Reading: 1 Kings 8:1-9:16

The most unusual thing about Solomon’s temple wasn’t the beauty of its architecture, or its priceless furnishings, though they were amazing. What’s most unusual was that it wasn’t in God’s plan. The Temple was a creative desire of King David’s heart of worship.

Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. But the Lord said to my Father David, “Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.”
1 Kings 8:17-18

The temple exemplifies Davidic (King David) worship and devotion. The temple was an address of worship and prayer to God. It was a place of identification. Whenever they worshipped, prayed, made supplication or were going to war they identified with God’s house. God would hear them when they addressed Him at or facing His house.

They believed that God would respond to them as individuals, families, armies, or as a nation. Yet they were careful not to to limit God’s omnipotence (ability to be all powerful)  in any way – in their thinking, by a mere physical structure. If the heavens could not contain the greatness of God, the temple certainly could not. It was not built for God’s containment but for their connection to Him.

The temple was also a place of judgment and justice where oaths were made in retribution for sin, judgment upon the unrighteous and blessing upon the righteous. The temple was the place where God’s transactions took place whether worship, prayer, justice, blessing, judgment or deliverance and healing.

The Church is now the temple built upon the cornerstone, Jesus, where people can come and find God. We’re the priesthood who offer sacrifices of praise and worshipful service unto God. Assembled together in worship, we manifest God in His house around the world.

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5