Title: Solomon's Temple ① / 1 Kings 6:1
Contents
Evidence of human religious footsteps can be found wherever man could have resided.
For example, in Mesopotamia and Egypt, known as the birthplace of ancient human culture, traces of sanctuaries where they worshiped God can be seen everywhere.
Most of the features found among the vestiges of ancient religious beliefs tried to show the sanctity and divine superiority of the place by erecting a wall separating the place where they worshiped the gods from the surrounding areas.
Most of the gods they served were all idols, without exception. And there were temples of idols.
However, the worship of Israel in the Bible was not an idol worshiped by Gentiles or a temple of idols.
Israel's worship of God was a human response by revelation of God Himself.
We see that after Israel settled in the land of Canaan, the age of the theocracy followed by Saul, David, and Solomon, a house of worship, the age of the temple, was born.
1 Kings 6:1 "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, Solomon began to build the house of the LORD." said.
I. new chapter of history
Indeed, these words show the scene of the blessing that opens a new chapter in the history of Israel's chosen people.
After the exodus of the chosen people of Israel, a new phase in the religious practice of serving God is emerging. They put Moses at the forefront, and during the era of the wilderness church that came out of Egypt and headed for Canaan, they accomplished history centering on the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8). A pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire appeared over the tabernacle, indicating the presence of God. They could see the fullness of the glory of the Lord as the cloud covered the tabernacle. When the cloud rose over the tabernacle, the children of Israel set forth forward in all their paths. But even when the cloud did not rise, it did not issue until the day the cloud rose.
All the house of Israel personally saw the cloud of the LORD over the tabernacle by day, and fire in the cloud by night (Exodus 40:34-38). In this case, the sanctuary, which was the church in the wilderness, was a symbol of the presence of God Himself who appeared in Israel.
After that, they followed Joshua into the land of Canaan and moved around the tent of meeting in Shiloh (Joshua 18:1, 19:51) during the period of the judges. After that, after being invaded by the Philistines, this tent of meeting was destroyed and the ark was taken (1 Samuel 4: , -6: ) There was no place for the Israelites to even serve as a religious center.
After that, Saul became king, but he did not have the faith to ask God about the affairs of the country. When David became king, he finally found God, and the great religious ceremony of moving the ark of God to Jerusalem was held. The ark of God was kept in a tent (veil) made temporarily in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:2).
At that time, David said to Nathan the prophet, 'I live in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is in the veil', and made known his desire to build a house for God to dwell in (2 Samuel 7:5).
At that time, God allowed David to build the temple in principle, but he said that David could not build the house of God because he was a soldier who shed too much blood in many wars for his country (1 Chronicles 28:3). But he said that he would come to fulfill this work in the days of his son Solomon (2 Samuel 7:1-12).
David obeyed God's will. After that, he, his staff, and the people of the whole country finished preparing everything for the new temple of God to be built in the time of Solomon and passed away.
The text given today tells the new chapter of history to appear with this historical background. [In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, and in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, in the second month, Solomon began to build the house of the LORD.]
II. The Uniqueness of Solomon's Temple
One of the outstanding features of the temple that God has allowed is that there are no deities in the temple. Inside (the Most Holy) was kept in the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept as a monument of salvation.
Inside the ark were only 1) the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God directly on two stone tablets on Mount Sinai, 2) Aaron's rod that budded, and 3) a jar of manna, which was the staple food of the church in the wilderness.
The reason that there were no statues of gods in Solomon's temple was to show that God was not an idol but a personal god.
It shows that God is not the idol or the house of idols found in the religious ruins of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Canaan. That is why, even when David was about to build the house of God, God said that I am not a god to be restricted in a house of any built space. Therefore, even when he delivered Israel from Egypt, God himself never told him to build a house of cedar for himself (2 Samuel 7:7).
Therefore, during his sermon, Stephen, while recalling the history of Solomon's building of the house of God, [the Most High does not dwell in places made with hands; the prophet said, The Lord said, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." What house will you build for me, and where is my resting place?] (Acts 7:47-49).
God's nature is never bound by any house made by any man. So Solomon prayed, “If the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot accept you, how much more will this house that I have built?” (1 Kings 8:27).
