Cheshvan New Moon Teaching

The name of the eighth month is Cheshvan. This is a shortened form of Marcheshvan, which means - the eighth month.

So as usual I wasn't sure what to talk about this time, so I looked up some things that happened in the eighth month in the Bible.

1 Kings 6:38

And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month [Bul was its name prior to the Babylonian exile], the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

The "he" here was Solomon and the house was the House of the Lord, the Temple.

This fits nicely with the time of year on the agricultural cycle. What's going on right now in the fields? The last harvests have been brought in or will be brought in.We'll be half way through November when this month is over.

It is a time of completion. Finishing up everything that needs done in the fields. Tying up loose ends. Making sure everything is ready for winter. That long slumber, when nature goes dormant, and everything treats

resets.

Last year during Tabernacles I talked about making goals. Some people do this on New Year's. How many people have stuck with their goals pretty well this year? Any big projects completed? Give yourselves a little pat on the back if so.

The rest of us can give ourselves a slap on the wrist.

Not too hard, there's still time to fulfill your resolutions.

Anyway, so I thought, cool Solomon finished the temple in the right month. Then I started reading the next chapter and saw this:

7:1 But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.

Solomon spent nearly twice as long building his own house as he did building the Temple. Then he built all these other buildings too.

Now, 1 Kings 6:2 says the Temple was 60 cubits by 20, and 30 tall. With a vestibule in the front of 10 cubits.

7:2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars.

6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.

7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.

9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court.

It is believed that these buildings were part of his royal complex and were likely adjacent to the temple. In some sense, this might have served to beautify the Temple area, but would these other structures not have overshadowed it as well?

He spent all this time and materials on these bigger structures, but if I mention the building that Solomon built, what comes to mind? What is he known for? – The Temple!

All these other buildings were forgotten. No one even thinks about them. They won't matter at all in eternity. It’s not that it’s wrong for the king to build a palace, especially when the whole kingdom is prospering, but what are they in comparison with the House where God dwelt?

1 Cor 3 9-5 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The House of the Forests of Lebanon, The House of Pillars, The Hall of Judgement. May may have been made of costly stones and overlaid with precious metals, but anything not built for the Lord is counted as wood, hay, and straw. Things that burn up, if they don't decompose first.

We may not be masons. Stonemasons - not Freemasons. We may not be masons, but we’re all building something.

We’re either building for the Lord, or we’re building our own houses. Again, it’s not wrong to have a house, to have hobbies, or do things that aren’t strictly spiritual. God gave us things to enjoy. But how are we enjoying them?

Do we give thanks to God for those things?

Or are they absorbing our attention?

Are we spending more of our time and energy on building our house - our comforts, our careers, things that bring us glory, or can we say at the end of the day, thank you for everything you’ve given me. They are yours. They were yours to give me, and they are yours to take away. Help me to be more focused on the eternal things.

Just some things to think about.