Teaching

Let’s say the SuperVerse together. 1 Corinthians 3:8:

The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.

How does the first part of the SuperVerse relate to our story about David and Solomon? Each had different parts but the same purpose—to build the Temple.

What was David’s part? He made preparations, gathering and storing supplies. He prayed for and supported Solomon. He received the Temple plans from God and instructed Solomon.

David gathered timber, stones, and various metals for Solomon. He even donated precious stones, silver, gold, marble, and jewels from his personal treasury to be used in God’s house! David also encouraged the other leaders to do their parts and give gifts to help build the Temple. (See 1 Chronicles 29:1–5.)

What was Solomon’s part? He was in charge of the actual building or construction of the Temple according to God’s plan.

Solomon could not build the Temple alone. He gathered thousands of workers—including 3,600 foremen to oversee the work, 80,000 quarry workers to mine and finish the stones, and 70,000 laborers to transport material and do construction. Other workers helped a master craftsman named Huram-abi, who skillfully made all the furnishings of the Temple. (See 2 Chronicles 2:13–18; 1 Kings 5:13–18.)

Each worker played an important part in the construction of the Temple. They all worked for the same purpose and followed the same plan. But imagine what would have happened if each of the 70,000 laborers tried to build the Temple however they wanted! One might say, I’m going to put this stone here in the middle of this hallway, rather than where I was told to put it in that wall over there. And suppose the men working in the quarry each decided to cut the stones whatever size they wanted, rather than cutting the stones to precise measurements so they would fit together in the master plan. What would happen? The Temple would not have been completed properly.

David wanted to build the Temple—after all, it was his idea! However, that was not the part David was given by God. Did David become bitter or jealous? No.

David may have been disappointed, yet he did his part to the best of his ability. David told Solomon that he worked hard to provide all of the materials. (See 1 Chronicles 22:14.)

When God gives us a task, we should do it carefully and cheerfully, and we should not be jealous of others who are given different tasks. Let’s say the SuperTruth. “I will do my part in God’s plan.”

Chose two volunteers. Have Volunteer 1 stand next to you. Have Volunteer 2 bring all four boxes to you. When all four boxes arrive, have Volunteer 1 build a tower four boxes high.

That is a very nice tower! Who should be rewarded for the work—the builder or the box carrier? Children respond.

Both should be rewarded because both volunteers did the part I asked them to do. The second part of the SuperVerse says, “And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.” God does not reward us by comparing our work to other people’s work. He rewards us according to what He asks us to do—period. People may judge one part more important than another’s part; even so, this is not God’s way!

Now, there is one person who did what no other person can do. Can you guess who? Jesus.

No one else could save us from our sin! (See Luke 22:42.) Jesus accepted His part in God’s plan and submitted to God’s will, even though it meant dying a painful death on the cross.

Through Jesus, we are invited by God to participate in His work in this world! He gives everyone a part to play. We must never be afraid to do our part.

Solomon was young and inexperienced, and he could have felt overwhelmed by the massive task of building a magnificent building for God. So David encouraged him to trust God.

Read 1 Chronicles 28:19–20:

¹⁹ “Every part of this plan,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the LORD.” ²⁰ Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the LORD is finished correctly.” 

This promise is true for us today. God is with us, and He will equip us with all we need to do the task we are assigned. He will see to it that we are successful! Through prayer, reading God’s Word, and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can learn what our part is in God’s plan. We are God’s Temple, and the Holy Spirit lives in us. The Spirit shows us God’s plan and gives us the power to follow it.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give God’s Temple page to any children who missed Lesson 1.

In our Discipleship Challenge, we are learning about being God’s Temple. When we ask Jesus to be our Savior, He comes to live inside us. We are His Temple, filled with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit will continue to build our Temple for the rest of our lives! As we walk in obedience to Him, our Temple will grow more and more like Christ. We are learning about the items or furnishings of Solomon’s Temple and comparing them to the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our Temples. All of this is only possible through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.   

In the first challenge, do you remember the two Temple items? The Bronze Altar and the Bronze Sea or basin.

Last time, we talked about the Bronze Altar and the Bronze Sea or basin. The priests used to offer animal sacrifices on the altar to pay the price for the people’s sin. We don’t need to do that because Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins—forever. In the same way, the priests used to wash themselves in the Bronze Sea. Whenever we sin, we can come to Jesus and confess our sins to receive forgiveness and cleansing.   

Today’s challenge is “Jesus lights my Temple,” and we will learn about the Lampstand and the Altar of incense.

The lampstands lit the sanctuary of the Temple, called the Holy Place. The priests had to fill them with oil so they would burn brightly. At home, read John 8:12 and find out how the lampstands represent Jesus’ light.    

The Altar of incense was used in the Temple to burn sweet incense that rose to God. Our prayers rise up to God like sweet incense. At home, read Psalm 141:2 and think about your prayers going up to heaven like a sweet smell.     

Your challenge is to let Jesus’ light shine through you so others can see Him through your words and actions. Another part of this challenge is to offer daily prayers to God according to Psalm 141:2. Next time we meet, you will have an opportunity to share your discussion and experience with this challenge.