom means leading when ready – not running ahead when one has an idea.  Being planned and prepared God’s way leads to success.