Pray:
Creator of heaven and earth, Lord above all, thank You that You are willing, even desiring, to meet with me!
Read:
1 Kings 8:1-21
Reflect:
Where do you go to meet with God?
What an amazing sight this must have been! Solomon in all his splendor and the leaders of the people, led by the priests and Levites, bring the Ark of the Covenant into the newly built Temple (1-9). And, as if that weren't enough, the Lord then manifests his presence there in a truly awesome fashion (10).
Nonetheless, he is not confined to the Temple. Maybe that's why we're told the Ark simply contains the stone tablets from Sinai (9). The Lord can't be put in a box! The Temple is a place where God is found, but not confined.
It is a magnificent sight, but who is the star of the show? It should be the Lord, but isn't there just a touch of showmanship in Solomon's closing words (20,21)? Solomon spent seven years (1 Kings 6:38) building the Temple, but he spent no less than 13 years (1 Kings 7:1) building his own palace. Perhaps his priorities weren't quite as clear as they should have been.
Apply:
God has come to dwell among us. Thank him that we who believe are now a living temple and his Spirit lives in us.
Pray:
Lord of all, thank You that You have come near and made a way for us to draw near to You.
