Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-23
SOLOMAN DELEGATES
THE GREAT. TEMPLE
Sunday School Lesson on the
Church : King Built;
Climax of Reign
The International SUNDAY School Les
son For July 20 Il solomon Dedi-
Gates the Temple."-I Kings S:1-55.
BY William T. Eilis)

"Ah, but the groves were Gods
first temples " is the original answer
many a person is n D iinsSthis summer
to an invitation to attend divine wor-
ship. 'I worship God in nature, he
usually continues. These two stock
arguments are recalled by to-days les
son upon the first permanent edince
ever reared for the worship of Jeho-
vah, the building of the temple at
Jerusalem by King Solomon. The
occasion is opportune for saying that
while the groves may be the first tenn
pies. they are not Gods latest temples
nor His best; and that they most truly
worship Him in nature who have Wor-
shipped Him In a house dedicated 70
His glory. Concerning these woods
worshippers, a woman once remarked
What do you do when it rains?
A living issue of our own time is
pertinently before us in connection
with this lesson on the temple,
namely. the whole question OF
church and church attendance. Dur
ing the past year there have been
"Go-to- Church" campaigns in almost
every community in the land. Great
display advertisements in the news
papers anu OH the q
hundred clever devices for driving
home the "Go-to-Church" invitation,
have all ben used. along with SER
mons and addresses, to arouse new
interest in the church.
It appears that church attendance
is on the decline generally. The old
prestige of the church is seriously
threatened. In the great magazines
and in other publications. the whole
case of the church is being chal-
lenged Now let us see what Solo
mon, the wisest of men, can do for
us in the matter.
FThe Climax of Kingdom
Mighty old David had done great
deed of kingliness. He had welded
the Jews into a nation that stretched
from the Lebanon Mountains to the
Red Sea, and from the Mediterranean
to far east of the Jordan. His con
quests had been wonderful; study
them on the present war maps, where
troops are at this moment operating
and the Importance of this achieve
ment in state making will be seen.
Even kings cannot fulfill all theiI
ambitions. David wanted to build q
temple for Jehovah, but his hands
were too blood stained and sinful fol
this holy task. He must look to q
son to, carry out his ambition. None
of us does a completed work David
prepares for Solomon, and Solomon
builds on David's planning. Parents
have to look to children for the full,
flment of their life. Even the self.
made man" is the product of the
dreams and denial and duty and
service of many others. SO curtously
interviewer is the fabric of life thai
nobody finishes a complete piece
each can only be careful that his
portion is done as workmanly as pos.
sible.
The summation of all the royaI
plans for Greater Israel was to be the
temple. where would be housed the
Ark of the Covenant, and whittier
the nation would resort for worship
This was to be. through all time
the rallying point of the Jews, the
home of their hearts, the center oi
their hopes. Anybody who has seer
the Jews at the Wailing Place In
Jerusalem, weeping beside the stones
of this very temple built by Solomon
has glimpsed the intensity of this de-
votion. All the present stir and fer
ment among the Jews of the worle
| looks toward the great objective o
| the holy city. where once the temple
stood The climax of the kingdom
of Israel was the Temple of Solomon
The Place and the People
Compared with some Christian
churches, Solomon's Temple was no
! large. The Church of the Divin
| Wisdom, in Constantinople, now calle'
/ the Mosque of ST. Sophia. is far larger
So are many others. For the who'll
of the building which crowned tn
rock of Jerusalem was not more thai
| one hundred and forty feet long, ant
| seventy feet wide.
| Upon it, however. was poured ou
such magnifcence as the world hat
| never hitherto witnessed. The rares
I of marble and wood, and abundanc
! of gold, were lavished upon this sym
/ boil of a nations allegiance to God
| The cedars of Lebanon. the sandal
| wood of Africa, were imported for tn
| building. The revenues of the coun
try were pledged to the payment o
huge bills. Workmen were gathere
| from afar Literally the best that tn
| world could provide was given with
out stint to the house of Jehovah
Seven long years had been spent o
the work of building and one hun
been sharers in the task. The beaut
and magnificence af the result were
wonder of the world.
! Growing the sacred hill of Jeru
salem, its face turned toward tn
East, where 1t caught the first ray
of the sun as each morning 1t ros
over the Mount OF Olives, the tempt
possessed that quality of beauty an
impressiveness which is one missio
of a church.
When the day of dedication cam,
with pilgrims from afar. the seen
was one beyond the compass of
painters brush. The oriental multi
tude, in flowing robes of many color
and with the animation of the volatil
East, surrounded the front of .th
shining marble structure, with its del
cate, rosy tints, forming a fitting sci
ting for the temple itself. In front c
the temple, and in the center of tn
| throng. stood the king on a specis
platform of state. So was staged tn
formal dedication. The magnitude c
the occasion, and the size of tn
throng. is implied in the fact that tn
sacrifice consisted of twenty-five thou
sand oxen and one hundred and twent
| thousand sheep.
A grander temple now, unseen
growing,
The bright undecaying homo O
grace,
It's living stones from every countr
| Ard %ro~, oil xtroa 0b zybau 81 ,