Here comes the ark!

The temple is finished, Solomon has brought into the temple the things his father had dedicated to the temple, and now all the heads of tribes, the elders of Israel, and all the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel are gathered together in the temple as the Ark of the Lord is brought in by the priests. I don't think that we as Gentiles can totally understand the incredible significance of this moment. Try really hard to put yourself into that temple. Look around at the breath-taking beauty of the temple, the incredible detail of all the carvings, the precise locations of all the different articles of the temple that can be seen by a non-priest, notice the fact that not one peg or nail can be seen in the entire temple. Take in the grandeur of the incredible presence of all the leaders and of the Lord God Almighty Himself! WOW!!! I think it is quite fitting that we are reading this part of this book right after the "Royal Wedding" has just taken place and we all have inevitably seen some of the coverage of this royal, elegant, and grandiose event. This event is probably the closest thing we can have as a visual to the entrance of the Ark of the Lord into Solomon's temple.

Then Solomon does a series of prayers: one to bless the Lord, one as a prayer of dedication, and then a prayer of benediction. God tells Solomon in Chapter 9 verse 3 that He has heard his prayers and then God says something so very beautiful and I do not want you to miss it! He says, "My eyes and my heart will be there for all time." Isn't that so VERY comforting and peace-giving to hear? And this is a promise that extends to us as well today! Unfortunately, this is the end of Solomon's upward mobility and points ahead to the unfortunate downfall he is heading towards after this amazing event. This now will begins a cycle of a series of kings for both the northern and southern kingdoms as the kingdom of Israel will soon be fractured into these two parts and each will have the rise and fall of many, many kings.

And so I think this speaks to us as the Body of Christ, that we should seek to be obedient and NOT allow the worshiping of idols in our lives or in the life of in our church. And creating unity by being obedient to God's Word and his Ways. Let us as the Body of Christ be together, not fractured over anything. May we always be united in the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and attract those around us into this community of unity, love, and belonging!