House for di Name of Di Lord

Di priests step back comot from di holy place, and one cloud roll enter behind dem. E fill di whole building. Di priests no even fit stand to do their work. Di glory of Di Lord don fill di house.

For hundreds of years, Israel dey worship God for one tent, di tabernacle, wey dem carry through di wilderness and set up for di land. King David want build permanent house for God well well. But God tell am no. Na your son go build am. Now dat son, Solomon, don be king. Peace dey for every side. And Solomon talk, dis na di time.

First, e need wood. Di best for di whole world. So e write to Hiram, di king of Tyre, for di coast for north. Everybody know, Solomon talk, say nobody sabi cut wood like di people of Sidon. Hiram happy well well. My men go bring cedar and cypress down from Lebanon to di sea, e talk. We go tie di logs together like raft and float dem down di coast reach anywhere wey you talk. In return, Solomon send wheat and olive oil, year after year. E gather thousands of workers, dem dey take turn, one month for Lebanon and two months for house. And for di hills, people wey dey cut stone dig out big big blocks of fine stone for di foundation.

Then, four hundred and eighty years after Israel comot from Egypt, di building start. And see one detail wey go surprise you. Dem shape and finish every stone for di quarry. So for di building site itself, nobody hear hammer, nobody hear axe, nobody hear any iron tool. Di temple rise up almost without noise. E long sixty cubits, about ninety feet, and e wide twenty cubits. Inside, dem cover di stone walls with cedar, carve gourds and flowers wey open for am, and cover am with gold. For di back na di most holy place, one perfect cube. For there, two big cherubim wey dem make with olive wood, wey dem cover with gold, spread their wings from wall to wall. For front, two bronze pillars dey stand, and one very big bronze basin wey dem dey call di sea. E take seven years.

Then Solomon gather all Israel come Jerusalem. Di priests carry di ark of di covenant, di box wey dem cover with gold, wey hold di two stone tablets wey Moses collect for Sinai. Dem carry am enter di most holy place and put am under di wings of di cherubim. And as dem dey come out, di cloud fill di house of Di Lord.

Solomon stand before di altar, spread im hands go heaven, and pray. Lord, God of Israel, no god dey like you. And then e ask one question. But God go really live for earth? Heaven, even di highest heaven, no fit contain you. How much less dis house wey I build! So e ask God make e hear from heaven anytime person pray face dis place. When people sin come turn back. When drought or hunger or sickness come. And even when stranger come from far country, because e don hear about your great name. Hear dem too, Solomon pray, so dat all di people for di world go know you. Then di king bless di people, and dem celebrate for many days. And dem go house, di Bible talk, with joy and gladness for their heart.

Wetin Hiram offer, to float wood down di coast, fit wetin we know about di Phoenicians, di great people of di sea from Tyre and Sidon. Di cedars of Lebanon get name all over di old world. Hundreds of years after Solomon, one king of Assyria decorate im palace for Khorsabad with stone carvings wey show Phoenician boats dey drag logs through di water, some dey tie behind, some dey pile for top of di boat. Long time after, when dem rebuild di temple after di exile, dem bring cedar again through di sea come Joppa.

Di building of Solomon temple dey for First Kings, chapter five reach eight. Solomon build one house wey fine well well, then e confess say God too great for any building to contain am. Yet God still choose to meet im people there. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If God big reach like dat, why you think say e still want dey near us?