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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends around the world,
Two weeks from today is the vote which may change our world! Regardless of who is declared the winner of the American presidential race, and regardless of how long it takes to make that declaration. . . the result will be cataclysmic, and may affect nearly every living person in the world, to some degree! Would you agree with that? I am urging you to join me in much, much prayer between now and then!
Yesterday in our study we looked at king Solomon’s amazing experience of an encounter with Holy God as Solomon sought God’s WISDOM guidance as he entered into the leadership of the kingdom of Israel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if whoever wins this presidential election in America would do exactly the same thing?!
The Bible tells us king Solomon was faced, almost immediately, with one of the largest, most complex and most important projects in history: the construction of the first magnificent Temple of worship for Almighty, Holy, Creator God in Jerusalem! I imagine Solomon had been able to observe many construction projects as he grew up in Jerusalem during a time of great expansion, but nothing would compare to this great Temple project.
In 1 Kings 5 & 6 and 2 Chronicles 2 & 3 you’ll find amazing detail of the ingathering of a huge amount of precious resources, and the 7 year construction project, which began 480 years after Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt! (1 Kings 6:1) I estimate nearly one quarter of a million workers were involved in this massive construction project. (2 Chron. 2:2) One of the most interesting aspects is this statement: “In building the temple, only blocks of stone dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple construction site while it was being built.” (1 Kings 6:7) Now I ask you to ponder that statement for a moment. This was about 965bc, that’s nearly 3000 years ago, and can you imagine the engineering sophistication required to make this statement a reality? Now compare that to any construction site in your part of the world… residential or commercial construction!!
WHY would they attempt such a construction strategy, and HOW could they possibly accomplish it? I believe the answer to WHY goes back to David’s end of life challenge to his son Solomon “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts…Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as His sanctuary.” (1 Chron. 28:9,10) When you are confident God has given you an assignment, with what seriousness do you undertake that project?
The temptation for Solomon and all the workers on this project, would be to take great pride in their accomplishment and make it a monument to themselves, but Solomon, I believe, walked that work site regularly, maybe everyday, challenging the workmen to build as an act of WORSHIP, quietly, reverently, even prayerfully for their work was for God’s honor and glory. Now think about that! Kind of sounds like Paul’s challenge to the Christians in Thessalonica doesn’t it? “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands…so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders…” (1 Thess. 4:11,12)
When finally this massive construction project was finished, next came the sacred process of bringing into this magnificent Temple, those precious artifacts of worship, some of which had been in the “Tent of Meeting” built by Moses and Bezalel 480 years before at Mount Sinai. Remember we looked at that yesterday? I urge you my friends to carefully read 2 Chronicles 5 and 1 Kings 6&8 as nearly mirror reports of this great process. Do you notice this statement: “The Levites took up the Ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it…” (2 Chron. 5:4,5)
This was a historic moment. The nearly 500 year role of the “Tent of Meeting” had come to an end, replaced now by this magnificent Temple. So rather than being destroyed, that Tent was dismantled and brought to the Temple and left in it’s ‘dismantled state’ in storage in the Temple, while the golden artifacts which had been used in that Tent were now put into use in the Temple, especially the Ark of the Covenant! Oh my, what a historic, sacred day this was! Do you notice Solomon’s respect for the past and his understanding of his leadership in this historic transitional process? Think about that my friends, especially if you are a leader. Continuity in organizations, even if they change names or mission statements or leadership is important!
Did you notice what happened next my friends? Look at 2 Chronicles 5:13,14 “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.“ Listen to Moses’ description of what happened 480 years before when they finished setting up the “Tent of Meeting” at Mount Sinai: “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting… Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.” (Ex. 40:34,35)
Remember God’s powerful statement in Malachi 3:6 “I the LORD do not change!” So let me ask you a question… what sense of the Presence of Holy God do you have when you walk into your church building, at any time? No act of normal worship had yet taken place in this Temple… but the construction had been a daily act of worship for 7 years. And the careful process of bringing into the Temple the worship artifacts had been a sacred, sacrificial act of worship. And God responded with the Cloud of His Presence filling the Temple and the “Glory of the LORD” was palpable!
I think it’s time to stop right here. Let’s put ourselves into the story of 2 Chronicles 5, surrounded by the musicians, the priests, the people and being an eyewitness to this sacred parade… and now look at the cloud! Here’s a song to help you worship our great, Almighty God as you reflect on what worship has been like for you lately during the COVID season. Do you stand in awe of God? How do you express your awe to HIM my friends?
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“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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