Every day, work, life, relationships, emotions, illnesses, and other problems often leave us exhausted. We can't help but think, wouldn't it be great to rely on connections in this era? Don't forget, our Father in heaven is the Almighty God who created the universe! In other words, we have the most powerful Dad! So, how can we connect to the Heavenly Father Hotline and draw upon His power? In this chapter, the teacher will reveal to us the key to bringing God's glory down!
Questions for Reflection:
What characteristics do you think a church with God's glory possesses?
What differences exist between a church with God's glory and one without?
When a couple gets married, they make promises to each other. Have you ever considered the significance of making a covenant?
After reading this chapter, do you know what the Ark of the Covenant symbolizes? Why does God make covenants with people?
1 Kings Chapter 8 is an especially important chapter, so don't skip over it carelessly. If possible, go back and read this chapter carefully and repeatedly. Highlight the words that move you and declare them often.
What is this passage telling us? It tells us, See, God is a God of blessing! God is a God who keeps His covenant and shows loving-kindness! God is a God who wants to bless us and give us peace! God does not bring disaster upon us; it is our sins that bring disaster! God wants to give us health, peace, and joy! So, it is especially good to begin to understand these things! You must know that Solomon's prayer is the most remarkable prayer in the history of the world, from the creation to the end! You should learn to pray like this! Let's first look at 1 Kings Chapter 8, verses 1 to 13, and then share some other sections. After reading, you can share your insights and revelations with everyone, which is wonderful!
When the Glory of the Lord God Filled the Temple, the Priests Could Not Stand to Minister
A key point in verses 1 to 13 of this chapter is that the temple was filled with the glory of God. This glory was not an illusion, but a very real glory. So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud (1 Kings 8:11) - they all fell down in the presence of God's glory, unable to stand. I also hope that one day, when God's glory comes upon us, we will not be able to stand to minister either, but will also fall down on the ground. The priests and all the people fell on the ground, seeing the glory of God, and it wasn't that many problems arose after they got up, but that many problems in their lives disappeared! Those who have experienced God's glory are truly remarkable!
One of our elderly sisters, almost ninety years old, had cataracts, glaucoma, and other diseases. She just prayed with us! What happened? It was the glory of God. The glory of God we experience today is only a little bit, but even that little bit has allowed us to experience so much! How much more if we experienced the glory of the temple Solomon built; it would be too much for us to bear. Consider this question: Why was the temple built by Solomon filled with God's glory? God's glory made it impossible for the priests to stand to minister - the glory was truly too great! Why was this the case? What was the key?
One Key to the Glory of the Lord Descending: Paying the Price to Build the Temple
First, building the temple required a great price to be paid. The temple was built entirely of gold, silver, and bronze, which were incredible materials to have in that era! Building the temple was equivalent to consuming several times the entire national product of Israel - that is to say, everyone stopped living! They all took these materials and built the temple! It would be like taking a hundred billion or two hundred billion Singapore dollars today, roughly that amount, and using it all to build a temple! As we read in the New Testament, we see that the body of Jesus Christ is the temple. So before Jesus Christ was crucified, a woman poured very expensive perfume on Jesus Christ's head.
As a result, Judas said, Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? (See John 12:1-5) Judas's statement is also what many Christians would say, so be careful! If we calculate based on today's salary, five thousand dollars a month, then one year is sixty thousand. If we convert this sixty-thousand-dollar bottle of perfume into money and give it to the poor, does that sound good? Yes, the poor need money! But Jesus completely disagreed with this statement. He said, Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. (See Mark 14:9) That is, a person who pays the price for Jesus Christ, for God, the whole world will proclaim his name; but the person who gave some money to the poor, no one proclaims his name.
What is the reason? Because Solomon built the temple, just like the woman did to Jesus Christ - what he did was pay a heavy price for God! Solomon did not sell all these things and distribute them to the poor of Israel. Who did better? In the eyes of people, turning all these things into money and letting all the poor people in Israel live a good life might be a better approach, right? But that is not it! Only when the temple is filled with God's glory can the people in this place live a decent life! Solomon understood this very well, that building the temple requires paying a very heavy price! So God's glory will fill it.
