Have You Given Your Best?

1 kings 7:48-51 - So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the LORD: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence,  the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;  the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and firepans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.  Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

 

Solomon took 13 years to build his own palace…then went right back to work on supplying the temple with the tools….basins….furniture…and altars it would need.  The temple of the Lord deserved the best there was to give…so David spared no expense bringing in the best bronze worker…to make the decorations and utensils for the house of God.  Everything was fashioned out of gold…or bronze or silver…and decorated with carvings of pomegranates…cherubs….palm trees and lilies.

 

It’s too bad no one ever preserved the sight in pictures.  I bet it was one awesome thing to see.  The mere grandeur of the building must have brought a reverent hush to the lips of anyone who came to pray …or give offerings …or bring sacrifices for the priest’s to offer to the Lord.  Each thing that Solomon had fashioned brought not just beauty and splendor…but had purpose as well.  The huge pillars must have shone bright to show the way to the main entrance…the vats … moveable tables …and other tools gave the priests the vessels and implements they needed to prepare themselves and the offerings for giving them to the Lord.

 

I thought as I read last night that this temple would look strange to us today… none of these pieces would look natural in my church at all.  But that is because God sent his son to be the last sacrifice for our sins…and that made Solomon’s version of the temple obsolete.  I guess that is why God allowed it to be destroyed so long ago.  God simply knew that he was going to lead man to worship him another way…. God new home would be in our heart…if we have asked him to come and save us….and it did not include sacrifices anymore.  His blood was shed for the sins of man and no animal would ever be needed again to atone for a man’s sin. He would now draw us together in small groups of believers to worship and praise and study his word.

 

But my curious mind could resist googling what some artists and historians interpreted this grand building to look like….and of course technology did not disappoint.   So here is the link to the video that simply touched my heart…and gave me a great respect and awe for the work that Solomon accomplished for the Lord in his day.   http://youtu.be/lFnWTz-7I0E    As I watched it I gained a new respect for the 7 years it took to put such a grand building together.

 

Father…I thank you for recording the great plans and descriptions of the temple you used to live in.  Thank you for blessing this peaceful king….Solomon…with the task of building your grand house.  Help me to always remember that you deserve the very best of what I have to give.  I thank you this morning for the son that came to earth and changed the way I view the church.  I thank you for placing me in the world in such a way that I was shown your love from an early age…and drawn to believe in your great plan of salvation.  Thank you for touching my heart with the need to believe in you…so much so that I asked you to live in my heart…and make it your new temple.  I thank you also for the small group of believers you have placed me with….so I can show you how much I love you and worship with them to show my gratitude for what you have done in my life…and what I know your plans hold for my future. They will prosper me beyond what I deserve…and bring about good in my life.  Help me to soak up all the goodness you bring near to my heart….so that I may be a shining light to others.  Amen.