Greetings: My question is in reference to 1 Kings 7:23-7:25 and 1 Kings 7:39 -7:44.

1Ki 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 1Ki 7:24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 1Ki 7:25 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. What is the significance of the molten sea? Why did Solomon and the Temple architects feel a need to expend a enormous amount of energy and man power building a working model of the sea. To construct a basin of brass this size with twelve brass oxen must have cost tons of charcoal to smelt the brass into the needed forms. Why was the 'Sea' place on the Temple platform? It must have meant something to the early Israelites. This is a real puzzle for me; can you help? Sincerely Vince Graham