Background
When Israel left Egypt and wandered through the wilderness, the presence of God dwelt in a portable mini-temple, the tabernacle. This contained the Ark of the Covenant. When Solomon became King and there was peace in Israel, God allowed a permanent temple to be built.
Bible Reading:1 Kings 6:1,19-22, 7:51
Four hundred and eighty years after the people of Israel left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, Solomon began work on the Temple.
In the rear of the Temple an inner room was built, where the Lord's Covenant Box was to be placed. This inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high, all covered with pure gold. The altar was covered with cedar panels. The inside of the Temple was covered with gold, and gold chains were placed across the entrance of the inner room, which was also covered with gold. The whole interior of the Temple was covered with gold, as well as the altar in the Most Holy Place.
When King Solomon finished all the work on the Temple, he placed in the Temple storerooms all the things that his father David had dedicated to the Lord, the silver, gold, and other articles.
A Reflection
Solomon’s Temple, built to the glory of God, was vast and ornate. It was built from only the best cedar and stone and covered in gold. Here his people would gather to worship and pray, and sacrifices would be made, both as sin offerings and as thank offerings. The temple was a statement about the greatness of God for future generations, but it also contained reminders of their past: the covenant box from the tabernacle and the silver, gold and jewels that David had gathered and dedicated to the worship of God.
One thousand years later Jesus would become the ultimate sin offering and God would dwell, not in a building, but in the hearts and lives of his people. But he is still the same God, and he still deserves the best that we can offer in our lives and in our worship.
What would it mean for you to offer God the best you have in his worship, not just when you gather in church with other Christians, but in the way you live your life 24/7?
The temple that Solomon built contained symbols of God’s presence in the past, but also looked forward to new expressions of worship in the future, expressions that would change again with the coming of Jesus, and again with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Are there times or events in your past when you have been particularly aware of God’s presence with you? Thank God for these times and keep them as reminders of God's faithfulness as you move on with him in your life and worship today.
The mission and ministry of God is always moving forwards, always seeking new ways to serve him and to express our worship of him, not just in song but also in the way we live our lives.
Are there new ways that God might be calling you to serve him and to express your worship of him today? Will you trust the God of the past to go with you into the future?
Pray:
Almighty and Glorious God,
May my words and my life be always to your glory and worship.
Amen
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee