“When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying, ‘He is good! His faithful love endures forever!’”
2 Chronicles 7:3 NLT
It took seven and a half years, 4,000 tons of gold, and 40,000 tons of silver to finish building the Temple. And the amounts of bronze, cedar, precious stones, and iron Solomon used could not even be measured. Seeing the finished Temple must have been breath-taking—a structure more costly than anything built before or since.
In today’s economy, a building worth over two billion dollars would be the talk of news networks around the world. People would travel far to see it and would soon be worshiping its glittering gold like it was a shrine. Some might even name the precious stones after their gods!
We humans do that—we focus on what we can see on the outside. That habit can be dangerous if what we see becomes an idol. What if we focus on the incredible talents of a preacher or singer so much that we begin to worship that outward housing? Notice that even though the structure Solomon built was amazing beyond description, the Israelites did not worship the Temple. They worshiped the LORD who dwelled inside the Temple!
God has given every one of us talents, but no matter how amazing those gifts are, they are simply the housing that others can see. So, be careful—
Don’t worship the temple—worship the God who dwells inside the temple!
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