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2 Chronicles Chapter 5 (ESV)
1 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.
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…
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 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.
REFLECTION:
- Why was Solomon so focused on the temple? First the temple is a symbol of God’s sovereignty. Through the temple, God made Jerusalem the centre of worship so that future generations will keep their pure faith unchanged. At the same time, the temple is also a symbol of God’s holiness. People will respect God when they see the beauty of the temple; this is a similar background when the prophets see the great vision. Even more, the temple is the sign of the covenant between God and the Israelites. The temple made the Israelites pay attention to God’s commandments more than the achievement of the kings (the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments inscribed was placed inside the ark in the temple). The temple is the place where God meets His people, and a symbol of God’s forgiveness for His people. The design of the temple, the utensils and the custom of worship all carried deep meanings to the people of Israel, reminding them the severe consequences of sin, the punishment of impurity and how much they needed the forgiveness of sin. All the above factors gives the temple a very important role in the Old Testament. Reflect on these factors if they are still applicable to the church nowadays?
- The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord into the Most Holy Place and then they came out. Outside the Most Holy Place is the Holy Place where there was the table for bread, the altar of incense, and the golden lampstand. Normally the High Priest could only enter the Most Holy Place once every year on the Day of Atonement. In this special moment, other priests would enter the Most Holy Place and help move the ark to a new place. When they were entering the Most Holy Place, the Levites would sing praises to God knowing that God was pleased with the new place for the ark (5:13). The first worship service held in the temple began with praise and proclamation of God’s presence and goodness. When we worship God, we should also begin by witnessing God’s love. Through praise, we will prepare our heart, and tell Him our needs. By remembering God’s love and mercy, you can be filled with thanksgiving and praise God every day. Psalm 107 is an example of how David remember God’s eternal love. Meditate if our worship today can reflect the abundance of the worship in the temple before.
PRAYER:
Come before God with a thankful heart and meditate on God’s boundless grace and love. Offer to God your deepest worship and praise. Ask God to help us live an abundant life so that as we love one another in the church, it is like living in God’s glorious temple
