What is inspirational and life changing about 1 King chapters 5 and 6 where Solomon’s building of the Temple is detailed? I have historically just read the passages where all the details about the Ark of the Lord, the Tabernacle, or the building of the Temple with little interest or reflection on all the details. When we skip over passages of scripture that do not initially have a moral or an exciting story we are missing opportunities to get a glimpse of God. What can you glean from 1 Kings chapters 5 and 6?
What is the Temple used for? What is the significance of the Temple being built? Why was Solomon able to build the Temple? The Temple is being built by Solomon as a permanent structure for God to dwell in among the Israelites. This Temple would replace the Tabernacle that Moses built for the Lord almost 500 years earlier as the place where the people could commune with God.
Where was the Tabernacle throughout the 500 years? The Tabernacle traveled with the Israelites through the wilderness and after the conquest of the promised land resided in Shiloh where the people would travel yearly to offer sacrifices to God. After I had finished reading the Pentateuch I forgot the inherent centrality the Tabernacle of the Lord played in the lives of the Israelites. Throughout all of the discord, discontent, and disobedience displayed from Joshua to 2 Samuel was the Tabernacle consistently used? When David brought the Ark into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel was the Tabernacle still used?
What did the permanence of the Temple compared to the movable Tabernacle signify to the Israelites? In 1 Kings 6:12,13 God spoke to Solomon, “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry our My word with you which I spoke to David your father. I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” The Temple was a symbol of the covenant and relationship that existed between God and the people of Israel. Was it an exciting seven years in Jerusalem as the Temple was built to completion?
As I read about the Temple in 1 Kings I wonder how long it will be before the people of Israel idolize the Temple instead of truly worshiping God. This is one of the dangers we face today as christians because we build grand houses to worship God but we are truly dead inside a hollow shell attempting to worship a God we have trivialized. To what extent has the church lost it’s true and lofty view of God and created a ritualized weekly regiment of process over a true relationship with God? When we are surrounded by the great and wonderful blessings that God has bestowed upon us be careful to not fall away from God just as the Israelites fell away from God after inheriting the promised land just as Moses and Joshua foretold. I encourage you to be thankful for all the blessings that God has given to you but never allow them to become the focal point of your admiration and desire. Cling to God in all areas of your life and you will have the foundation that you need to make it through life.
