Every week, we seek the Lord for the timely revelation in the Word to be released to you.
This is what the Lord has spoken for this week: "Whatever I have meant and purposed for you, no one and no evil can take it away from you, as long as you walk with Me, look to Me, and put your trust in Me. I will know how to establish you and strengthen you. Like the temple of Solomon, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit in which I dwell. I will be with you and I will fill you, as you dedicate your life before Me."
Beloved of God, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit! And as you dedicate yourself before the Lord this day, the Lord is going to fill you, strengthen you, and establish you, just as King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem those days.
Maybe you are going through a time of crisis, or you are lonely, or you are in despair at the moment. Take heart. The Lord is assuring you right now He is here for you. He hears your cry, and He is here to support, strengthen, and establish you.
And if God has meant or purposed good things to be yours, though man or devil tries to rob it, no one can take it away from you - as long as you walk with Him, look to Him, and put your trust in Him.
Just like King Solomon. You know what? In the first chapter of 1 Kings, there was actually someone who tried to take away King Solomon's throne. He wanted to be king. But no matter how he tried, God saw to it that King Solomon would be king.
King David was already old and weak by that time, and the people around him knew that he was ready to pass on (1 Kings 1:1). And it was at that time that Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king"; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen (1 Kings 1:5).
Adonijah then conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah (1 Kings 1:7-8).
So, there were two camps there: Adonijah's camp; and those in the camp who wanted to see David's desire come to pass, i.e. for Solomon to be the king after King David.
Nathan the prophet then spoke to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go immediately to King David and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, "Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?'" (1 Kings 1:11-13)
Upon Bathsheba's meeting with King David, the king then took an oath and said to her, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' so I certainly will do this day." (1 Kings 1:29-30)
King David then commanded Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to anoint Solomon as king over Israel (1 Kings 1:32-34).
You see, beloved of God, if God has spoken to you, meant for you, and purposed for you something, take heart, no evil and no man can take it away from you. The Lord will know how to establish you, support you, and strengthen you. And He will also raise up the right people to help you.
I know some of you may say Solomon wasn't a good testimony. Yes, he wasn't a good testimony in his later years. His pagan wives turned his heart away from the Lord, and his heart departed from the Lord. But we cannot deny in the early years of his reign as king, he did a lot of good. He asked God for a discerning heart to rule the people, instead of asking for long life, riches, or the lives of the enemies. God was so pleased. And under his leadership, Israel actually rose to the peak in size, in glory, and in splendor. The temple of the Lord was built in Jerusalem, and Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord. Again God was so pleased, and God filled that temple with His glory, so much so the priest could not even minister at that time, because it was so filled with the cloud of the glory of the Lord. That's a clear evidence of God being so pleased!
Now we all can learn from the figures in the Bible, from the people who have gone before us. We can learn from their success, but we can also learn from their mistakes. So let us 'eat the flesh and throw the bones'.
Let's go all the way now to 1 Kings chapter 7. By that time, King Solomon had ordered for the temple of the Lord to be built. Now the temple had three parts - The Most Holy Place (or The Holy of Holies), The Holy Place, and the outer court; which is actually a 'picture' of we, our lives. We consist of spirit, soul, and body. Tripartite. Three parts of the temple of the Lord = Three parts of us as a human being. Hence, the temple of the Lord is actually a 'picture' of we, the temple of the Holy Spirit, who are the believers under the New Covenant.
In cross reference, 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV) says, 'Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?', and 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NKJV) says, 'Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?'
This word 'temple' here is 'naos' in Greek, and it means 'dwelling place' (in the context here, 'dwelling place of God'); from the word 'naio' meaning 'to dwell'. So, as a temple of the Holy Spirit, you are the dwelling place of God! God makes His home with you!
That's why the Lord is saying this is your time to dedicate your life before the Lord, just as Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem those days! And just as the glory of the Lord filled the temple of Solomon those days as they dedicated the temple, let the glory of the Lord fill you this day!
Let's go now to 1 Kings 7:21. Here, I'm focusing on one aspect of the temple: The two pillars. This verse says, 'Then he (Huram) set up the pillars by the vestibule (entrance area) of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called it Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called it Boaz.'
Note: Huram, by the way, was called up by King Solomon to do the temple-building work. He was a very skilled craftsman, filled with wisdom and understanding.
Let's focus now on Jachin and Boaz. One pillar was called Jachin, and another pillar was called Boaz, at the entrance area of the temple.
What are the meanings of 'Jachin' and 'Boaz'?
'Jachin' ('Yakiyn') in Hebrew means 'He will establish', or some scholars define it as 'He will support'; whereas 'Boaz' in Hebrew means 'In Him (in God) is strength'.
So, these two pillars were reminders that God would establish and support the temple; and in God is strength. These two pillars were beautifully decorated so that people would remember the Lord's glory and presence every time they look at the temple; and people would remember 'the Lord is the One who establishes, supports, and strengthens them'!
But what does that symbolize in your life or your situation right now?
The Lord is the pillar of your life! In other words, His presence is with you, He establishes you, He supports you, and He strengthens you!
He supports you, so that you will not fall. He strengthens you, so that you will not be weakened by whatever that happens around you in the world (i.e. no matter how the devil tries to weaken you, or how people around you try to dilute God's vision and God's purpose in your life).
Isn't that a deep assurance for us, the beloved of God? The Lord has become your pillar! He knows how to establish you, support you, and strengthen you! He is your Sufficiency, and He is more than enough for you! There is none like Him!
I continue with 1 Kings 8:27-29. Here, King Solomon prayed, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today; that Your eyes may be opened toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You say, 'My name shall be there', that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place."
Hallelujah! That's what King Solomon prayed as he dedicated the temple of the Lord those days! As you dedicate yourself before the Lord this day, the Lord's eyes will be turned to you too! He will know how to hear the cry of your heart, and He will know how to lead you from here, no matter what you are going through at the moment. He will know how to guide you and direct you to do the right things! You see, when you do the right things, you are blessed. And many around you are blessed. And there will be provision as well.
So right now, you can ask the Lord, "O Lord God, teach me, guide me, and direct me to do the right things that You want me to do. And that's how I shall move forward, ready for the many more good things You have in store for me." Hallelujah! Amen!
