God Cherishes You Blog

The Significance of the Temple in Jerusalem

We have just previously witnessed the passing of King David after he had helped his son, (the new King Solomon), with the preparations for building a Temple for Jehovah. And then David told him that God entrusted the construction of that Temple to him (see The Perils of the Rooftop.)

Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. 2 Ch. 1:1 AMP

Again, another example that Jehovah was helping Solomon achieve his divine purpose.

King Solomon assembles all the officials of Israel at the location of the Tabernacle that Moses had commissioned so long ago, and was now located in the city of Gibeon, a city of the Canaanites, before it was conquered by the Israeli tribe of Benjamin.

Solomon proffered 1000 offerings – both to honor the sacred place that the Tabernacle had played in Hebrew history and to begin to shift the people’s focus of worship to Jerusalem.

That night, God came to Solomon in dream, where He made him an offer:

“What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” 1 Kg. 3:5 NLT

King Solomon replies:

“You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. O Lord God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?” 2 Ch. 1:8 – 10. NLT

Jehovah is very pleased with Solomon’s request, and He answers back:

“Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people — I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” 2 Ch. 1:11, 12. NLT

But there was a caveat:

And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kg. 3:14 NLT

This works both ways. If Solomon does not obey his Creator, there will be punishment instead of reward…

Now that Solomon has been given more wisdom than any other human being in history, we are treated by seeing that in play:

Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. And the one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. And on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were [alone] together; no one else was with us in the house, just we two.Now this woman’s son died during the night, because she lay on him [and smothered him]. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from [his place] beside me while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him on her bosom, and laid her dead son on my bosom. When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son, the one whom I had borne.” 1 Kg. 3:16 – 22. AMP

The other woman vehemently accused the first of lying, the truth was the opposite. King Solomon called for a sword and told the women that he was going to have the living child cut in half to distribute to both. One of the women protested, saying to please not kill the child, rather than have the child die. The other, told the king to cut the child. So, Solomon rewarded the first one’s concern, with her rightful child.

When all [the people of] Israel heard about the judgment which the king had made, they [were in awe and reverently] feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to administer justice. 1 Kg. 3:28 AMP

Solomon also brought vastly more systemization to his monarchy than Israel usually experienced in their history of rulers. He brought more competency to the military, and he was able to more efficiently fund his governmental regime. And, he cleaned up the priesthood.

Speaking of funding, King Solomon amassed a fortune and an army. Lastly, he was quite an accomplished spiritual writer – composing 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs, all from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

It took him 7 ½ years to build the Temple. Then he dedicated it to his Holy Father as a most sacred place of worship, and a place for Him to be with His people in the Spirit.

Solomon called for an assembly of the Israelites, to witness the delivery of the Ark of the Covenant, to the most revered part of the Temple. It is the part where God resided, the ‘Holy of holies’. As soon as that was done, God Himself showed up:

Now it happened that when the priests had come out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord’s house, so the priests could not stand [in their positions] to minister because of the cloud, for the glory and brilliance of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house (temple). 1 Kg. 8:10 – 12. AMP

The priests also transferred all the sacred items from the old Tabernacle to the new Temple. And a multitude of sheep and oxen were sacrificed to the LORD.

The Temple was significant because it became the spiritual anchor for God’s people, bringing them together in prayer and worship for their Creator in His presence. Thus, it also bolstered their faith.

King Solomon addresses the assembly very dramatically: first facing the altar as he speaks to Jehovah:

“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness [of the cloud].
“I have certainly built You a lofty house, A place for You to dwell in forever.” 1 Kg. 8:12, 13. AMP

Then, he turns and faces the assembly:

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father, ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’” 2 Chr. 6:4 – 6. NLT

“And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. There I have placed the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with the people of Israel.” 2 Chr.6:10, 11. NLT

We see in his address another significance of the Temple: ‘to honor the name of the LORD.’

Solomon then descends to his knees with his arms outstretched towards heaven and prays:

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on the earth, keeping covenant and showing mercy and lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You [in obedience] with all their heart, [You] who have kept Your promise to Your servant David, my father, that which You told him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is today. 2 Ch. 6:14, 15. AMP

“And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow me as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ Now, O God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David, my father.” 1 Kg. 8:25, 26. NLT

(Note that the Babylonians would destroy the temple in 586 B.C. So, it is not this temple that will hold an eternal throne, but heaven itself, occupied by Christ eternally, after His ascension.)

