Saturday, August 14, 2010

Pillars

I've been reading in Chronicles where David set things up to make sure his son, Solomon, had all the help he needed in building a temple for God. At the same time, he left much of it up to Solomon. When Solomon set up the pillars before the temple, he put one on the right hand and one on the left, and he gave them names. The one on the right was named "Jachin" meaning "He shall establish." The one on the left was named "Boaz" meaning "In It is strength." He took great care in building the many treasures he put into the temple. But the most interesting thing to me is how he gave the pillars such meaningful names.

Flash forward a number of years when Uzziah was king. It was after his death that Isaiah was called to be a prophet. He says it this way, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple.... and the pillars shook..."
I wonder if the temple in the vision was Solomon's temple. I wonder if the pillars that shook were the one's named "He shall establish" and "In It is strength." I wonder if Isaiah realized then that God was much bigger than the temple built to house Him. I wonder if even then, God was directing attention to a different temple.

Flash forward again, a number of years when Jesus was here on earth. He told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. His followers taught that our bodies are the temple of the living God and as each of us are fitly formed together, we make up a temple where the living God dwells. The pillars of Solomon's temple shook when the glory of God was revealed. I wonder if Solomon was a prophet when he named the pillars. Perhaps God was referring to the church when He moved Solomon to call the pillars "He shall establish" and "In It is strength."

He shall establish the church and in It is strength.

The pillars do not shake because the gates of hell come against it.

The pillars shake because the temple cannot contain the glory
which comes with the presence of God.

Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!

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