June 16 – 1 Kings 9 & 2 Chronicles 8

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Kings 9 & 2 Chronicles 8. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

One of the reasons God allows the construction of the Temple is to make his known and as a place for His name to be honored. We see him share that a few times throughout our reading … “this place you have built where my name will be honored forever.” (1 Kings 9:3 NLT) or “This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God.’” (1 Kings 9:8-9 NIV) The Temple was the physical representation of God in the world.

As we have said several times through this blog we know the Temple no longer exists. In fact the Temple that Solomon built was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Temple was rebuilt during the return from exile and is made even grander by Herod the Great. Finally in A.D. 70 that Temple is destroyed to never be built again. But that is ok, because before its destruction, God left the building. Upon doing so the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple tore in two, indicating that God no longer considered it home (Matthew 27:51).

Leaving the Temple did not leave God homeless. Soon he took up residence in the very heart of believers. That is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that all Christians receive upon salvation. Now we are considered the Temple of God. Let me ask you … Are you helping God’s name be honored as the Temple? Are you helping make his name famous? Or are you hurting his name, making him look foolish? These are all strong questions we must continually ask ourselves.

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