1 Kings 6:29-38: a reflection

29He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside. 30He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and outside. 31For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall. 32So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. He spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33He also made the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall, 34and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work. 36He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and a course of cedar beams. 37The foundation of the LORD’s house was laid in the fourth year, in the month Ziv. 38In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its specifications. So he spent seven years building it.

As Solomon builds the temple, the passage describes its lavish interior: walls carved with cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, overlaid with gold, inside and outside. Even the inner sanctuary, the most sacred inner room that only the high priest would ever enter, and that only once a year, was richly carved and overlaid with gold. The care and beauty extended even to the parts almost no one would ever see, the hidden, innermost places, worked with the same excellence as the visible.

Notice the excellence extended even to the unseen. It would have been understandable to lavish care only on the visible parts, the outer areas people would see, and to skimp on the inner room almost no one would ever enter. But the innermost sanctuary was worked with the same beauty and care, richly carved and gilded, even though few eyes would ever behold it. The excellence was for God, not for human eyes, and so it reached even into the hidden places.

That commends excellence and care even in what is unseen. We are tempted to give our best effort only to what others will see, the visible parts of our work and lives, and to be careless with the hidden parts that no one will notice. But the temple's beauty reached even into the room almost no one would enter, because it was for God. So our care and excellence should reach even into the unseen parts of our work and lives, the things done in private, the hidden efforts no one will notice, because they are done before God, who sees all. Do not save your best only for what others will see. Give excellence and care even to the unseen, the hidden parts of your work and life, for they are done before God, who beholds even the innermost places.

Lord, in Solomon's temple, even the innermost sanctuary that almost no one would ever enter was richly carved and overlaid with gold, worked with the same excellence as the visible, because it was for you. Teach me that care. I am tempted to give my best only to what others will see, and to be careless with the hidden parts of my work and life that no one will notice. But the temple's beauty reached even into the unseen places, because it was for you. Help my care and excellence to reach even into the hidden parts of my work and life, the things done in private, the efforts no one will notice, because they are done before you, who see all. Keep me from saving my best only for what others see; help me give excellence even to the unseen, for you behold even the innermost places.