Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Kings Chapter 5
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 5:1-20
5:1And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 5:2And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,5:3Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Jehovah his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet. 5:4But now Jehovah my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. 5:5And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name. 5:6Now therefore command thou that they cut me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that knoweth how to cut timber like unto the Sidonians.
5:7And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 5:8And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the message which thou hast sent unto me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.5:9My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. 5:10So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire. 5:11And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 5:12And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
5:13And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 5:14And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to taskwork. 5:15And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; 5:16besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work. 5:17And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone. 5:18And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.
November 1, 1896: I Kings 5:1-12
While the Solomon consciousness is the mental state in which we build up our body-temple in wholeness and holiness, beauty and grace, “unto the name of the Lord,” yet it is true that Intellect has a very important part to perform in all healing; without it no “building” or healing is possible.
There were two “noble” co-workers with Solomon, Hiram (noble) king of Tyre and Hiram-abiph (or abi or ab). Hiram-ab was king Hiram's great architect, whose “wisdom and understanding and cunning” built the Temple under Solomon. – 2 Chron. 1:13-14.
In Hebrew names the prefix or suffix “ab” denotes noble birth or rank; translated, “ab” signifies father, as in Ab-Ijah, Ab-Solom, Abner, Jo-ab and Hiram-ab. The Welch, believed by many to be descendants of the lost Tribe of Simeon, still retain this prefix “ab”, changed to “ap” as in Ap Roberts.
Now, while Solomon is an Israelite, and therefore of the Spiritual, these Hirams (or Hurams) are of the kingdom of Tyre (worldly wisdom). They stand for Intellect and its constructive reasoning faculty, converted to the love of the Spiritual; “for Hiram was ever a lover of David.” Intellect can never co-operate with the Spiritual, until it becomes “a lover of David;” then formative reason (Hiram Abiph) designs and constructs all the beautiful reasoning formulas (architectural plans) by which we perceive our beautiful Ideal Temple, the faultless pattern, from which our Holy Temple, “the glory of the whole earth,” is brought into conscious actualization. We all have a “Temple of the Holy Ghost” to build, and Hiram-ab is our “cunning artificer,” who derives his genius from his Spiritual mother; for “he was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre.” – I Kings 7:13-51.
As Hiram-ab obtained his architectural models of the Temple, with its massive bronze pillars before the porch, from the heathen temples of Egypt, according to Masonic tradition; just so we derive our highest ideal of the body from a knowledge of the physical body; from the pattern of which we picture to our mental vision a transcendently beautiful Spiritual body, no longer a temple for the worship of false gods, but the “Temple of the Holy Ghost.”
7-10. When Intellect becomes converted to the love of the Spiritual, so that it can say, “blessed be the Lord this day,” then it will give its best faculties to the consciousness of Understanding, will give its Hiram-abiph (constructive reason), its highest genius—who “hews” (prepares) and brings forth “timber of cedar and timber of fir” (strong, self-reliant thoughts) as substantial framework for our Divine edifice.
11. Through giving its best talents to the Spiritual consciousness, Intellect shares in the fullness of the all-sufficient supply of all Good, Truth, Life and Love, as indicated by the symbolic numbers and terms: “20,000 measures of beaten wheat (Truth prepared by thought for interior assimilation), 20,000 measures of barley(Truth for more exterior uses), 20,000 baths of wine (Life) and 20,000 baths of oil (Love);” all these in all-sufficient, superabundant fullness: 20,000. – 2 Chron. 2:10.
17. Through obedience to the Divine Voice we experience the practical realization of Wisdom and Understanding in consciousness; and Intellect becomes the friend and harmonious co-worker “in league” with the Spiritual, in all the beautiful work of the Solomon consciousness, in building our Holy Temple, a perfect body.
– UNITY magazine.
April 27, 1947: I Kings 5:13-16
Should we carry nonresistance to the length of compromising with evil and calling it good? By no means. We should affirm greater wisdom and realize it, so that we may stand firm in the right without having to strive with evil.
What is the peace that endures? Lasting peace is built into our consciousness by the coordinated organization of all our powers. The mere cessation of strife can never be peace.
What makes our progress in the realization of peace constant? The will to realize peace and a systematic plan towards that end.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-05-2014
