It has been a long time since I posted. I've allowed quite a few things to distract me, but I want to get back to it and make this part of my regular routine. I do journal as I read, and God is faithful to speak through His Word....I just don't always feel that I have something to share with you. And, sometimes I do and am just too lazy. I allow the enemy convince me that I have nothing to say. Well, actually, I don't have anything of value to say. But it is wrong to let him convince me that God has nothing for me to say. And if God gives me something to say, it is a sin for me to not say it.
We've covered a lot of ground since last time I posted. I'll have to let that go, although I will refer to it as the topics arise in upcoming readings. That's one of the cool things about the Bible -- it's all interconnected. We tend to look at a book, or a chapter, or even a single verse as a stand-alone message. While it's true that Truth can be found in a single verse of the Bible, it is so much more meaningful when taken as a whole. That's one of the reasons it's necessary to read the whole thing. And though I've found it a bit tedious to bounce around while following the Chronological Reading Schedule, it adds a new level of context. For example, God was so pleased at Solomon's request for wisdom that He also gave Solomon riches, honor, and long life. (2Chron.1:10-12) It makes sense, then, that throughout the Proverbs, Solomon exhorts us to seek wisdom rather than riches.
So, here we are at the dedication of the Solomon's Temple. (1Kings 8 and 2Chron. 5) The Temple building has been completed, the furnishings crafted and put into place. All that remains is to bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tent where it has been kept. It is now the seventh month, and all of the people are in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. (Lev.23:33-44) The Feast of Tabernacles was a seven-day feast where the people would stay outdoors in shelters made of poplar branches and palm branches to commemorate the time the Nation of Israel spent living in tents in the wilderness. It also reminded them of the fact that, during this time, God chose to live in a Tabernacle or tent in their midst, and led them by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. So it is fitting that this feast coincides with the moving of the Ark, the representation of God's Presence, into its permanent dwelling place.
Built after the pattern of the Tabernacle but on a much grander scale, the Temple includes the courtyard, where the sacrifices would take place; the Holy Place, where the priests would burn incense on the golden altar and maintain the golden lampstand and the Bread of the Presence; and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant resided behind a heavy curtain or "veil". Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement, to place the blood of the Atonement Sacrifice on the Mercy Seat of the Ark. It was to this Mercy Seat (the NIV uses the unfortunate rendering "atonement cover") that the Presence of Almighty God would descend to fellowship with His people.
The priests carry the Ark to the Temple on its carrying poles. (For an account of the incorrect carrying of the Ark, see 2Sam.6) Our reading for today says that they set the Ark down in the Holy of Holies, leaving its poles in place, and the poles extended out into the Holy Place. The passage says that the poles were "very long". The dimensions of the Holy of Holies were 20 cubits by 20 cubits (about 30' x 30'). So, this could mean that the poles were longer than 30 feet. Or, it could mean that the Ark was placed just inside the curtain so that its poles extended out into the Holy Place. I rather like this idea.
Imagine: The Eternal God of Heaven, the Great I AM, chooses to live among men. That in itself is mind-boggling. A Temple is built to represent His Presence. But entrance into His Presence is limited. (Remember this post.) The whole picture of the Tabernacle seems to be that God wants to have fellowship with us, but it must be on His terms. We have no right to enter His Presence on our own merit. We enter only by the blood of the Lamb. That being said, God could have chosen to have the Ark placed on the farthest wall of the Holy of Holies, as remote as possible while still technically "with them". Instead the Ark is placed just inside the curtain, with the poles extending out into the Holy Place. The poles are tangible evidence that His Presence is with them, even if they can't see Him. He is in reach, just beyond the veil.
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