Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friend,
I wonder how many times you’ve either moved yourself or helped a friend with the major project of packing and relocating to a new place? What a huge project, would you agree? And how often, in that process, where you packing and transporting very valuable, precious, maybe even historic antiques? Do you remember trembling as you wrapped and moved those precious things? Come with me and let’s join one of the greatest moving days of all time. We find it in 2 Chronicles 5 and 1 Kings 8 in the Bible.
It had taken 7 years and more than 180,000 workers to accomplish one of the greatest building projects of all time, the Temple, for the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. Remember the work site was quiet, not even the sound of any iron tool heard there during construction, according to 1 Kings 6:7. I don’t know if any other construction project, anywhere in the world can make that claim. Finally, the record says: “When all the work Solomon had done for the Temple of the LORD was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated – the silver and gold and all the furnishings – and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s Temple.”
Yesterday we looked closely at the remarkable Temple as it was being constructed, and I told you it was a relatively small building, only 90ft long by 30 ft wide and 45 ft high at its highest point. But around this Temple building were built some storage rooms into which were brought utensils, vats of oil and other things used for worship inside the Temple. In addition, a huge outside area, around the Temple, was prepared to contain the large altar for burnt offerings, large washing basins and a very, very large area for worshipers and priests to gather, pray and walk together in reflection.
You see my friends, while only select priests and the High Priest could go into the Temple, the vast Temple courts area was open to all Jews and even worshiping Gentiles. Many hundreds, perhaps thousands of people could be in this great Temple area all at the same time. The “temple mount” of today in Jerusalem, is nearly the size of what the Temple and courtyard area was in the days of King Solomon.
Finally, the time had arrived and “King Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant from Zion, the City of David. When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the Ark, and they brought up the Ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it.” (2 Chronicles 5:4,5) I’m imagining this was one of the greatest days in the history of Israel. The magnificent Temple was complete and ready to receive the sacred, golden, unique things the craftsmen had prepared: the Altar of Incense; the golden Lampstands; the golden tables for the Bread of the Presence.
This would be quite a moving day process. The Ark, of course, was nearby in Zion, the City of David, under a special tent King David had prepared for it perhaps 20 years before. This Ark was the one fabricated under the watchful eye of Moses, nearly 500 years before! Finally, this Ark of the Covenant would be brought up into the great Temple and placed in the Holy of Holies, beneath the two, massive, golden cherubim. As you read the Biblical record, this was quite a worship procession!
But did you notice my friends, there was also a parade coming from Gibeon, about five miles north of Jerusalem. The Levites were bringing the ‘Tent of Meeting’ from Gibeon. Oh, I would have loved to walk along in that parade! This “Tent of Meeting” was the mobile Tabernacle which had been constructed under direction of Moses, about 500 years before at Mount Sinai! Along with the Tent this Levite parade would have brought the Altar of Incense, the Golden Lampstand and the Table of Shewbread, all of which had served the Israelites for 500 years in all their travels. It appears they were all brought into a special storeroom in the Temple reserved for these sacred and antique artifacts.
The record says: “The Levites brought the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the Temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim… There was nothing in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb Mount Sinai), where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.” (2 Chronicles 5:7-10)
Do you see the care with which the author is clarifying that this Ark was the very one fabricated by Mr. Bezalel and placed in the “Tent of Meeting” by Moses at Mount Sinai? (Ex. 37:1-9; 40:1-3) And the stone tablets inside this Ark were the very ones inscribed by the finger of God which Moses had brought down from Mount Sinai! (Exodus 34:29; 40:20) Continuity during this moving day in Jerusalem, about the year 963bc, was very important to God and to Israel.
When all the precious golden artifacts were in place, the record says: “The priests withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves. All the Levites who were musicians…stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests playing trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD God… they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: He is good; His love endures forever.'” (2 Chronicles 5:11-13)
Can you envision it my friends? This great choir and musicians standing to the east of the Altar of Burnt Offerings, in the vast Temple courts area, as the Ark was carried into the Temple. Their backs would have been facing the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane!! I’m sure the hillside, over which Jesus rode the donkey on Palm Sunday about 1000 years later, would have been filled to overflowing with people who had come from far and wide to witness this special moving day. The sun would have been gleaming off the instruments and the white sandstone of the Temple. Both the sight and sound would have been breathtaking! But nothing would have prepared the people for what happened next!
The record says: “Then the Temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.“ (2 Chronicles 5:14) Did a cloud form in the sky and slowly descend hovering just above the Temple while the worshipers sang and praised God? Then did the cloud lower and envelope the Temple? Did a great hush fall on all the people, and did they fall to their knees in awe?
They were witnessing exactly what their ancestors had witnessed 500 years before at Mount Sinai when Moses and the Levites had erected the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant in it for the very first time. (Exodus 40:34,35)
Let’s pause right here my friends and place ourselves in the awe-struck crowd who is witnessing this remarkable historic event, about 3000 years ago, in a place many of you and I have visited… the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. How do you and I understand what the Biblical record has described? How do we respond? When is the last time you and I have had a profound worship experience when we were simply overwhelmed by the awesome presence of God?
There’s only one great anthem that I can think of which seems appropriate at this great celebration in Jerusalem. You will likely stand to your feet in adoration as soon as you hear the first few familiar notes of this great worship anthem:
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5.
Choose below to read or listen.
1 Kings 8
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2 Chronicles 5
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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