Grace Notes // When We Were Kings Week 5
Temple: Monument or a Mandate?
Written by Keli Miller
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” -1 Corinthians 3:16
The Bible is one complete work made up of 66 books spanning over thousands of years. Each book, chapter and verse pointing to one grand overarching theme - God’s relentless desire to be with his people.
In this week’s message we dove into 1 Kings 8, the building of Solomon’s temple. This temple was built almost 1,000 years before Christ was born and holds a prophetic message for us.
God’s heart has always been to dwell with his creation, all of his creation. God chose the Israelites as his people to be a sign of hope and testimony of what a nation can look like when they draw near to God; A neon sign of sorts, drawing the rest of the world towards God. We see God’s true heart for all creation reflected in Solomon’s prayer:
“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.”- 1Kings 8:41-43
Solomon’s temple was for all nations, not just the Israelites. He spent 7 years building this immaculate structure, sparing no expense, so that it could serve as a testimony to God’s greatness. The temple was built to be a place where people (all people) could encounter God.
After hearing of Solomon and his temple, the Queen of Sheba comes to inspect and test Solomon. After seeing the temple for herself she says:
I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
This temple would stand tall for 500 years before being destroyed. Then another one would be built, but that one would be destroyed as well. God had a better plan.
Through Jesus, all believers would become the dwelling place of God; His manifest presence in us.
“The monument has changed, but the mandate is the same.” - Pastor Chris Moerman
We are now considered a royal priesthood of believers. Before Christ, only a few could enter into the holy of holies, and now, through Christ, that same closeness is available to all of us - as a living, breathing temple of God. We are now the neon sign, reflecting to all we encounter just how good our God is.
Just as Solomon’s temple revealed God’s greatness to the Queen of Sheba, our lives should also mirror this. There is no separation from God. In all of our eating, breathing and ordinary living, God’s presence is flowing through us. Every moment is holy.
When the Queen of Sheba came to see the temple, she saw a testimony of God’s faithfulness and delight. I’m challenged by this story. Does my life carry this same impact?
If you’ve been tuning in on Sunday’s you might have caught our kid’s lesson. We are going through the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Do these qualities flow from me? Do strangers or friends look at me and see that God has delighted in me?
I am God’s temple. In my 28 years as a follower of Christ I have heard this phrase so often that it almost becomes white noise like any common idiom. But, let's just pause and remember, this isn’t just an expression. You are literally the temple of God. His spirit dwells in you. You are the masterpiece that declares the great works and trueness of God.
You are the temple of God, His dwelling place and home.
A Prayer of Presence
May his spirit move through you,
In every moment His kindness
Seeping from you
Overflowing into the streets
His presence always with you
Holiness found in the ordinary
In the Word
1 Peter 2:5-9
1 Kings 8, 10:1-13
Matthew 5:13-16
Processing
You are God’s dwelling place and home. Your body is his temple. Find a quiet space, to sit and meditate on this reminding yourself that God is both present and at work within you.
The initial purpose of the temple was to be a place where people could come and encounter God. This purpose of the temple remains the same, now that we are the temple.
Have a conversation with God, how can you live out this calling today?