The
Building of the
Author: William Crowell, Beulah Lodge #578,
May 2003
“Before you can properly conduct yourself in the
present, you must first have knowledge of the past.” ---Author
What was happening in history, before and during the origin of Freemasonry? Reviewing the past gives us yet more light. My resources for this lesson are:
I Kings and II Chronicles of the First Great Light, KJV
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
The Great Architect of the Universe
Prior to the building of the
God replied to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of your enemies, neither yet have you asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king…” A note of interest here is the root word (Chaldee: malak; maw-lak) for king does not imply royalty, but translated, it means to be appointed to reign as master and consultant to many.
Solomon was directly in line as the son of David, King of Israel, to become king. When referring to David, the Chaldee text uses melek, meh’-lek; a royal king. Yet when the Supreme Architect of the Universe calls Solomon king, it is the appointed master tense that is used. Solomon was both malak and melek. To God he is Grand Master of the soon to be Lodge, but to the people of the land he is royalty. God granted Solomon his desire for wisdom and knowledge, plus, God greatly multiplied Solomon’s wealth and stature. Solomon was determined to finish the work of his father David by building a temple to the name of the Lord. Before taking so great a challenge, Solomon had first sought the guidance and blessing of deity.
In the year 967 B.C., Hiram, King
of Tyre, sent his messenger to King Solomon to see if
all he had heard of King Solomon was true.
Solomon sent communication back to Hiram, telling him of his need for
wood, stone, and craftsmen skilled in hewing both wood and stone. Hiram, King of Tyre
was overjoyed to hear of Solomon’s plans to build a temple to the name of the
Lord. Hiram promised to give all that
Solomon asked and would even float them to the place appointed, leaving his
servants to serve as directed. Even
Hiram when he calls Solomon king he uses the appointed master tense (malak) of the name king.
Hiram’s only request of King Solomon was food for his household. Solomon counted out 30,000 men for an advance
work party to begin the felling of trees and the hewing of stone. He sent them 10,000
a month and rotated them one month at labor and two months at home. Solomon then drafted 70,000 men to bear the
burdens (the Entered Apprentice) and 80,000 men to hew timber and stone (the Fellowcraft), and 3,300 to oversee them (the Master
Mason). The skilled craftsmen of
Solomon also requested of Hiram, King
of Tyre that he send him a master craftsman skilled
to work gold, silver, brass, painting, and mostly one that is also a master of
hewing and engraving stone. Hiram, King
of
Hiram, King of Tyre,
Hiram, the widow’s son, and King Solomon became the Grand Masters over the
construction of the temple. Hiram, King
of Tyre was charged with materials and provider of the
Fellowcraft from
When you look at the roles of these three Grand Masters we possibly see: King Solomon in the role of the Worshipful Master (e.g. “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?”). We may see Hiram the widow’s son in the role of the Senior Warden (e.g. overseer of the crafts, see duties of the Senior Warden as defined by Grand Lodge). And we may also see Hiram, King of Tyre fulfilling the role of the Junior Warden (e.g. keeper of the corn, wine, and oil). Even before the temple cornerstone and foundation was laid, the foundation and structure of Freemasonry was in place.