Glorious Power

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1 Kings 8 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
10 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon said,

“The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
13 “I have surely built You a lofty house,
A place for Your dwelling forever.” (1 Kings 8:10-13, NASB)


REFLECTIONS:
I have always been a student of what some theologians call “Types and Shadows.”  This is a study where they take Old Testament word pictures and match them to New Testament fulfillments. As an example, when Adam and Eve sinned, it says that God made them animal skins to clothe them.  The picture here is that blood sacrifice was required for “covering” man’s sin.  They were clothed in the skin and blood of another for them to be acceptable to God.  Flash forward to Jesus the Son of Man.  He had to die as the “blood sacrifice” to once and for all “cover” man’s sin and clothe us in Him in order for us to be acceptable to God.  There are literally hundreds of these pictures in the Bible. 

So today in this passage we are investigating, we see an event that tends to boggle the mind.  It is incredible as it stands, but to add some of the fulfillments is just mind blowing… so here we go.  This may be a little long, but stay with me.  A little background first…

King David had always desired more than anything else to build a house for God to dwell in the midst of his people, but God wouldn’t let him… too much blood on his hands.  David was a warrior and had fought hard for all of enemies of God to be subdued, and he did. But because David was a man of war, God passed the task on to David’s son, Solomon.  Solomon’s name means peace (derivative of Shalom).  So Solomon was to build the temple in Jerusalem (which means Foundation of Peace) and the second half of the name Jerusalem (salem) is also a derivative of Shalom… so the temple was to be built BY PEACE and in the CITY of PEACE.    Our study passage moves us past the building of the temple to the long-awaited day that it was to be dedicated to God.  (Please read whole passage; it’s too good to pass up).  Solomon brings the Ark of the Covenant to its resting place in the Holy of Holies, the priests make the required sacrifices and the BLOOD is spattered onto the mercy seat.  As they turn to go, GOD SHOWS UP.  They are blown off their feet and can’t move (sort of reminds you of what happened to John when he received the book of Revelation).  I will borrow a term from the Charismatics; they were slain in the Spirit.  God’s presence was so powerful that they could not move.  This is astounding… they were touching the very essence of God.  Heaven and earth met.  They became one.  God’s presence FILLED the place.  It doesn’t say how long this was, but apparently Solomon was finally able to speak.   He speaks these words: 

“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
“I have surely built You a lofty house,
A place for Your dwelling forever.”

Now we fast forward to the New Testament.  Incredibly, the baby Jesus is born and HIS name is Emmanuel, God With US, and this is what John the disciple wrote about him:  

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; and all things were made through Him and apart from Him nothing was made which was made… And the Word became flesh and DWELT AMONG US, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14)

Sound a little like our study passage?  Jesus was about to redefine the Temple and what it meant.  He would become the Temple, the sacrifice and the Presence all rolled into one.  Paul says that Jesus becomes the “chief cornerstone” of the Temple made without hands. 

 

Here is another interesting passage that Jesus said about Himself the night of His betrayal as He is brought before Caiaphas and the ruling Council of Israel and you will see the reaction to it:  

Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” (Matthew 26: 59-66)

This is a direct picture to our study passage.  This is a reference that the Messiah will come to his Temple and sit on the Throne of Power just as Solomon did to rule his people and he will “come” on the “clouds of heaven” meaning the presence of God to fill the Temple with his Glory.  Wow, no wonder the Council was tearing their robes!!!! Jesus was saying that I AM the Temple of God… and he DID tear down the physical temple in the next three days of his life and rebuilt it.  He became, at the end of the three days, “the chief cornerstone” for the new Temple.  Just not the way the Council had imagined.  

 

Now let’s dig a little further. The Apostle Paul also describes the Temple, and it is YOU!!!! 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Or try this one: 

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Ok, so now it’s established, YOU ARE the Temple of God, so like on the day of Pentecost, what happened when the Spirit began to fill this NEW Temple of God? 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4) 

Now… not just a “cloud of smoke” from his Presence appears, but FIRE.  God indwelling HIS NEW Temple.  He has been continuously from that day forward building another block of His temple and indwelling each one… filling it with the FIRE of HIS Presence until the day when HE will truly sit on the Throne and Dwell with His people again… physically.  By the way, we will need NEW bodies for this…

 

 

POINT OF ACTION:

Let the full fire of the Holy Spirit indwell you to the place where you cannot stand to minister.  I want to be like this.  I want the Fire of God to indwell me to the place where I am overwhelmed.  I want to see you that way as well.  No matter what your state of emotional feeling is right now, this is your destiny, nothing less.  Let your mind dwell on the awesomeness of God himself, to the place where our desires don’t matter anymore, only HIM.  Reminds me of a phrase of a song:  Parade your crown before me so all my sins can see.  I truly believe that we focus too much on our sin and not enough on the Majesty of His Presence… When you see HIM as He IS a lot of stuff just falls off.  BOOM

 

 

PRAYER:

Lord, let me pray as Solomon did: 

“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else. Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.” (1 Kings 8:56-61)

 

WHO AM I?
I am June Criner, and I hope you can follow this rabbit trail.  I so love the word of God.  It is so rich.  Just like chocolate!!!  Blessings to all of you!!!!