Read 2 Chronicles 5
5 When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.
The Ark Brought to the Temple
2 Then Solomon summoned to 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. 3 And all the Israelites came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.
4 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priestscarried them up; 6 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.
7 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9 These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lordand sang:
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.
Go Deeper
Finally the day has come. The temple has been finished according to God’s design. Seven years of hard work and excellent craftsmanship have culminated into a work of art. But, even after all that, the temple isn’t complete until the ark of the covenant makes its way into the Temple. All the beautiful details are meaningless without the presence of God, symbolized by the ark of the covenant.
Solomon knows this and so this day is marked by celebration, sacrifice, and praise. The text tells us that there were so many sheep and cattle sacrificed to God that they couldn’t even be counted. A huge festival marked the occasion, and all the Israelites came together to worship. Once the ark was placed in the Holy Place, the priests and musicians “joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord.” As they praised God, the temple became so full of the glory of the Lord that the priests couldn’t even do their jobs. Five hundred years after God commanded the Israelites to build the ark of the covenant, the day had finally come to move that ark into the Temple. God’s presence was permanently with them. What a celebration it was!
The crazy thing is, because of Jesus, we no longer must only access God through a Temple and a priest. The very presence of God that filled the Temple that day lives within us as believers. As Paul reminded the church in Corinth: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”(1 Corinthians 3:16) Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We house God’s presence within us; we have access to His power and presence all the time.
The Israelites threw a massive festival just to celebrate God’s presence nearer to them through the Temple, even though they couldn’t have direct access to God themselves. We walk around housing His Spirit in our bodies and yet don’t think twice about it. We spend most days completely unaware of God’s presence within us. We take the gift of His nearness for granted. But, what would today look like if we were aware of God’s presence throughout each moment? What could God do through us if we were fully alert to His presence? Friends, let’s not miss it. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and help us every moment today.
Questions
- Solomon knew that as beautiful and detailed as the Temple was, it was incomplete without the presence of God. No matter what your temple looks like, the most important thing about your body is that it houses God’s presence. How can that thinking re-shape how you view yourself today?
- How often are you aware that God’s presence is with you each day? How could remembering that He is with you help you to rely on Him more today?
- Take the next 5-10 minutes to sit with God in silence. Breathe slowly and tune into God’s presence within you. Acknowledge His presence and ask for more awareness of Him today.
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11 responses to “2 Chronicles 5”
“He is good and his love endures forever” (v13).
God’s unending love reaches throughout the past, present and future. Love is at the very center of who God is. He will never forsake or betray His covenant love. In return we are invited to surrender our striving and be perfectly loved by him.
Amen!
Amen!
V14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.
This made me think of the song “I Can Only Imagine.” Great questions are asked in these lyrics. Praise God!!
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
Love that song!
“For He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:14
The priests serving at the temple dedication saw a visible manifestation of the presence of God. They saw the shekinah glory.
We have the spirit of God within us if we are believers. His glory should shine through us and draw others to Himself because of that shekinah glory.
Do we humble ourselves and let God shine or is it still me on the throne?
Does His glory shine through you?
God my mind is a whirlwind of emotions. Reading the part of about the sacrfices and how there were too many to count and how that is how You felt when You sent Your Son for me?!!!! His life was so important and I just take it so for granted the sacrifice You made! Then I read about praise and worsip WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!! and how amazing that was for them. It was so amazing that You overwhelmed the priest with that shekinah glory, WOOHOO again and again!!!!!!!!!!! God thank You for today and these minutes of this day that Your shekinah glory can be so overwhelming in me today that others can see You. God help me to be that person You have called me to be, to fulfill my destiny with and for You in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amy, I feel your joy!
Thank you for today’s reading of 2 Chronicles 5.
5 minutes in silence was what I needed most today. I imagined the Spirit of the Lord moving in me, as a vapor, beginning in my brain, transforming my mind, then moving slowly throughout my body, bringing peace, healing, and change.
13 “He is good; his love endures forever.”
Yes, I have long been taken by the use of the word “endures”! It implies that it is not easy, but God loves us!
That is a really good thought about endurance. Thank you
Ive read this passage before but because you have so kindly broken passages down every day to manageable chunks ive been able to slow down and hear!
How true it is that the temple was meaningless without the presence of God. Just as our lives are meaningless without God. The sacrifices, too many to record, pale in comparison to the sacrifice of Jesus. The giving of life blood . God gave of Himself. He gives and gives and gives! In the ark was God’s Word of that time. He is the Word. And we have the Word today. The Word of freedom and love and Grace. God is the Word. He IS good and his love does endure forever. We have such a small understanding of His greatness and love. JOHN WHITE , yes. We can only imagine right now! I feel His Spirit within!