#554 Where We Rest or What We Rest Upon

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

The Dedication of the Temple

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord.5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry;[a] opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

7 And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.

8 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.9 And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity[b] that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

If My People Pray

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’

19 “But if you[c] turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you[d] up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’” 2 Chronicles 7 ESV

Every knee will bow at some point, and though they were not forced they were most certainly made. God has approved this altar, and it does not here speak to the fear of the people, but rather they bow down and worship God for His goodness and love. His people will always respond in that way, but there will be those, who like the prophets of Baal that stood against God's prophet, Elijah, that see the fire and believe that Elijah's God is real, yet die in their sins. We love Him because He first loved us.

This is followed by a sacrifice of immense proportion. It was enough for there to be a portion to the Lord, the priests and the people for two weeks. Judas would have begrudged such a sacrifice, many will read this far and have had enough, but every bull and lamb, tells this people it does not belong to you, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. 

And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? 20So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.… Matthew 23: 18-20

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,[e] then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[f] for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[g] conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.[h] 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9: 11-28

God appears to Solomon again. We may think the work is done, that we walked down the aisle, captured the flag, slayed Goliath, conquered our old enemies, built the temple and then our house, but this is the most dangerous time. It is quiet and we may become secure in our fortresses, our possessions, our own reasoning, but while there is no battle raging outside, has the enemy found a foot hold within? This is the corruption of kingdoms, they forget how they got to peace, they look upon themselves apart from God, as if they sustain the things they couldn't make exist. Solomon, and anyone listening, these stories were written for all who are called by His name, look at the prayer before for the stranger that comes because of God's great name. It is important that this people looks back at this, God heard them in exile, God hears us now, but remember, just because it is quiet, we are physically well, it is not an occasion to look in any different direction than the one we first were shown. Don't look to yourself, that is perishing. Don't look to governments and human ideals, they are fading. Don't think that your pastor, teacher or parent can carry you, examine yourself, what did you believe? Who did you believe in? Will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. God, I know that You are so many things that I am not, Holy, Omnipotent, Sovereign, Lord and Creator of all, Justice and Truth, and I have nothing but my sin to offer you, a life full of baggage and pride. Lord, save me, help me turn away from my wickedness, let me die to myself so that I can live, let me know nothing so beautiful here as that old rugged cross. Help me not to be distracted in time of work or leisure, war or peace, let my eyes stay fixed upon You.

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#553 No Place Above Prayer

Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. 2 But I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” 3 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 4 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel;6 but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ 7 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 9 Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 10 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits[a] long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, 14 and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart,15 who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. 16 Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ 17 Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

18 “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! 19 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20 that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 21 And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

22 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 23 then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

24 “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers.

26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict[b] them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way[c] in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind,31 that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

32 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, 33 hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

34 “If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

36 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, 37 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 38 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 39 then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you. 40 Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

41 “And now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation,

and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.

42 O Lord God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one!

Remember your steadfast love for David your servant.” 2 Chronicles 6 ESV


Sister Passage 1 Kings 8

Though his father saw this at a distance, it was God that showed David, and though Solomon is carrying out the work in his reign, yet it is the hand of God that he credits with the work. This is the will of God done through the hands of men, and Solomon invokes it as part of and adding to their history in coming out of Egypt. Solomon kneels before God in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, if only we saw this as more than a one time thing, our ever existing place in time of trouble, and even more necessary in time of wealth and peace. All these things in God's time. 

For now Solomon bows outside, for he is not a priest and does not have entry into the most Holy. He dedicates the temple to God, on his knees with his hands stretched outward toward heaven. Everything I receive is from you, and everything I give or dedicate is from what we received from you. The prayer he prays is much like the prayer of Christ when the disciples ask Him how to pray. There is no God like You, hallowed be Thy name. If your sons pay close attention to their way, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. And listen from heaven, Your dwelling place, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, forgive as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lord, when we confess our sins, please forgive us our sins. When we repent of our sins, let us return to the place of Your presence. 

Verse 22 is a most humbling request for a king, for it is in his power but not always in his sight to do justice, so he prays that those that take an oath upon this place will be heard. If the man is lying in his oath, let it come upon his own head, like Ananias and Sapphira, but if a man be righteous in this, then please insure that justice is given. We do not always know the truth, and those who are supposed to investigate some things are not always blind as the scales of justice should be. Kings fail in respecting persons, family, or those that work for him may respect such things. People speak out against others falsely, sometimes for gain, for hate, appearance, laziness. Lord, please help us in these matter where it unclear, let right be what is true and just in Your eyes. 

