The God we serve is a holy and glorious god, who deserves our reverence and our obedience. Reading today of the story of the building of the temple by King Solomon in 1 Kings 6, there is a very powerful fact about how Solomon went about the construction.
1 Kings 6:7 - When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.
Solomon was so bent on constructing the temple in a way that, not only followed God’s specifications, but was also built in a very special manner. As we read, Solomon made sure that no tool could be heard in the actual process of the on-site construction. Why would he take such stringent actions in this work? Solomon understood that the temple was to be a place of reverence and worship to his God, because God is a holy god, worthy of our complete worship and respect.
God no longer chooses to dwell in man-made buildings. We see this truth recorded in Acts 7:48, which tells us that “ the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.” No, God has chosen to replace the temple of stone by placing His Holy Spirit within the very hearts of His people and making them His temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
In light of this truth, what does Solomon’s careful construction of the first temple say to us today?
When we receive salvation and begin to follow Jesus, we are a new creation. But as we all can clearly understand about ourselves, there is still much work to be done. We use the word sanctification to describe the process of growth that begins at salvation. But it is a work that takes our entire life to be completed. We know it will because the Apostle Paul wrote this to us in Philippians 1:6 saying, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
The work of salvation is completely of God, according to scripture. But the work of sanctification is a work that involves both the empowering of the Holy Spirit and our commitment to follow Jesus and walk in obedience to Him.
Like the construction of the first temple, the construction of the temple within us must be accomplished with the same commitment to reverence and respect to God. We should be diligent to study His Word and to build His temple with the same dedication to God’s plan for our lives.
Listen to what God said to Solomon as he was building the temple.
1 Kings 6:11-13 - Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon,
“Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”
This is how we must respond as we also build God’s temple, the temple not of stone, but of our own hearts.
Listen to how chapter 6 ends up.
1 Kings 6:14 - So Solomon built the house and finished it.
1 Kings 6:38 - And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.
It’s a new year. There is no better time for us to get to work and to build God’s temple and to build it according to all His specifications.
Do so and God will dwell among us and in us.
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