Regarding Solomon's Temple:
In front of the Temple stood a great sacrificial altar and the Sea, a gigantic bronze basin supported by
twelve bronze oxen.On either side of the platform were five much smaller basins set in wheeled stands, also of bronze.
Nehushtan, the bronze seraph, or winged cobra, said to have been fashioned by Moses, was displayed here on a standard.
...A doorway led from the portico into the main room, some seventy feet long. Clerestory windows just below the coffered ceiling admitted light.
Palmettes, stylized palm trees, decorated the cedar-paneled walls, along with rosettes and colocynths (wild gourds). Carved sphinxes, the cherubim, protected the holy space. The walls and floor were covered in gold leaf. Here stood an incense altar, ten lamp stands and a table, all of gold.
Seraphim kept watch above the doors into the Holy of Holies. Two huge cherubim stood inside, each more than seventeen feet tall and with outstretched wings that spanned the width of the room.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/HOAI/adultmain.cgi?article=temple.htm
Possible artifact from Solomon's temple of a "graven" image of things on the earth (picture at site):
IVORY POMEGRANATE
This thumb-sized
pomegranate is believed to be the only known relic from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Around the shoulder of the pomegranate is a carefully incised inscription in early Hebrew characters, part of which is broken off, which reads: "qodes kohanim I-beyt [yahwe]h". "
Sacred donation for the priests of (in) the House of [Yahwe]h." "House of Yahweh" most probably refers to the Temple in Jerusalem.
It was a favorite motif in the Temple of Solomon, and decorated the capitals of the two freestanding columns at the entrance to the Temple
(1 Kings 7:21).
http://judicial-inc.biz/Solomon_temple.htm
From scripture:
2 Chronicles 3
5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.
10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work, and overlaid them with gold.
11 11 And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.
14
And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon
16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
2 Chronicles 4
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
4 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5 And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.
6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basins of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
10 And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.
11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;
12 To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;
13 And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upon the pillars.
14 He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;
15 One sea, and twelve oxen under it.
16 The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the LORD of bright brass.
17 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;
20 Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;
22 And the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.
2 Chronicles 5
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim:
8 For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
So . . back to my questions to Gwen . ..
Gwen why did God's glory descend on a temple full of images?
Why did God hallow a temple full of images?
Why did God choose for Himself a temple full of images?
.