August 29, 2022

And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:7

The deeply respectful reverence with which, under Solomon’s rule, the first temple was constructed corresponds with the spiritual zenith in the collective life of the Israelites. All of the stones and boards were cut to precise measurements elsewhere and quietly brought in and put in place. Once the details of the temple were complete (957BC), the disassembled parts of the portable tabernacle were brought in and safely stored. Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim (1 Kings 8:6). And the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD (v.11b). In this era, Israel rose to her short-lived pinnacle.

The temple constructed under Solomon’s reign is known to this day for its unsurpassed splendor. But remember too that even the tiny, portable tabernacle constructed under Moses was exquisitely beautiful in every detail—and the presence of the LORD manifested in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night was undoubtedly a stunning sight in the midst of the wilderness as a witness to the surrounding pagan nations.

Contrast these with the undignified, odiferous, and noisy chaos of the temple in Jesus’ day. How distressed and grieved He was with the disrespect and irreverence that prevailed! Ironically, it was said that the inferior second temple (the first temple built by Solomon had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC) had the greater glory because of the presence of Jesus in bodily form.

How patiently He works with us—spiritual Israel—as we so often fail to manifest respect and reverence for our part in the building of His spiritual house! Starting this moment let each of us move through the day in full reliance upon His word and His leadership; that the glory of the LORD would fill each of us as a stunning witness to those around us. Our inner sanctuary (our heart and mind) is that place where He desires to quietly build us as He pleases for His purposes.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10