I grew up in the country, in Southern Illinois. For some reason, I never expected to leave that area.
So years ago, when I traveled to Paris, France, and stood in front of the Palace of Versailles, I was blown away. I had the same feeling a few years prior when I stood in front of Buckingham Palace in London. (Another place I never thought I would see.)
I stood in front of these structures awe-struck and amazed. I had never seen anything like them before. It was “other-worldly.”
Modern-day readers tend to skim or skip over all the measurements and details mentioned in 1 Kings chapters 5-7. But, readers of that day would have read in awe and wonder. Those readers were country people, and the wonders of such structures would have boggled their imaginations.
Perhaps 1 Kings chapters 5-7 is meant to remind us that believers in Christ await a temple and a city of God that is beyond our imagination. (Revelation 21) The Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple (the place of God’s presence) was measured to be a perfect cube. (1 Kings 6:20) Likewise, the holy city that is to come will be a place of God’s presence. (Revelation 21:3) And it too will be measured as a perfect cube. (Revelation 21:16) But its dimensions will dwarf our imagination.
In the midst of all that is mundane in your life here on earth, never forget that there are places, structures, and sights beyond your imagination. And they await those, who like Solomon, are faithful in Christ. (1 Kings 6:12-13)