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

When the heaven is shut up, there is famine, pestilence, Solomon is giving good instruction here, asking for God's help and seeing that which is from nature as from the Lord. He is not asking here for God's justice, but rather His mercy, for His justice would be worse than famine. The temple is a place of God's grace, unmerited mercy, LOVE. Likewise the foreigner, so that all the world may know. Jesus Christ says it emphatically, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes unto the Father but by Me." There was not as many ways to be right with God as there were people, fancies, idols, customs, rituals or cultures. There was only one God Being, and He was and is always, eternally, these three persons, the Father, the eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit. It is truly a kindness and a beautiful heart that would not try to force religion upon the rest of the world, but rather proclaim the gospel and hold high that light. When they come because of Your great name, please hear their prayer as well. Remember Your steadfast love for David, Your servant. Lord, see me through the covering of Your Son. 

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10: 34-43

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#552 The Heart of It

Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

The Ark Brought to the Temple

2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3 And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. 4 And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5 And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. 9 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are[a] there to this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

“For he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever,”

the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5 ESV

Solomon has walked well in the works that were a vision of his father before him. This is his greatest accomplishment, a huge undertaking, requiring friendship and talent outside the control of his government. It requires planning, labor, attention to detail that could be foregone in one's house or a public place. This is a matter of most serious business, and must replicate the design of the tabernacle, for it is not the presence of a man made idol that we house or seek, but rather we ask the presence of the Lord. Remember, at this point we are looking back upon those that have returned from the Babylonian captivity as they are looking back upon their history. Their are even more lamps lit for them now, for they have the books of Moses, along with the stories of the Judges and the kings. Prophets have been among them here and even in Babylon. If these things were written for them, then they were also for us, and Solomon brings the elders and representatives of the people to witness the carrying in of the ark. Before the throne of grace, the ark, God's foot stool is settled in it's place, there is and must be a sacrifice, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. 

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. Psalm 5:4

They sacrifice much but it compares little, for these are a finite people sacrificing to an infinite God. This is not an end to the sacrifice, but it points to The Sacrifice, it tells of an approach that cannot be taken for granted. They bring the ark to it's place, in the heart of the sanctuary, and in it are left still the tablets of the law. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee. He we are, focused with the angels, upon the glory that is God, our hearts lifted up in praise to not only the Creator, but also the Savior of the world. 

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 150

The Shekinah fills the temple, so much so that the things that were scheduled to happen next, get put aside, for what are the works of men compared to the glory of God? Paul said it well, he said, 

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5

Sometimes we fall in love with our own words, we love the debate, we imagine ourselves in one of those movies where the hero stands up for what is right and gives some marvelous speech that turns everyone to the truth. Sometimes we just proclaim the gospel, that your a sinner, that God hates sin, but sent His only begotten Son into the world, not to justify sin, but to justify sinners, so repent and be saved. Call upon the name of the Lord. Praise Jesus before He shows up in their lives, because He has already shown up in yours, and when He changes your neighbors heart then lift up your voices together, rejoicing, Praise ye the Lord. 

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#551 Light Sensitive

He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits[a] long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. 2 Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 Under it were figures of gourds,[b] for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 5 Its thickness was a handbreadth.[c] And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths.[d] 6 He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

7 And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. 8 He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. 9 He made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

11 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God:12 the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 and the 400 pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars. 14 He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, 15 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. 16 The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. 17 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.[e]18 Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought.

19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold;22 the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets[f] of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold. 2 Chronicles 4 ESV

 The altar has increased in size from that of the tabernacle, but Israel has also increased in size and settled now from their wandering. It stands tall, unembarrassed and forthcoming with what transpires upon it's table. If it's too sad or morbid to you, then turn away. If it's just foolish and beneath an enlightened society, a gross waste, then speak out against it. But if you look at it, and only know the sorrow of your own sin, then hang your head and pound your chest, cry out, "have mercy on me, a sinner." Son of David, SON OF DAVID, have mercy on me. God, please let me see. Not only is there an altar, but there is a sea. 

