Readings for today: 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2-3
History matters to God. Time and place matter to God. The covenantal relationship God has with His people maps out in real historical events. This is what separates Judaism and Christianity from other ahistorical, human religions. It’s what separates the truths of Judaism and Christianity from the myths of other religions. We can actually look back to a real timeline, connected to real historical events that happened in real historical places. Places we can visit to this day.
“In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month of Ziv (the second month), Solomon began building the Lord’s Temple.” (1 Kings 6:1 NET) The Temple is not just another one of Solomon’s many building projects. It is a unique building, representing the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Israel. In the Book of Exodus, God hears the cries of His people. He delivers them from slavery. He leads them and provides for them in the wilderness. He gives them victory after victory in their conquest of the Promised Land. And now He gives them a secure and permanent sanctuary where they will worship Him. As such, the Temple represents something bigger than Solomon and his ascension to the throne, it represents the culmination of God’s saving acts throughout Israel’s history.
“Solomon began building the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (2 Chronicles 3:1 NET) Mount Moriah was not just a random spot chosen by Solomon. It was deeply connected to Israel’s history. It was here that the plague was stopped when David built an altar and offered sacrifices in the wake of his sin. God had sent the plague in judgment because David had sinfully called for a census but David repented and God showed mercy. Traditionally, Mount Moriah is also the place where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him but the angel of the Lord stayed his hand and provided a ram instead. These events associate the Temple with faith and obedience as well as repentance and sacrifice and it’s why Mount Moriah was the most appropriate place to build. God had chosen to reveal Himself on this very spot time and time again and would continue to do so into the future.
We cannot and should not overlook the times and places in our lives where God makes Himself known. God is a God who intervenes in human history because He is a God who desires to have a relationship with His people. The promise associated with the Temple is that this will be the location where God will place His name and fill with His presence in order to dwell with His people. Those same promises hold true for us today through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Every believer in Christ has now become a living Temple, God making Himself known to us and through us for the sake of His glory.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 7-8, Psalms 11