All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court.
The record of Solomon's building work pauses here to describe the stone itself: costly, measured, sawn smooth on both faces, and used everywhere from the foundation up to the coping, the top course of the wall. Why record the quality of stone that no visitor would ever see?
The costly foundation
For one writer, the cost matters most where the building begins:
H. L. RossierIt was of prime importance to lay a costly foundation, one whose solidity would be proof against every test, as the base of the temple of God. This is what God has done for His spiritual house as well. The foundation is Christ, the Chief Cornerstone; the foundations are the truths about Christ and His work as He has presented them through His apostles and prophets. These are the great stones, the costly stones. It is impossible to remove one without compromising or shaking the whole building.
What "costly" meant
One writer measures these stones and works out what they weigh, and what they point to:
C. StanleyThese great foundation stones, sawn and hewn, were indeed "costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits." A cubit, at the lowest, is one foot six inches. So these great stones were at least twelve feet every way, and some fifteen feet every way. If you work it out, you will find they weighed about 250 tons each... Solomon built three houses, which answer, I have no doubt, to the threefold glory of Christ. The same sized stones formed the foundation of each. So Christ is the foundation-stone alike of the Church of God in heavenly places, the future kingdom of Israel, and of millennial blessing to the whole world. The cross we shall find to be the foundation of all.
Cut according to measure
"Cut according to measure" describes work so exact that the finished joints still astonish those who examine them:
Morrish Bible DictionarySuch stones are still in place, beautifully shaped and squared. They fit so closely that you cannot slip the blade of a pen-knife between them, though there is no mortar — the work of the stone-squarers... In the quarry under Jerusalem, small chips lying about show that workers cut and shaped many stones there, ready for their appointed place.
One writer takes the cost and the cutting together:
Leslie M. GrantAll of these houses were built of costly stones. That shows the great cost to the Lord Jesus to bring Gentiles to Himself as well as Israel, through His great sacrifice at Calvary... Being hewn speaks of the work of the Spirit of God. He separates people from the caverns of sin that held them, and cuts them down to a suitable size to fit into God's building. We need this purging work of the Spirit of God today; Israel and believing Gentiles in the Millennium will need it too.
Out of the pit
Someone had to lift each stone out of the ground before anyone could saw it:
C. StanleyIs it not perfectly plain that those great stones, 250 tons in weight, never got out of the pit by any effort or work of their own? As we say, they would never have seen daylight if they had not been drawn out. You might just as well have put up a ladder of ten steps and told these stones to climb it out of the darkness. It is the same as setting the ten commandments before a dead sinner and telling him to climb them and so get out of the pit of sin.
The same quality everywhere
The same stone ran through the temple, its courts, and these houses alike:
H. L. RossierVerses 9-12 connect the glory of these houses to that of the temple and of its inner and outer courts. The same precious stones were used for all these buildings. Their foundations were the same. Nothing was used that did not match the character of the Lord and of Solomon.
The shaping still goes on
The cutting is not the last stage. The polishing is still going on:
The TempleThen these stones must be "polished after the likeness of a palace." This is the work of the teacher, who unfolds the mysteries of God and leads souls upward, onward, Godward, into closer conformity to Christ. The present world is God's workyard... The Lord Jesus is not only making use of the gifts of the Spirit, but also of the trials and temptations that come upon Christians; for all things are under His skilful hand, therefore "for those who love God all things work together for good."
The cost then becomes personal:
C. StanleyIf those were great stones and costly, surely believers are great stones and costly. "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all." I am no mason, but a stone fifteen feet cube would cost a great deal. And, fellow-believer, fellow-stone in the living temple, think what you have cost.
Summary
- Costly below. The best stone went where nobody could see it — the foundation. Commentators read that foundation as Christ Himself, and as the truths about His work.
- Costly out of the pit. A 250-ton block never climbed out of the quarry. Someone drew it out. No one climbs out of sin by effort either.
- Costly under the saw. "Cut according to measure" is the Spirit's work: separating, sizing, fitting a person into God's building.
- Costly everywhere. Foundation to coping, inside to outer court — the same quality everywhere, even where no eye would reach.
- Costly to you. The price of every living stone was the giving up of God's own Son — so think what you have cost.