Daily Dose of the Word of God - 1 Kings 8: 1-5

Jason Turner, Director of Congregational Engagement

Transcript

Jason Turner  0:06  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. This is Jason Turner. It’s Wednesday, October 22nd. As we journey through the Bible this year, today’s reading is from 1 Kings 8:1-5, NIV translation, so that we can better see the Big Picture of how God has been and is still at work for good in the world.

Jason Turner  0:35  

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.  All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

Jason Turner 1:34 

 
I’ve never been to an opening ceremony of Olympics. But I’ve watched some of them on TV growing up. There was one iconic moment at the July 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, when boxing legend Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron, the structure that holds the flame. Can you imagine the grand opening ceremony for the temple? King Solomon intended for an Olympic-sized opening ceremony for the temple. King Solomon received marching orders from God that only the priests could carry the ark of the covenant. The ark was the most important temple item, but not the only one. It also included other holy furnishings from the tabernacle: a lampstand, altar of incense, and table of showbread, which symbolizes God’s provision for Israel. God’s order and design is perfect. The temple wasn’t ready to operate until the ark of the covenant was set in the most Holy Place, the innermost sanctuary of the temple.

Jason Turner  2:47

  
Let's pray. Holy and Saving God, by your perfect presence and design, you created a central location for worship and sacrifice. A dwelling place to enter ytour presence. Thank You that the ark was a visible reminder of Your holy presence. -Thanks for sending Jesus to be a new temple and the very presence of God. Help us to now be temples of the Living God through the power of the Holy Spirit.