Now, Solomon honors the immensity of God:

“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today. May you watch over this Temple night and day, this place where you have said, ‘My name will be there.’ May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.” 1 Kg. 8:27 – 30. NLT

The King then asks Jehovah to embrace the Gentiles as well:

“Also in regard to the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty power and Your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You [reverently and worshipfully], as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your Name.” 2 Ch. 6:32, 33. AMP

Solomon then speaks a blessing over his subjects:

“Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us. May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that he gave our ancestors. And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other. And may you be completely faithful to the Lord our God. May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today.” 1 Kg. 8:56 – 61. NLT

God then demonstrates His approval by sending fire to consume the sacrifices dedicated to Him, and His glorious light filled the Temple.

The people of Israel then celebrated the Feast of Booths for 14 days.

King Solomon put the finishing touches on the Temple and built a palace for himself and a house for the (pagan?) daughter of Pharoah, whom he married…

Jehovah appears to Solomon at night once more (13 years after the completion of the Temple – midway through his rule):

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.If I shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence and plague among My people, and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified and set apart for My purpose this house that My Name may be here forever, and My eyes and My heart will be here perpetually.” 2 Ch. 7:12-18. AMP

However, this grace is highly conditional. But it is nothing new. He has warned us about this throughout our study of the Old Testament so far:

“But if you [people] turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and you go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from My land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have consecrated for My Name, out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and an object of scorn among all nations.” 2 Ch. 7:19, 20. AMP

Then King Solomon secured Israel’s borders, and established seaports. Everything was going great – so far…

Stay tuned!

Goodnight and God bless.

Building Better Americans 162

Brazil is a cautionary tale about how the leftists stole an election and bankrupted the country through forced socialism.

The Perils of the Rooftop

After the death of King Saul, David was made king over the southern part of Israel (Judah), and then coalesced his rule over the entire nation. And God was with King David. His military prowess, (a gift from God), garnished him many victories, and Jehovah graced him with an eternal covenant for his lineage. King David was sitting on top of the world (see A King After God’s Own Heart).

How the mighty have fallen

It happened in the spring. David’s armies were engaged in military campaigns. He’s home alone. The weather is warm, and he steps out onto his rooftop, looking for a cool breeze. But what he sees fills him with an uncontrollable heat of lust. For on the rooftop of an adjacent house, David sees an extremely comely woman who is bathing…

The King decides that he wants in on this action and sends someone to find out who she is. Who she is, is Bathsheba, daughter to one of David’s ‘mighty men’ and granddaughter to his spiritual advisor. Furthermore, she is the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah the Hittite.

Does David seek higher ground? Far from it. He has Bathsheba brought to him and has his way with her. Weeks later, she turns up pregnant.

David tries to cover his butt by having Uriah sent home, so that she would have sexual relations with him, and Uriah would think the baby was his. However, Uriah would not lie with his wife, while his fellow soldiers were away at battle.

Frantic, the King sends a letter to his military commander, Joab, and instructs him to place Uriah on the front lines of a battle, where he would most likely be killed. He was.

So, what has the ‘king after God’s heart’ got himself into? Covetousness. Rape. Adultery. Murder.

Bathsheba mourns the death of Uriah but marries David and bears him a son. David mistakenly thinks that he got away his ruse. Not hardly:

But the thing that David had done [with Bathsheba] was evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 Sm. 11:27 AMP

God sends His prophet Nathan, with a message excoriating David for his sins:

Then Nathan said to David, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I spared you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your care and under your protection, and I gave you the house (royal dynasty) of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have given you much more! Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife. You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 2 Sm. 12:7-10. AMP

That is the description of David’s immorality. Now, comes the punishment:

Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will stir up evil against you from your own household; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.’” 2 Sm. 12:11, 12. AMP

David confesses his sin. God forgives the sin, removing the death penalty that the sin demands. Yet, he didn’t totally get away with it. We see that there will be killing in his family, and now, Jehovah will add one more blow:

Nevertheless, because by this deed you have given [a great] opportunity to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme [Him], the son that is born to you shall certainly die.” 2 Sm. 12:14 AMP

Die he does. One year later, they give birth to Solomon. And the Bible tells us:

And the Lord loved the child; and He sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah (beloved of the Lord) for the sake of the Lord [who loved the child]. 2 Sm. 12:24, 25. AMP

But the king is not out of the water yet. One of his sons, Amnon, rapes his half-sister. Her full-blooded brother, Absalom, finds out. David does nothing. Absalom orders his servants to murder Amnon. When King David found out, Absalom fled, but his father allowed him to return to Jerusalem, but doesn’t reconcile with him until two years pass.

With the death of Amnon, Absalom is now the immediate heir- apparent to David. So, he begins to try to enlist the favor of the people. Four years pass, and Absalom builds a following.

