Sat.’s Devo - Placing the Ark in the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 5
The month Ethanim was called Tishri after the exile. The feast they were celebrating is the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles. They are feasts that celebrate the kingship and the fact that God wants to tabernacle with us. Jesus will fulfill the feast of trumpets on the day he comes back. The trumpet will sound and Jesus will appear for all to see. The feast of tabernacle will be the fulfillment of God setting up his kingdom in the new earth.
In today’s reading the placing of the ark into the Holy of Holies in the new temple was a picture of God’s presence coming to dwell among men. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit where God places His spirit and overshadows us with the wings of angels. The weightiness of God’s presence or cloud was so heavy the priests couldn’t even stand to do their job. Solomon was so right when he said that the heavens cannot contain God but somehow He chooses to walk with us and give us his presence. It is truly a mystery.
Solomon instructed the people in his prayer that whatever state they find themselves in, they can always turn back to God and he will hear them.
Lord, we beseech you for our nation and the nation of Israel that you would deliver us from evil and turn our hearts back to You and heal our land.