The living God is not an idol. And he is not bound by any region or place. Therefore, a temple built by man itself can never be God, nor can it be consecrated as the house of God and an object of worship.
Therefore, the church in the New Testament era is never regarded as the temple of other Gentiles, nor does it make other sculptures or images of idols in it, nor does it serve idols. We can see how unchristian and idolatrous Roman Catholicism is in this sense.
III. Why Solomon's Temple Exists
We have heard that the temple built by Solomon, as we have been told, is completely different from the idolatrous temples of the Gentiles. In other words, since Gentiles have temples to worship idols, there is no reason why Israel should have temples to worship God. That was by no means the reason God allowed David and Solomon to build the temple.
Then, what was the reason for the construction and existence of Solomon's Temple?
First, it was for the preservation and succession of the faith and faith of Israel toward the living God.
In other words, it was a means to fear the God of Israel.
For example, it was to distinguish (sex) the Israelites from pagan idolaters through temple worship. Not only that, but it was to turn them from the idolatrous world to God. It was to prevent them from following the evil customs of the unbelieving Canaanites. More importantly, as a commemoration of gratitude for the grace that saved them from slavery in Egypt, it was intended to serve God only, love God only, pray only to God, and offer only to God.
Second, it was for the strength of the chosen people's union and alliance.
This fact is a fulfillment of the fact already prophesied through Moses. Deuteronomy 12:10-15 says that when the Israelites cross the Jordan and settle in Canaan, the land of inheritance, the Lord God will choose the place where he intends to put his name. At that time, all Israel who were saved were told to go out to worship God with various burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, large offerings, and beautiful vow offerings.
At that time, he told us to go and rejoice before God with our children and slaves and rejoice in the presence of God, and we should rejoice with the Levites who are servants of the temple.
In particular, three times a year, namely, the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest), and the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of Harvest), are the national and national thanksgiving festivals in the Jerusalem Temple. .
Their worship in the Jerusalem Temple was a unity of Israel by bringing together the various types of worship that the early Israel had performed in Shilona, Nob, Bethel, Shechem, and Gibeah, by tribe and individually. It was intended to represent an alliance with So, worship in the Jerusalem Temple became an artery of Israel's history.
Third, above all else, it was to become a place of God's own special presence for the chosen people.
In the Old Testament times, in various ways, God came to Himself in our lives. Among them, God Himself in particular revealed to us the place, method, and content of meeting with people.
That was the altar of burnt offering. God met Abel through the altar and sacrifice. God met Noah and Job through the altar and sacrifice. Moreover, this fact reached its climax in the time of Abraham. At that time, Abraham called the place where he met God (Mt. Moriah) by a new name, “Jehovah Jireh” (Genesis 22:2, 14; 2 Chron 3:1).
After that, in the age of the church in the wilderness, Moses and Joshua met God in the tabernacle (tent of meeting).
Now, in the age of the theocracy, God designated the place where God met Israel through the temple built by Solomon.
There are several expressions that prove this fact. Among the representative expressions, God said, [My name shall be there] as a dwelling place for God's name (1 Kings 8:29). It is said that the eyes of God are there (1 Kings 8:29) It is said that it is a place where God's mouth is open and he is speaking (1 Kings 9:2-3) It is said that it is a place where God's heart is open (1 Kings 9:3) God It is said that it is a place where people’s ears are opened to hear various kinds of prayers (1 Kings 8:28, 29), and it is said that it is a house where God’s blessings come to all oaths and vows (1 Kings 9:5). It is said to be a house called “House” (Isaiah 56:7). Jesus called this house the Father's house, so he called it the place where the Son and the Father meet (John 2:16).
Dear saints,
Solomon's Temple History!
It was a new chapter that ushered in a new era of blessing. It was a house of evidence that the chosen people feared and served the living God. The worship in the temple made Israel a sign of consecration from the world and foreign gods. And through the worship service in the temple, the holy alliance of the chosen people was shown. Above all, this temple was the house where God specially met Israel in the world.
This is the meaning of the start of today's Kyunghyang Church temple. The history of the new temple we received from the Lord is for the protection and succession of our and our descendants' faith toward God. And to set us apart from the world and form an alliance as children of God. In other words, it is to form a holy group, that is, saints.
And to meet God in this house.