The chronicler records a simple but triumphant statement: “Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished.” Commentators often smile at the literary poetry here, because the Hebrew word for “finished” sounds like the name Solomon. It is as if the verse reads, “Solomon solomoned the temple.” He completed the task his father David had begun but could not complete. Ogilvie notes that this title, “the finisher,” nudges our minds forward to Another whose final cry from the cross was, “It is finished” (John 19:30). That cry, according to the Gospel writers, coincided with the tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all point out that this was far less a decorating accident and far more a divine announcement: the old order had reached its purposeful conclusion.
This theme of finishing resonates with daily life because unfinished business is something we all understand. Closets wait to be cleaned, garages wait to be sorted, and lawns wait to be mowed. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is one giant to-do list glaring at us from the refrigerator door. Solomon’s accomplishment reminds us that things really can reach completion, even if it takes a while and even if—like David—we sometimes hand projects off to someone else with better tools and fewer distractions. While we may not build temples, we all build something: marriages, families, friendships, reputations, and spiritual maturity. And while none of us will tear any veils, we occasionally feel like tearing our hair out when life gets messy. Yet God specializes in bringing order, progress, and purpose out of our scattered efforts, often tying everything together in ways that feel like finishing touches we could never add ourselves.
In Jesus, the subject comes full circle. Solomon completed the temple; Jesus completed the work the Father gave Him. The entire sacrificial system—with its rituals, offerings, and frequent laundering of priestly garments—found its perfect fulfillment in His once-for-all sacrifice. The writer of Hebrews declares, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Now the residence of God is no longer stone and cedar but people. Paul explains, “You are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9), and Peter adds that believers are “living stones.” Through faith in Christ, God constructs a new dwelling place—one not limited by walls, veils, or geography, but alive with His Spirit and growing every day, even when our personal construction projects still look like works in progress.