Day 164 – 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5

Talking Points

• Eleven months after the temple’s completion, King Solomon calls for the ark of the covenant to be brought to its prepared place. It is a huge event marked by a celebration with many horns and singers. As the ark is brought in, there are so many sheep and oxen being sacrificed, they cannot be counted. God’s promise to David was being fulfilled.
• In the midst of the activities, Solomon is astonished with the reality of what is happening. He asks, “Is God really going to do this? Is He really going to dwell in this house?” Solomon sees the absurdity of the God who can’t be contained in the expanse of the heavens residing in a house built by feeble men (8:27). Yet, praise God! He makes Himself knowable and accessible to the sons of men. This is the marvelous truth of our God! And, that is the reality fully demonstrated in the gospel of Jesus!
• Solomon prays that God would “not leave or forsake” them (8:57). That would not be the problem.
• One of the greatest prayers in the Bible. Do not miss the profound heart response of Solomon (1 Kings 8:54-61). “Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Thoughts

The temple became the beloved place for worship. In God’s grace, it was a place to find Him. Imagine — God says He will be found there! If you’re seeking His ear, He listens there. If you need His hand, He moves there. His care? His protection? All offered there. And, the call of the temple is always, “Come back to Me.” It is a place of repentance. God, in His love, says, “If the consequence of your sin has become too heavy, you know where to find Me. Come back to Me.” I picture all the generations of tired, hassled sinners who made their way back to God, worshiping Him at His holy temple. What God is this who makes a place to be found?

Today, we find God, not in a place, but in a Person. We find God, not in a house made of stone, gold, and bronze, but in a Savior. And, the call hasn’t changed. No longer in a place, but now in a living Savior, we hear, “If the consequence of your sin has become too heavy, you know where to find Me. Come back to Me.” That Person — His name is Jesus. What God is this who makes a way to be found?

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way…'” – John 14:6