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36: 25-28

In Egypt they worshiped the bull as Apis, and here the sea sits upon the backs of the bull. The bull testifies to the service of the Creator, not to it's own glory. When the people of Israel left Egypt, they walked through the Red Sea, that same sea which washed away the Egyptian army. The water is used to clean the priest, first to consecrated them as a bath, then to clean their feet ever after in the service of the temple. Once, before all this, God cleansed the earth by water, and there were no heights to which one could climb from this deluge, no creature that could save you. The people of Israel were known most unbecomingly for their creation of the golden calf, they kept the idolatries of Egypt close to their hearts, even in the times after Solomon, Jeroboam of Israel created 2 calves in a political move to keep the people from the place of true worship. He feared that they would not follow him, that their hearts would turn toward Jerusalem. 

1 Kings 12 Jeroboam

Later, king Ahaz of Judah will reject the Creator for the more contemporary worship of the cultures around him. He will reach out in admiration of power, to the king of Assyria for aid, which will come

and further justify what Ahaz has already chosen for his world view and religion. He must no longer look to the temple for wisdom, as seen in the removal of it's view from the house of government. He dedicates his own children to Molech and removes the brazen sea from the backs of the oxen. They were not made to stand alone as idols but to carry the burden of the sea upon their backs, to serve. Those that do not see themselves as unclean, shall never find a reason for the sea, and he rejects the position of the oxen as underneath, for his deliverance has not come from above. He holds high the king of Assyria, and he will do as he does.

2 Kings 16 Ahaz

The lampstands are made of that which is not only precious for it's scarcity but also tested by fire. What are lamp stands for but to hold light, and Who is it that brings light into the world, but the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us. The design is branches and in Revelation we see the lampstands representing the churches, for we are God's light here on earth, spreading the gospel of Christ. He is the first fruits, that budding almond branch, the high priest of this body to which we are all members in Christ. 

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent[a] have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13: 7-16

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#550 Where Angels Look

Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord[a] had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon's measurements[b] for building the house of God: the length, in cubits[c] of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house,[d] and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5 The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold and made palms and chains on it. 6 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. 7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8 And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents[e] of fine gold. 9 The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels.[f] And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood[g] and overlaid[h] them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; 12 and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim[i] stood on their feet, facing the nave. 14 And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.

15 In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like a necklace[j] and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. 2 Chronicles 3 ESV

Sister 1 Kings 6

Other sister 1 Kings 7

God chose this threshing floor a long time before David and the angel with the sword, even before the time of the ram and Isaac's atonement. This is where God has chosen to commune with His people, where they will learn in the twilight about approaching the light of Holiness. The cherubim face the presence of God, attending to Him, they're wings covering their faces, for He is overwhelming. They do not sit on thrones facing out, for they are created to worship, not to be worshiped. We join with them in praising God. The other angels ascending, taking our praises ever higher, babes growing into the ever maturing realization of worship. When you put Him there, above all things, sovereign, He is in His rightful throne, there is nothing in part to this, fractional or congruent to the self, that is not wanting of truth, delusional. Christ said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. Who are we to deny God His rightful place in our hearts? This is a wonderful place, the temple in every way, from it's location to its being built by both Jews and gentiles, as a house of prayer for all God's people, will tell the story of Christ. It is in Christ that we have access to the Father. 

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, "Do not do that I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God." Revelation 22: 8-9

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#549 I Can't, but I Know a Guy

Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. 2 [b] And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. 3 And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. 5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 7 So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors[c] of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths[d] of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

11 Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi,14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work. 2 Chronicles 2

Sister Passage 1 Kings 5

Solomon does here wisely in approaching a friend of his father. It is a huge undertaking, but also there is so much in the detail that he needs men of precision. Sometimes we look at ourselves and then look to the task, and we see that the math just isn't there. Shall I paint you a picture, I can't, I am not an artist. Shall I design and build you a house? You probably won't like it, but here is the number of a man I know, he is honest and his work is brilliant. Many members of one body, and what is there that I could ever set out to build alone? Not this temple, surely, and though Solomon has been given wisdom beyond all other men, he is still being blessed by his father. God has prepared the way and the acquaintance, before Solomon was even born. So let it also be understood, that God has prepared our hearts to pray for the preparation of other's hearts. When we pray for this, not that we may save, for we are not the Savior, I am not the Author or finisher of creation, but God please use me. If skill and strength are the currency of this world, gold and silver it's faith and representation, well how much more is the strength of the One Who made these things, and how much more valuable is the currency of heaven? If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, I will hear their prayers and heal their land. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much, such is the currency of heaven. Oh God, Creator of all that I see and beyond, beyond my understanding, and beyond what can ever be contained. I ask You to take up residence within my heart, to sweep it clean and make it as You wish, that I may serve You gladly with every breath that You have given me. Let Your Spirit guide me and help me, deliver me from evil and let me take no offense against my own honor, but let me stand for yours, boldly and in love. When we are called to a work, to care, to pray, know that we are praying not to our own talents or resources, but to the infinite God, Creator of the universe. It is a small thing, but it grows into such a wonderful and useful tree. 

