King Solomon and the Temples for the Jews

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Judaism
King Solomon had made a promise to build God a temple where His people would worship Him from in Israel. Therefore, in 1 Kings 6, the text provides a detailed description of how Solomon built the temple providing measurements and types of materials used in the construction. The temple was magnificent when it was completed and it took Solomon seven years to fully complete it. The precision and dedication that was taken in building the temple provides a glimpse of the importance it played for the people of Israel. Gold was used on the walls and floors of the temple and King Solomon spared no resources in building God a temple that would be used for His worship. The scripture provides a glimpse of early Temples and how they were built and appeared in structure which allows for comparison to be made with modern day temples. Throughout the centuries, the temple has significantly transformed as well as the functions of the priests and how the temple functioned.
Based on the description provided of the temple building, it is clear to say that the community identity was that of Israelites who belonged to the Jewish community. Throughout the passage, there is the reference to God and the people of Israel and the need for the people to keep His commandments and laws. The temple is being built hundred of years after the Israelites had been saved from Egypt and had been delivered to the promised land. Between the time of arrival in Israel and the reign of King Solomon, Israelites had strayed from the glory of God and in a bid to return his people to God, King Solomon decides to build a temple that would not be in comparison to other temples and establish the worship of God in Israel. Therefore, the author (s) of the passage in 1 Kings 6 knew that the identity of the community was that of Jewish who were the Israelites. This is also evident when God speaks to King Solomon asking his people to follow his laws and he will live among them (New Testament International Version Bible). Having identified Israelites as His people, God was making His presence known to them, if only they could follow the laws, he had given them.
From the passage it is evident that the Israelites believed a temple to be necessary in their community identity. The importance of the temple to the Israelite’s identity is seen through the dedication and passion put into the building of the God’s temple. The Temple was a sacred place where prayers were offered to God and this was highly regarded among the community. At the time of building the temple, the preferred form of worship was sacrificial especially that of animals and it was carried out by the priests. The sacrifices offered at the temple were either individual or communal. One important form of sacrifice that was carried out at the temple on behalf of the entire people in Israel every morning where a lamb was burnt at the altar (Chapter 16, Page 245-247). Their belief in their identity in the temple was one of the reasons king Solomon was dedicated to build a magnificent Temple for God. Despite the availability of resources and all other required expertise, the temple still took seven years to complete (New Testament International Version ...