1 Kings 7:48
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
In the order of Bible history the verse belongs to the period of the undivided kingdom under Solomon told in 1 Kings 1 to 11, parallel to 2 Chronicles 1 to 9, and comes in chronological order at this point in that history. In that storyline it follows the close of David's reign, the appointment of Solomon as king, David's charge to Solomon, and the bestowal of wisdom upon Solomon. It stands within the account of Solomon building his own house and building the temple.
The verse belongs to the account of Solomon's temple and its furnishings. It describes the building and furniture of the temple, to be noted especially along with the dedication prayer and the sacrifices and the divine answer to Solomon's prayer. Compared with the tabernacle, the temple enlarged its plan, was made permanent rather than temporary, and had its sanctuary vessels increased in size and number.
The temple kept sacred vessels of the same kinds as the tabernacle and served the same kind of ministry, including the golden altar and the golden table for the bread of the presence, arranged within two holy places. The temple's two holy places with their design and furnishings formed a pattern of the heavenly temple.
The skill that produced the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord, the altar of gold and the table of gold whereupon the shewbread was, shows that the power of invention is God-given, as special wisdom given by God to the builders of the temple. All such wisdom is given for the benefit of the masses and for the furtherance of God's cause, for the specific purpose of finishing the gospel work, and is not to be perverted to selfish purposes and evil uses.