"Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
--Psalm 132:3-5 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 6, 2013 of Psalm 132; Luke 11:1-28; Ezra 3-5.
As the 132nd Psalm was composed by King David, it is considered a royal psalm (written by or about a member of royalty), and it is also one of the Songs of Ascents so it is a pilgrimage psalm as well. All of which simply provides classification for the psalm, giving it a couple of placeholders in the catalog of things that some people like to keep. What provides food for thought, though, are the words David sings. He splits his song nearly in half, with the first ten verses asking God to remember how zealously he worked to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and the final eight verses reminding the Lord of the covenant He made with David to bless his descendants as long as they stay true to God. Part of that first half, in today's focus verses, also indicates just how much David wanted to build a house for the Lord, an honor denied him but instead bestowed upon his son, Solomon, during his reign (please reference 2 Samuel 7).
David didn't get to build a house for the Lord, and Solomon built a temple of stone and wood and precious metals galore that sadly was destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again. But God doesn't really need a house, and certainly not one that man might be able to construct with his hands. Besides, Jesus showed us just where the real temple is: inside of us. In Luke's account of the Gospel, Jesus declares the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:20-21). Imagine that: the entire kingdom of God within each and every one of us! In John's Gospel report, Jesus promises He will send the Holy Spirit to live in us when He returns to the Father in heaven (John 14). And all through his many letters, Paul assures us that, as believers, the Spirit of God dwells within us. What could be a more indestructible temple than the body of a believer? When we pass from this life, we will be resurrected in the body as Jesus was, so the Temple will endure forever. And spread out over all of us, the Temple will always have a place on earth until that wonderful day when our Lord returns to take His church home.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all three describe the "veil of the temple" being torn in two when Jesus died on that cross. In the temple, the veil physically separated man from God. Sin separates us from God spiritually. When Jesus' blood sacrifice was completed, the veil was torn, our sins were carried to the grave and forgiven, and a path back to God was opened before us. We no longer have to be separated from our Father. That path is Jesus and through Him, and only through Him, we can carry our personal internal temple back to God. Amen.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great sacrifice that tore the veil of the old temple in two and opened the way for us to become the new house of God, carved out in our very souls by Your love and our faith and belief in You as Lord and Master. You are in us and we in You. What more could we possibly need? In Your glorious name, O Jesus we pray. Amen.
David didn't get to build a house for the Lord, and Solomon built a temple of stone and wood and precious metals galore that sadly was destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again. But God doesn't really need a house, and certainly not one that man might be able to construct with his hands. Besides, Jesus showed us just where the real temple is: inside of us. In Luke's account of the Gospel, Jesus declares the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:20-21). Imagine that: the entire kingdom of God within each and every one of us! In John's Gospel report, Jesus promises He will send the Holy Spirit to live in us when He returns to the Father in heaven (John 14). And all through his many letters, Paul assures us that, as believers, the Spirit of God dwells within us. What could be a more indestructible temple than the body of a believer? When we pass from this life, we will be resurrected in the body as Jesus was, so the Temple will endure forever. And spread out over all of us, the Temple will always have a place on earth until that wonderful day when our Lord returns to take His church home.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all three describe the "veil of the temple" being torn in two when Jesus died on that cross. In the temple, the veil physically separated man from God. Sin separates us from God spiritually. When Jesus' blood sacrifice was completed, the veil was torn, our sins were carried to the grave and forgiven, and a path back to God was opened before us. We no longer have to be separated from our Father. That path is Jesus and through Him, and only through Him, we can carry our personal internal temple back to God. Amen.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great sacrifice that tore the veil of the old temple in two and opened the way for us to become the new house of God, carved out in our very souls by Your love and our faith and belief in You as Lord and Master. You are in us and we in You. What more could we possibly need? In Your glorious name, O Jesus we pray. Amen.
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