Solomon’s Temple: Constructing the I AM

Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal palace for himself. — 2 Chronicles 2:1

The temple in the Bible is more than a magnificent structure of gold and cedar. Understood through the teachings of Neville Goddard, Solomon’s Temple becomes a metaphor for the sacred work of constructing one’s inner “I AM” — the self-awareness and awakened consciousness within each person.

Solomon: The Embodiment of Inner Wisdom

Solomon represents the matured, wise aspect of consciousness — the peaceful fruit of fulfilled desire. As the son of David (symbolising passionate belief and action), Solomon embodies the shift from striving to the serene embodiment of the wish fulfilled.

He is peace after conflict, wisdom after faith, and structure after passion.

In 2 Chronicles 2:9, Solomon declares that the temple must be “great and wonderful,” not for man, but for the name of the LORD. Neville Goddard interprets “the name” as “I AM” — the divine self. Thus, the temple symbolises not a dwelling for an external God but the sacred space within where we consciously assume and embody our divine nature.

The Precious Materials: Symbols of Mental and Spiritual States

The materials gathered — gold, silver, fine linen, and cedar — are not mere ornaments but living symbols of inner states:

• Gold represents the radiant, incorruptible essence of divine wisdom. The Holy of Holies was covered with pure gold (1 Kings 6:20), pointing to the purest expression of “I AM,” beyond change or decay. Neville saw gold as the wisdom of revealed truth — the divine self refined to radiant purity.

• Silver symbolises knowledge gained through lived experience, the lessons etched upon the soul through the journey of life.

• Fine linen denotes purity and righteousness — clarity in assumption and mental discipline.

• Cedar from Lebanon, prized for its incorruptibility and fragrant strength, stands for deeply rooted beliefs and spiritual endurance. Neville described cedar as symbolising an incorruptible mind, resistant to decay and capable of sustaining the weight of divine awareness.

“He made himself a chariot of the wood of the cedars of Lebanon that is incorruptible; worms will not attack it.”

The Skilled Craftsman: The Inner Faculty of Precise Assumption

In 2 Chronicles 2:7, Solomon requests a master craftsman “cunning to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, purple, crimson, and blue.” This figure represents our inner faculty of imagination — the skilled artisan within us who shapes our assumptions into tangible experience.

This “craftsman” embodies the disciplined use of imagination, crafting vivid mental scenes, feeling their reality deeply, and persisting until they solidify in outward form. Purple and blue symbolise elevated consciousness and spiritual vision, while gold and silver mark the incorruptible purity of mind.

Architecture of the Temple: Precision and Divine Order

The temple’s exact dimensions and details (1 Kings 6:2-3) speak to the necessity of precise inner work. Every assumption must be carefully measured, every belief aligned with the desired state. Just as no tool was heard on the temple site because stones were finished at the quarry (1 Kings 6:7), so too must our assumptions be refined in quiet inner work, free from outer conflict.

Living Imagery: Palms, Flowers, and the Inner Garden

The temple’s carvings of palm trees, cherubim, and flowers (1 Kings 6:29) reveal a deeper connection to the story of Tamar and the garden of the soul. The palm tree, symbol of victory and spiritual vitality, recalls Psalm 92:12:

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”

These images remind us that the “I AM” is not a static structure but a flourishing, ever-living garden — a return to the inner Eden.

The Ark of the Covenant: The Sacred Heart

At the core of Solomon’s Temple lay the Ark of the Covenant — the deepest seat of divine presence (1 Kings 8:6-7). This ark represents the innermost “I AM,” the point where consciousness fully resides within us. It is not just conceptual or symbolic but the living sanctuary of the realised self.

“The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; how much less this house which I have built!” — 2 Chronicles 2:6

Here, Solomon affirms a fundamental Neville Goddard teaching: God is not confined to a building or an external image but dwells within as pure awareness — the “I AM.”

Outer Kings and Inner Alignment

Solomon’s correspondence with Huram, king of Tyre, signifies how the outer world aligns with inner vision. Neville taught that once an inner state is assumed, even “foreign kings” — external circumstances or resistances — must eventually cooperate.

The True Temple: Structured Imagination and Assumed Identity

Ultimately, the temple story teaches that your imagination is the true temple. Every thought is a stone, every feeling a carved panel, every assumption a golden ornament. You are both Solomon and the craftsman: the wise planner and the skilled builder of your own divine state.

“And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” — Exodus 25:8

This is the invitation to build a living sanctuary within — a noble, radiant “I AM”ness worthy of divine indwelling. The gold of wisdom, silver of life’s lessons, cedar of incorruptible thought, and the palm of spiritual vitality combine to form the living temple of your consciousness.