David gets wind of Absalom’s conspiracy. So, David and his servants beat it out of town. King David also hears that his spiritual advisor Ahithophel, is in cahoots with Absalom as well. In fact, he told Absalom to have sex with David’s ten concubines.

Absalom has a tent set up on David’s rooftop and fornicates with all ten for all of Jerusalem to see (demonstrating the king’s weakness.) Then, Ahithophel offered to lead 12,000 men himself to capture David and bring his body to Absalom.

But that idea is thwarted by another advisor, Hushai, who tells Absalom to gather all the armies loyal to him and attack David and his army immediately. They went with this idea because there was a heavenly influence:

For the Lord had ordained to thwart the good advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster upon Absalom. 2 Sm. 17:14 AMP

Hushai got word to David to cross over on the other side of the Jordan River and lay low.

David’s armies lay in wait for Absalom and his goons. David did not go to battle because his men did not want him to be at risk. Before he left, he asked his army to go easy on Absalom.

Absalom lost 20,000 men. He got his hair tangled in a tree and Joab found him and shoved 3 spears into his heart. When David found out, he was smitten with grief. Joab chided David for acting it out on a day when thousands came to protect him.

At this time David composed a psalm to thank the LORD for His deliverance[1] In the next chapter, King David wrote his last psalm.[2]

In hot water again

David decided that he wanted to take a census of all the males, 20 and over, to see how many he had to take to battle. This drew the ire of God because he put more trust in his human resources than in Jehovah’s ability to deliver him out of any circumstances.

The king realized his error / sin and confessed it. David was then given the chance to choose between three punishments. He chose to fall into God’s hands and depend upon His mercies.

King David counts his blessings

O Lord, there is no one like You, nor is there any God except You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make a name for Yourself by great and awesome and terrible things, by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt? You made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God. 1 Ch. 17:20 – 22. AMP

Thus the Lord helped David wherever he went. 1 Ch. 18:13 AMP

Nevertheless, God did send a plague and people were dying. Again, David repented and offered to be the recipient of all the punishment that was laid upon the people. Jehovah was moved and told him to build an altar right where he was standing.

David did so, and made a sacrifice to Him, which God consumed with fire. This same spot, which was a threshing floor in Jerusalem that he purchased, would become the foundation of the Temple that Solomon would build.

To help his son facilitate that, David presented the instructions God had given to him, to Solomon, and began gathering the materials and workers that would be needed:

So David gave orders to call together the foreigners living in Israel, and he assigned them the task of preparing finished stone for building the Temple of God. David provided large amounts of iron for the nails that would be needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps, and he gave more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided innumerable cedar logs, for the men of Tyre and Sidon had brought vast amounts of cedar to David.

David said, “My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced. And since the Temple to be built for the Lord must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world, I will begin making preparations for it now.” So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death. 1 Ch 22:2 – 5. NLT

And then, David commissioned Solomon to build it by telling him what God had told him:

“…you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 1 Ch. 22:9, 10. NLT

David gathered the priests for their duties in the temple, an administrative staff, the military, and appointed elders over each tribe.

Then David officially appointed Solomon to be king and charged him with his duties:

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” 1 Ch. 28:9, 10. NLT

And then David praised the LORD:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.” 1 Ch. 29:10, 12. NLT

God does not lie:

All of David’s older sons were dead, but his fourth surviving son, Adonijah, decided that he wanted to be king. And Joab the general and Abaiathar the priest supported him. Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet did not.

Adonijah invited all the other sons of David except Solomon, or the prophet Nathan, to plan his strategy to usurp his father’s will.

So, Nathan goes to Bathsheba to give her counsel:

“Haven’t you heard that Haggith’s son, Adonijah, has made himself king, and our lord David doesn’t even know about it? If you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon, follow my advice. Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, didn’t you make a vow and say to me, “Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ And while you are still talking with him, I will come and confirm everything you have said.” 1 Kg. 1:11- 14. NLT

Bathsheba goes to King David to ask that very question. With Nathan joining them, David assures Bathsheba that Solomon will be king, and has Nathan mount Solomon on the king’s mule and anoint him, King Solomon.

When Adonijah’s party hears of this, they all scatter. King Solomon has him brought before him. Adonijah repents and Solomon forgives…

The passing of Israel’s most beloved king:

David knew he was soon to die, so he leaves his son Solomon with some final advice:

“I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 1 Kg. 2:2 – 4. NLT

Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established. 1 Kg. 2:10, 11. NLT

Next time, the adventures of the wisest man on earth…