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10: 9-20

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#548 I Bet You Think This Song Is About You

Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers' houses. 3 And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there.4 (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) 5 Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly sought it[a] out. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

7 In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” 8 And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place.9 O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from[b] the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon Given Wealth

14 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 16 And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders would buy them from Kue for a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels[c] of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. 2 Chronicles 1 ESV

Sister passage 1 Kings 3

Though the ark is not with them, the old bronze altar is here in this high place, and the king will go to the place of sacrifice to seek God's presence. People are so worldly wise in our day, and this brings a chuckle for them, that a king would ever need to humble himself before God, for we are way past God these days. Solomon is not even sure how to approach or what this will bring about, but he offers a thousand burnt offerings. Look, I have great wealth, but I have it from my father and he has it because of You. Here I come, in my day, not understanding much about God at all, but I am touched in my heart, I know He is there, and that He alone is God, exclusively. It has not changed much from then, men unsure, sinners, having no lasting sacrifice to offer, nothing that they own will ever be enough, but admittance requires a sacrifice and Solomon gives according to his wealth. He will start his kingdom here, and I shall find myself at the foot of the cross. His will be a picture of remission, that God is charging upon the body of His only begotten Son, and mine will be the realization of this sacrifice in Jesus Christ. Solomon is looking forward while I am looking back. He goes to sleep on this, after feasting with the people, showing that he recognized the God of his father, and God comes to him in a dream. He ask God for wisdom, so he could do his job well, and God was pleased by what he asked, but not so pleased as He was with his father. If He asked the same question to David, what would be his reply? None the less, we have not because we ask not and the Bible says if any of you lack wisdom ask of God, Who gives to all men liberally. 

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5: 13-15

Something is amiss though here, for God's word which shall remain, even when heaven and earth pass away, must be held above our reasoning, our position, and must dictate how we conduct ourselves in the handling of our blessings. What did the law of kings say about the accumulation of horses and chariots? What of the amassing of so much gold and silver, and returning to Egypt? Does profit justify behavior? If we get it by ill means, then does the end justify? He is an arms dealer, and so much loves the image of women that he has forgotten the image of God. How many men have squandered genius upon so many shadows, and thinking all along that these were sacrifices fitting to who they are, drank and toasted to their own demise? 

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23-24

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#547 1 Summation of Chronicles

The Chronicles are written in the time after the Babylonian exile, and they are giving a history to the Jews, who are returning to Israel. It's important that they know how they came to exist as a nation, their ancestry, but also how they should conduct themselves because of this. God uses this small place on the map, a man, Abraham, who he pulls out from all of fallen humanity, to be the start of this line which will come to fruition in the Son of David, redemption. A lot of this focuses on the reign of David, which for one reading the Bible as a story or only a partial history, they could miss so much of the spiritual, redemptive and prophetic nature of all the Old Testament books. 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 14:4

Some of the passages retell or give more light to sister passages in other books and vice versa. It is important that they go over this again, collect their history again, know why they were established as a nation, why David's reign is so significant, and how did we fall away? The significance of their tribal unification, being brought out of Egypt and still yet preserved, even after their apostasy, in Babylon, cannot be for the sake of their mere existence. God is not a respecter of persons, and He will have obedience rather than sacrifice. Christ says He can raise up children to Abraham from the rocks, and it is never against God's dignity to punish and oppose those that He has called His people. If we think God will preserve us for some inherent good in us, birthright or proclamation, it's not the size of a nation, the wealth of it's treasury or extent of it's borders that makes them relevant to God. He created it all, many nations will rise to power and fall to ruin, but for all of David's faults, which much was overlooked here, he was a man after God's own heart. God calls us to repent, to turn away from our sin, which is death. Is your heart affected in that way, can you see this yet, the first part of the gospel, that in Adam, all have died. 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22

Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. 22But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy,unblemished, and blameless in His presence— 23if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.…Colossians 1: 21-23

Chronicles develops the government and religion that establish the rule of law and heart, kings and priest. Men preside in all these offices and while God cannot be wrong, men find it all too easy. God punishes His people even at the risk of being mocked by those looking from outside, for whom the Lord loveth, He chaseneth. This is remarkable in David's reign, it hurts him more that God is not honored, and David chooses to point at his own heart, his own sin, rather than look for another. He is in awe of God's grace, disgusted by his own lack of merit and grateful to God for the opportunity to serve Him. "Who am I and what are these people?" Israel, the nation, the tangible, historical place on the Mediterranean, is brought up, enlarged and broken down time and again, but each time there is a remnant, and there is even to this day a spiritual Israel, her numbers ever growing in the time of the gentiles. 

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Romans 9: 6-7

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#546 The Oddity

And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God:4 3,000 talents[a] of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,[b] 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself[c]today to the Lord?”

6 Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics[d] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David Prays in the Assembly

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.[e] 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness.

Solomon Anointed King

And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him as prince for the Lord, and Zadok as priest.

23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And the Lord made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Death of David

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries. 1 Chronicles 29 ESV

What an honest statement, though he is my son he is young, inexperienced. This is not just ordinary work, as if being king was not strange enough, he must also build the Lord's house. This is a most sacred undertaking, for Christ will compare it to himself, that this which requires so much care, will be torn down and raised up again. It is His foot stool for even the heavens cannot contain or express the full glory of the One Who created them. Solomon has the idea to do this passed down from his father, the honor from God, the mind and ability from God. David has taken great pains to insure that all is planned and prepared ahead of time as God has revealed to him. It is his honor to honor his God. Solomon is receiving a work that has been prepared for him, an honor that has been passed down to him from his father's relationship with God. 

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they[b] went out of the city. Mark 11: 15-19

Do you not know that you[c] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17

David has set the example of the significance of this work, in that out of his abundance, he has given over and abundantly. He does not excise a tax from the people, this is not a force of  man's will, kings cannot cause others to give cheerfully, wisely and of a changed heart. This is what I have done and what is on my own heart, who will join me? The Lord loves a cheerful giver, and this speaks volumes against so many cult types of governments that pose as the god and father of their people. Many kings will spend much on the affairs of state, the grandeur of empire and to their own honor, but this king recognizes that it is the greatest gift to give back to God's honor, for no man, no kingdom exists without Him. We cannot even give unto God or other what He has not given already to us. "Who am I and what is my people?" How is it that we are allowed, granted that we may do this willingly? We are like shadows, only existing because of something more real and permanent. The length of our days is held so tightly by our minds and then disregarded by the breadth of eternity, the measurable against the immeasurable. All that we have to do this work with comes from God's hand, so we should have our hands open to receive His work. There is nothing here in David's discourse that even alludes to a burden, it is pure joy and a blessing to give. I cannot even find words sufficient for what he is saying here, to explain what is not just felt, but real, better than comfort or riches, exceeding your broken desires and expectations. He owes us nothing, and we have nothing to give Him that is not from Him. Oh Lord, grant to my son a whole heart, don't let him forsake this. The knowledge of God comes from God, the desire of God comes from a changed heart, which comes from God. You don't have to build the house, you want to build the house, and this is only part of the house for God is bringing up One from His own house in your house. This will all point to the Son of David, the Christ. Talk about an honor, long after you are buried, one will come up from your seed, from your city and your God, and He will conquer sin and the grave. 

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10: 46-52

Bless the Lord, for He is every blessing. Bless the Lord for here we share in the sacrifice, we eat at His table, and breathe at His word. If you lift Him up, then you understand, you see a bit more, hear a little better, because He is closer to His place in Your mind. To Him belongs everything, this should include my whole being, for what am I or what do I have that He has not given me, and what should I have in opposition to His holiness that He has also for a time withheld. What shall I have if I find Christ, but that which was given again to me, that which I did not make or earn? What can I give Him that does not belong to Him already? I have been a thief all along.

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