Suggested reading: 1 Kings chapter 6 verses 1-14

David prepared and gathered the materials to build the house of the Lord. He fought the battles and won the victories, without which the house could not have been built; however, it was Solomon, the man of PEACE who built it. It takes two men to point us to Christ; two men in collaboration, but with a single objective in mind! Christ went to Calvary and gained the victory that gives us peace with God. He has ‘made peace through the blood of His cross’, Colossians chapter 1 verse 20, and on the basis of this work He is building a spiritual house.

Unlike the Tabernacle, that was linked to the wilderness, the Temple was built in the land. It was not temporary but a permanent structure. There is nothing temporary about the Person and Work of Christ. He became flesh, but He is now glorified in heaven. God has ‘made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus’, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 6. Indeed, we are a people linked with heaven, not earth.

Everything within the Temple points to Christ and speaks to us of God dwelling in the midst of His people. David reminds us to ‘Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness’, Psalm 29 verses 2 & 9.

The continuation of the house of the Lord rested on Solomon’s faithfulness. The Lord said, ‘Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes . . . then I will perform My word with you’, 1 Kings chapter 6 verses 12-13. Sadly, Solomon’s house was destroyed and the people cried, ‘Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant things are laid waste’, Isaiah chapter 64 verse 11.

We thank God that our trust is in a greater than Solomon. The house He is building is eternal.