Rev. Don Campbell

1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 12, 2019

“A TEMPLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION”

Whereas it took him seven years to build the temple, it took Solomon 13 years to build his own house. He probably did not have 180,000 workers building his house, but be this as it may, it was still a grand dwelling, a castle. The second part of our reading describes the temple furnishings.

The detailed descriptions of the building of these two grand structures might become tedious in the reading, and it seems hard to make a spiritual application without falling victim of over-allegorizing. Perhaps the lesson is this: Just as Solomon took great pains in building these two buildings, leaving nothing to chance, God has taken great pains in the building of the spiritual temple of which we spoke yesterday.

Jesus said that God had been preparing the kingdom for believers since the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Paul said that God has chosen believers in Christ from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). He went on: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:7-10). Clearly, God had a plan for his holy temple, with Christ as the chief cornerstone, a plan developed before Genesis 1:1.

Our work on earth as living stones is to proclaim the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. When we depart to be with Christ, our work is done, but that does not mean that we are no longer living stones in the living temple. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13).

CONNECTIONS

1. Paul had to remind the Corinthians: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To glorify God in our bodies, we must abstain from certain things. What are they? (1 Corinthians 6:9-18).

2. Do you believe that Christians really believe that God dwells in them or do they believe this is only a metaphor?