Friday, June 20
Reading for today: 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5
This is the account of the dedication of the temple. Chronicles doesn't mention the prayer Solomon prayed, but it is recorded in 1 Kings. Solomon is amazed that God would inhabit a small building on earth, when highest heaven cannot contain him. I find myself wondering about that. God is so great, that He is not contained by anything...not even the universe. To our limited understanding, the presence of God extends to .......well, it just extends. There are no sides or edges to the presence of God. There isn't a place anywhere that His presence isn't felt, or that He isn't aware of. How foolish for men to assume that they can hide anything from God!
Solomon prays not only for his people, but for the foreigner that will one day turn his face toward the land of Israel, and to their God, and the temple. That's us! Solomon asked at the dedication of the temple that when we prayed, God would hear OUR voices, and OUR prayers, and that He would forgive OUR sins. Of course, God had a greater plan in motion than what Solomon was aware of, but I find it satisfying that your and I were part of the plan of redemption from the beginning.
Sure, the disciples speak of us as "ingrafted branches" and in a sense that is what we are. But in God's eyes, we were always part of the original plan. The temple, which no longer exists was to be our focal point. Something to fix our eyes on to represent the presence of God. Many in these days have adopted other items on which to fix their eyes. Statues, crucifixes, stained glass or images of one kind or another. But all of them, including the temple, fall short of God's presence.
Although the temple is gone, the presence remains. We may turn our face toward Israel, (or at least figuratively) when we pray, but the God of all creation isn't limited to that country either. When we pray, if we focus our attention on the idea that God is "everywhere present" then we are in the right place to converse with Him.
Perhaps some day the temple will be rebuilt, but it won't change anything for the Christian.
PS: they only mention that the tablets are in the Ark. I wonder what happened to Aarons staff that budded, and the jar of manna?
PR
When you mention about Solomon praying "not only for his people, but for the foreigner that will one day turn his face toward the land of Israel, and to their God, and the temple. That's us!", made me think of the prayer Jesus prayed not only for his disciples but for all those who would follow Him in years to come. Makes me realize that God is not only present everywhere, but he is also present anytime. As for where the Aaron's staff and the manna are? I don't think we're supposed to know. If we were I'm pretty sure God would have told us. Or we could ask the ancient alien theorists they would know. (just kidding).
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