And he made the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of them.
The hall of pillars stood between the great cedar house and the throne room, with its own porch and canopy in front. Commentators read this palace complex as a picture of how the Lord Jesus will one day govern the earth, and the pillars are the key detail.
Where This Hall Stands in the Plan
Solomon's palace was a group of buildings, each named and measured in turn:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe buildings consisted of the following: The house of the forest of Lebanon (verses 2-5). The porch of pillars (verse 6). The porch of judgment, where the king judged (verse 7). The house where the king dwelt (verse 8). The house where Pharaoh's daughter dwelt "like unto his house" (verse 8). The wall which surrounded the great court. The account mentions seven things in connection with the palace buildings. The temple was God's dwelling place; the palace buildings were the dwelling place of the king and his wife, Pharaoh's daughter. From there the king carried out judgment. Here we have a picture of the glorious rule of the kingdom, when our Lord judges in righteousness.
The hall took its name from what filled it. Older translations call it the porch of pillars:
H. L. RossierThe centre itself had two porches. The first was the porch of pillars. It is well named, for it had six rows of pillars along its sides and four rows of pillars rising in the middle. Next came the porch of the throne, or the porch of judgment. It continued from the first and filled the back of the building. At the back of this porch a marvellous throne arose.
A Hall That Draws the Eye to a Throne
The verse mentions a further porch in front of this one, with its own pillars and canopy. The rows of columns led the eye somewhere:
H. L. RossierIn front of the porch of pillars there was an entry porch, and we are not told its size. It too was decorated with a row of columns. It had a beam across the top, or a flight of steps by which one reached the house. Your eye passed through the forest of cedar pillars in the central part to the second porch. At its far end rose a throne of gold and ivory, wonderfully made. On this throne you could gaze at the glorious king, peaceable Solomon, Jedidiah, the beloved of the Lord, whose wisdom was never surpassed — the righteous king carrying out righteousness.
Cedar, Not Gold: a House Built for Government
The temple next door was overlaid with gold; this house was not:
Leslie M. GrantThis building was not overlaid with gold, for gold speaks of the nature of God, and the house of the forest of Lebanon speaks of the government of God. So cedar wood stood out here. Cedar is a lasting wood. This tells us that the government of the Lord Jesus will be stable and lasting throughout the entire 1000 years. Many pillars stood in this house, though only 2 stand at the entrance of the temple.
Why So Many Pillars Here and So Few There
One writer reads the difference as what God's own house needs compared with what Christ's reign will include:
H. L. RossierPillars were everywhere in this house, in contrast to the temple, which had none, except the two pillars Jachin and Boaz at its entrance... The house of God supports itself, and has no need of other support in its perfect stability. The glory of God is enough for itself; only God the Father associates His children with it and gives them a dwelling place there. It will not be so with the reign of Christ over the nations. The saints will be called to share in His reign and to judge the world with Christ (1 Cor. 6:2; Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:26-27). The Lord will have companions in His government. They will always live near the king, just as Solomon's companions once lived in the house of the forest of Lebanon. In the same way, the Lord had priests living with Him in His temple.
What the Whole Structure Points To
The buildings picture Christ's glory among the nations and the church joined to Him:
J. N. DarbyTo my mind, it is the house of Solomon that pictures the church in connection with Christ. The temple pictures the Father's house on high, where we are brought to dwell. "We are his house"; as the house of the forest of Lebanon prefigures His glory among the Gentiles. The porch of judgment characterises this glorious reign.
Summary
- Pillars, placed. The hall of pillars sits between the great cedar house and the throne room. It is one of seven parts of Solomon's palace, separate from the temple.
- Pillars, pointing. The pillars were not decoration for their own sake. The eye travelled through them to a throne of gold and ivory, where a righteous king sat carrying out righteousness.
- Pillars, not gold. Gold speaks of the nature of God. Cedar marks this house as speaking of His government, and cedar lasts, picturing a reign that stays stable for a thousand years.
- Pillars, shared. God's own house needs no supports; a kingdom does. The many pillars here stand for saints called to reign and judge with Christ, companions living near the king.
- Pillars, worldwide. The house of the forest of Lebanon points to Christ's glory among the nations. The porch of judgment gives that reign its character.