Building the Temple

Before he passed away, David assigned Solomon the responsibility of building a temple for the LORD. Today, we tend to accept the construction as a matter of course. We think little of the architecture and engineering required to build such a structure, and we certainly do not consider what they might have meant three thousand years ago. Our knowledge of ancient Egypt with its great pyramids and the ziggurats of Mesopotamia influence us to see this as a sidelight, a normal undertaking for a powerful king. Yet this edifice would not honor the memory of a dead king; it would honor the existence of the living God. It would not carry records of a military leader’s exploits but only include articles labeled Holiness to the LORD. Therefore, not only the design of this building, but its very reason for being built catches the eye. What must it have taken for Solomon to complete such a task, to produce an unsurpassed monument in beauty and splendor, in just twenty years’ time? A consideration of 2 Chronicles 2 demonstrates that it took all kinds of people to make this work come to fruition, and the same types of people are essential to build up the church, God’s temple today (1 Cor. 3:16-17).  

Any building project, physical or spiritual, requires leadership (2 Chr. 2:1-2). It takes people of vision and determination who understand what ought to be and have the will to see that it actually comes to be. It requires great motivators, those who tap into the desire to please God with humility so that it remains unquestionably about Him (2 Chr. 2:3-6), people who can help people see their involvement in something bigger and greater than themselves as a marvelous opportunity (2 Chr. 2:7-9), men who know how to explain to others how they will benefit by taking part (2 Chr. 2:10). It takes encouragers, men and women who see good things in good people and take the opportunity to spur them on to even greater things (2 Chr. 2:11-12). It also takes artisans, those with specific skill sets, finely honed, that make them so valuable in accomplishing things most others could never do (2 Chr. 2:13-16). But, when all is said and done, it always takes workers, the people who are willing to do the tough jobs, the unenviable tasks, that are essential for the completion of the work (2 Chr. 2:17-18). For Solomon to build the temple, these people proved essential. And the these people remain essential today to build up and grow the church. But do not just identify with one characteristic and be content. Instead, develop as many of these qualities as you can, because you never know what will be needed most.

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