When the elders and leaders were gathered during the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Ark of the Covenant was carried into the Temple prior to the Temple Dedication, 1 Kings 8 tells us that the Shekinah glory of God fills the Temple, a visible representation of God dwelling among us. We are now the temple of God, and He does indeed dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
The passage has several great reminders to me, as I enter God's presence. The columns Jachin ("He establishes") and Boaz ("In HIM is strength") likely reminded all who entered the temple that it is God who establishes and provides strength. The "Sea" basin is a reminder for the need to be cleansed and holy before God; and the smaller basins are a reminder to give offering to God.
As Solomon spoke, he gave Praise to God and recognized that He fulfills His promises. The Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandment tablets represent the covenant between God and His people, His presence and His relationship with us. Even for us, under the new covenant, we obey and follow His Laws because they reflect the character of God, that which is good and right. Without God, we have no basis for morality; and without absolutes, there are only the dangers of the slippery slope of relativism and social law.
In order for the glory of God to continue to dwell among us, we must keep the covenant. I am reminded of the Problem of Divine Hiddenness, which is also alluded to in the Ravi Zacharias book that I am currently reading, Cries of the Heart. Many people have often felt that at times God is hidden or that they don't feel His presence. While we know that God is omnipresent, He may appear to be "hidden" for several reasons. Sometimes it is because we need to hide from God because of our sin, sometimes it is because when we feel that He is hidden, we may search harder for Him, or sometimes we just need to wait for the right timing for Him to reveal Himself to us.
I know that God is with me always; and that He dwells within me. May HIS glory shine through my life. Amen!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Shekinah Glory
When the elders and leaders were gathered during the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Ark of the Covenant was carried into the Temple prior to the Temple Dedication, 1 Kings 8 tells us that the Shekinah glory of God fills the Temple, a visible representation of God dwelling among us. We are now the temple of God, and He does indeed dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
The passage has several great reminders to me, as I enter God's presence. The columns Jachin ("He establishes") and Boaz ("In HIM is strength") likely reminded all who entered the temple that it is God who establishes and provides strength. The "Sea" basin is a reminder for the need to be cleansed and holy before God; and the smaller basins are a reminder to give offering to God.
As Solomon spoke, he gave Praise to God and recognized that He fulfills His promises. The Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandment tablets represent the covenant between God and His people, His presence and His relationship with us. Even for us, under the new covenant, we obey and follow His Laws because they reflect the character of God, that which is good and right. Without God, we have no basis for morality; and without absolutes, there are only the dangers of the slippery slope of relativism and social law.
In order for the glory of God to continue to dwell among us, we must keep the covenant. I am reminded of the Problem of Divine Hiddenness, which is also alluded to in the Ravi Zacharias book that I am currently reading, Cries of the Heart. Many people have often felt that at times God is hidden or that they don't feel His presence. While we know that God is omnipresent, He may appear to be "hidden" for several reasons. Sometimes it is because we need to hide from God because of our sin, sometimes it is because when we feel that He is hidden, we may search harder for Him, or sometimes we just need to wait for the right timing for Him to reveal Himself to us.
I know that God is with me always; and that He dwells within me. May HIS glory shine through my life. Amen!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment