The Guarded Door to Glory: A Gospel of Wood and Gold Text: 1 Kings 6:31-32
Introduction: The High Cost of Access
We live in an age of casual familiarity with God. We have domesticated the Almighty, treating Him as a friendly therapist, a cosmic buddy, or a celestial vending machine. Our worship songs often speak of rushing into His presence, as though the throne room of the universe had a screen door on it. We have forgotten the terror and the glory. We have forgotten that our God is a consuming fire.
The modern evangelical mind has little patience for the intricate, seemingly tedious details of Old Testament temple construction. We want the highlights, the takeaways, the three steps to a better life. But in doing so, we skip over the very grammar of redemption that God has so painstakingly laid out for us. God is a master communicator, and He does not waste words, or cubits, or carvings. Every detail in Solomon's temple is a word in a sentence, and the sentence is a declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This passage, describing the doors to the Holy of Holies, is not a dry excerpt from an ancient architectural blueprint. It is a profound theological statement about the nature of God's holiness and the only way a sinful man can ever hope to approach Him. This is the final barrier, the door into the very epicenter of God's manifest presence on earth. To breeze past these verses is to miss the weight of what it cost for the veil to be torn. These two verses are a sermon in wood, gold, and artistry, preaching the holiness of God, the tragedy of the fall, and the glory of the coming Redeemer who would say, "I am the door."
The Text
For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts.
So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
(1 Kings 6:31-32 LSB)
The Frame of Reconciliation (v. 31)
We begin with the structure of the entrance itself.
"For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts." (1 Kings 6:31 LSB)
The "inner sanctuary" is the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. This is the symbolic throne room of God on earth, the place where heaven and earth met. It was a perfect cube, echoing the New Jerusalem to come, and it housed the Ark of the Covenant. Access was forbidden to all but the High Priest, and to him only once a year on the Day of Atonement, and not without the blood of a sacrifice. The air here is thick with holiness. This is the most restricted space on the planet.
And for the entrance to this space, Solomon makes doors of "olive wood." This is the first gospel note. The olive tree is rich with biblical meaning. It was an olive leaf that the dove brought back to Noah, a sign of peace and that God's judgment was receding from the earth. Olive oil was used for fuel in the lamps, providing light. It was the central ingredient in the anointing oil, used to set apart priests and kings for their holy office. It was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. So, the very material of this door speaks of peace with God, the light of His presence, and the anointing of His Spirit. The only way into the presence of God is through a door of peace and anointing. This door is already preaching about the one who is the Anointed One, the Messiah, who would make peace for us through the blood of His cross.
The doorposts are "five-sided." This is a peculiar detail, and therefore an important one. God is not arbitrary. The number five in Scripture often relates to grace, but it is also the number of books in the Pentateuch, the Torah, the Law of God. This entrance is not a free-for-all. It is framed by the Law of God. The way to God is a structured, defined, and lawful way. Grace does not abolish the law; it fulfills it. The door of peace is set squarely within the frame of God's perfect righteousness. You do not get to God by ignoring His commands, but through the One who perfectly fulfilled them on our behalf.
The Gospel in the Carvings (v. 32)
The doors themselves are not left bare. They are a canvas for divine instruction.
"So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees." (1 Kings 6:32 LSB)
Here the gospel explodes into full view. These are not random, pretty decorations. This is Edenic imagery. This is a portrait of the way back to the garden, the way back to God's presence. Remember what happened after Adam sinned. God drove him out of the Garden of Eden, and what did He place at the entrance to guard the way to the tree of life? He placed cherubim and a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24). The cherubim were the angelic, holy guards. Their job was to keep sinful man out. They were the ultimate "No Trespassing" sign, backed by lethal force.
But here, in the temple, the cherubim are not standing in front of the door with a sword. They are carved on the door. The very beings who were tasked with barring the way are now part of the entrance. The obstacle has become the ornament. How is this possible? Because the temple is a house of sacrifice. It is a place where blood is shed. These doors prophesy that a way would be made where the justice of God, represented by the cherubim, would be satisfied. The cross is where the flaming sword was quenched in the side of the Son of God. The justice that once barred us from God's presence is the very same justice that now ushers us in, because it has been fully satisfied in Christ. When you come to God through Christ, the cherubim are not your enemies; they are carved on the door you are walking through.
Alongside the cherubim are "palm trees." The psalmist tells us that "the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree" (Psalm 92:12). Palm branches were waved in celebration of victory (John 12:13) and are seen in the hands of the redeemed saints in glory (Revelation 7:9). To enter this door is to enter into a life of righteousness, victory, and flourishing. It is the path to true life.
And there are "open flowers." This is the life of the new creation. This is the garden in full bloom. The way to God is not a way into a sterile, empty void, but into a world bursting with life, beauty, and fruitfulness. It is a return to Eden, but not just Eden as it was, but Eden glorified.
Finally, all of it, the doors, the cherubim, the palm trees, is "overlaid with gold." Gold in Scripture consistently represents the divine nature, purity, and the glory of God. This is not a man-made way. This is a divine way. It is a glorious way. The entire path of salvation, from the satisfaction of justice to the promise of new life, is shot through with the glory and the very nature of God Himself. It is a weighty, precious, and incorruptible entrance.
Conclusion: Walking Through Christ
This door, in all its detailed glory, is a portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9). He is the door of olive wood, for He is our peace and our Anointed King. His life and death are framed by the five-sided doorposts of God's law, which He fulfilled perfectly.
On Him, the cherubim are carved. In His death, the guardians of God's holiness were satisfied. Through Him, we flourish like the palm tree, counted as righteous and granted victory over sin and death. In Him, we see the open flowers of the new creation, for if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. And He is Himself the pure gold, the very radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3).
The entrance to God's presence is not cheap, and it is not casual. It is guarded, glorious, and specific. There is only one door. You cannot sneak around the side. You cannot invent your own way in. You must come through the door of olive wood, the door carved with the satisfied justice of God, the door that leads to victorious life, the door overlaid with the pure gold of divinity. You must come through Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the guarded door to glory.