Week 3

This Will Be about God Speaking to King Solomon and How this Affects Us Today. 

When I understood what and why God does what He does, I had peace. 

The Solomon Story

After Solomon had completed the building of the Temple, which took 7 years (number for completion in the Bible, mentioned over 735 times. Read 1st Kings 4-9, 2nd Chronicles 3-7), God told Solomon that the Temple would permit His people not to live in thick darkness (2nd Chronicles 6:1-11).

The Temple was designed in 3 parts:

1. THE COURTYARD – FOR THE PUBLIC

2. THE HOLY PLACE – FOR THE PRIESTS ONLY

3. THE HOLLIES OF HOLLIES – FOR THE HIGH PRIEST ONLY

The High Priest could only enter the Holies of Holies once per year, which was called the Day of Atonement. In the Old Testament, the word atonement is mentioned 130 times and it means “to cover over.” Atonement in the New Testament is mentioned 1 time and it means “reconciliation/divine blessing.” Now this is really interesting for us today: The Bible refers to our bodies as the Temple of God (1st Corinthians 3:16-17, 1st Corinthians 6: 17-20). 

As phenomenal as the Temple of Solomon was, which, according to research, would cost between a half to three fourths of a billion today, compared to your body as a temple you are far more important to God. NOW GET THIS! Like Solomon’s Temple, our bodies are made up of three parts:

          Look at this: The Trinity       

1. Spirit/Spiritual

2. Soul/Emotional

3. Body/Physical

1st Thessalonians 5:23 

1. God the Father

2. God the Son

3. God the Holy Spirit 

This is fantastic. In Solomon’s Temple, the High Priest could only talk to God once per year. Since Jesus Christ is now our High Priest, we can talk to Him 24/7 (Hebrews 4: 14-16). 

Two more exciting facts:

1. Jesus said that Solomon’s Temple would be destroyed, to be replaced with our bodies which are now the Temple of God. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. (John 2:19-21).

2. However, although we do not have to make animal sacrifices, we are instructed to make New Testament sacrifices to please God. What are New Testament sacrifices? Hebrews 13: 15-16:

 1). Praise and Thanksgiving to God, continually. 

2) Communication, which comes from the Greek word Koinonia, which means sharing in common. The word Koinonia is translated into 7 different English words in the New Testament:

1. Fellowship is used 12 times

2. Communion is used 4 times

3. Communication is used 5 times

4. Distribution is used 2 times

5. Contribution is used 1 time

6. Partake is used 10 times

7. Partner is used 3 times

Key Point – You will notice that all 7 words are directed at our ability to serve other people and when your body, the Temple of God, is functioning properly in all three areas – physical/emotional/spiritual -you are in a position to serve others and please God Almighty.

Remember, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139: 13-15) and that God says, “’for I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 23:11.

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