Mon.’s Devo - The Presence of the Lord

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33
It took Solomon 7 years to build the temple for the Lord and 13 to build his own palace. The temple was 60x20x30 and his palace was 100x50x30 in cubits which were larger than feet. One hundred cubits = 175 feet. Solomon also built a throne hall called the Hall of Justice where he would judge the people. His palace and the palace he built for his Egyptian bride was built like the hall with cedar walls. The foundation was made of smoothed stones.
Solomon sent for Hiram or Huram from Tyre whose father was from Tyre and his widowed mother from the tribe of Naphtali. He was not the same Hiram who was the king of Tyre. Hiram was very skilled in metal and woodwork. He was commissioned to carve the capitals of the columns and all the decorative work in the palaces and the temple. There were two main pillars in the temple that stood on both sides of the entrance. Solomon named the south pillar Jakin, which means “he establishes” and the north one Boaz which means “in him is strength.” They were to be a constant reminder to the people that when they pass through these gates of praise to meet with the Lord they become established and strengthened.
A huge round bowl was fashioned that measured 45 feet in circumference. It held 11,500 gallons of water. This is where the priests would wash their hands after sacrificing. It represents the place where our sins are washed away. Today we would call it the baptistry.
He had ten movable stands with smaller basins to be set at every entrance so the people could wash their hands as the came in. They were to enter into God’s presence with clean hands and a pure heart.
Hiram made all the furniture for the temple also.
In Acts, Stephen was at the part in his history lesson where God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and told him to go back to Egypt and deliver his people. The people rejected Moses at first just like they rejected Jesus who came to deliver them. Moses did lead them out of Egypt but became of their unbelief, they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years till a new generation had grown up who would believe. Moses prophesied that God would send a prophet one day from their own people.
Joshua would be the one to bring the people into the promised land of Israel and through David and Solomon a physical temple was built to house the presence of the Lord. But, Stephen went on to say that the presence of the Lord doesn’t dwell in a building but in the whole earth.
Lord, thank you that your presence isn’t in a box but it consumes the earth. It is unstoppable, and will never be defeated or taken away.