The Temple of God

King Solomon who succeeded his father David as the king of Israel was able to carry out what David had wished to do but could not: he built God's house, the Temple. It's not that God needed a place to live; indeed Solomon said in his dedication prayer, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! . . . Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. (I Kings 8:27, 30 NIV)

Solomon's heart, and that of David before him, was to build a house, not as God's residence, but to honor the name of the Lord, a place to which the people would turn for prayer and praise. Stephen, the New Testament martyr, recounted the story in his witness to the high council before he was stoned to death: "David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who actually built it. However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet [Isaiah] says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord. ‘Could you build me such a resting place? Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’" (Acts 7:46-50 NLT)

But God is not just in the far-off heavens, removed from our lives here on earth, for the prophet also says, "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.' " (Isaiah 57:15 King James Version) The God who could not come to live in the magnificent temple built by the king will dwell in the body-temple of those who humbly receive Him!

David had drawn up plans for the Temple and had amassed huge quantities of gold and silver as well as bronze and iron, precious stones and marble for the building. Solomon had cedar and cypress timber floated downriver to the site; he had additional stone cut and finished at the quarry so that the building could be erected without the irreverent sound of hammers and axes. The description of the finished work is in elaborate detail; it must have been breathtaking to see!

And yet, we are God's chosen dwelling place! What an amazing plan!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.