Today, when we carefully examine our church, we find that our brothers and sisters pay a very heavy price! Including those brothers and sisters from afar. Here in Singapore, many people have to travel for an hour to come to church, stay here for two or three hours, and then travel back for another hour. Isn't that a heavy price? It is not easy! If you use this time to do good deeds, helping the elderly and the young, helping the poor on the street, is that good? No! It is better to place it before God. Our concept today must begin to change - paying a very heavy price, this price is worthwhile. Today, Brother DJ's testimony was very good! He comes on Wednesday, comes on Thursday, comes on Friday, and then his colleagues say, We don't see you on Wednesday, we don't see you on Thursday night, we don't see you on Friday either. As a result, you worked more than four hundred hours, and I worked more than one hundred hours. What happened? Do you see that? When God's glory descends upon people, it solves all their problems! Of course, I believe that if Brother DJ can bring God's glory to his own family and to his partners at work, he will surely be able to bless many people, which is better than giving them money!
Key No. 2 for the Glory of Jehovah to Descend: Costly Sacrifices
The second key is costly sacrifices. These sacrifices were so many that they could not be counted (1 Kings 8:5). Later, Solomon counted them – 22,000 cattle (see 1 Kings 8:63). Can you imagine 22,000 cattle? How would you slaughter them? It's almost unimaginable! There were only twenty or thirty thousand Levites at that time – each one would have to kill a whole cow! And 120,000 sheep! It's hard to imagine how Solomon was able to mobilize so many resources to do this. Just for the dedication of the temple, he sacrificed so much. How much did he sacrifice in a year? We really can't say for sure. I want to tell you: Wouldn't it be better to give 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep to the poor as burnt offerings?
But Solomon didn't think so. He believed that offering to God was the best thing. Today, our hearts must begin to change: if you give to the poor, they will still be poor, and you will not solve the problem of their lives. But when you sacrifice to God, and the glory of God descends, the lives of these poor people will be transformed! The poor among the working masses will all be transformed! Those who are troubled and suffering in their hearts will all be transformed when they come before the glory of God!
Key No. 3 for the Glory of Jehovah to Descend: The Ark Enters the Temple
What is the third important thing for the glory of Jehovah to descend? It is the Ark entering the temple! Write down these three points: First, build the temple, prepare a place for God to dwell. Second, begin to offer sacrifices, and sacrifices of great cost. Third, the Ark enters the Holy of Holies.
Our God is a covenant-making God; you must make a covenant with God! When new friends come, I say, Here! Put your hand on your chest. I rarely ask him, Do you want to believe in Jesus? In the future, don't ask that question. If the other person answers, I don't want to believe! it's over, there's no way to proceed. Don't ask him that, because he doesn't understand what it means to believe or not believe in Jesus. Do you like peace and joy? Good! I'll lead you in a prayer. That's pretty good, right? Are you feeling uncomfortable inside? It doesn't matter if you are uncomfortable, put your hand on your chest, and I'll lead you in prayer. This is called making a covenant! I open my heart and invite Jesus to come in and be my Lord, to control my life. This is called making a covenant! Once this Ark enters your life, once the Ark enters the Holy of Holies, the glory of God will descend! Then, in verse 66, it says, They were all joyful and glad in heart, and went home. Joyful and glad in heart! God is the God who controls people's hearts, and these good feelings inside us come from God. As long as God is willing to come, He will solve these problems inside us!
These three pre-requisites are: First, prepare a temple for God, prepare your temple. Second, begin to offer sacrifices. Third, begin to welcome the Ark, and make a covenant with God. It is very, very important when God's glory fills the place! By the time of Solomon, do you know which two things were missing from the Ark of God? They were: Aaron's rod and the jar of manna. Old Eli and King Saul lost many things. Although Aaron's rod and the jar of manna were lost, the meaning wasn't lost – although the Ark that King Solomon welcomed in only had the two stone tablets, Aaron's rod and the jar of manna were still part of this covenant.
Everyone must know that these two stone tablets are engraved with the Ten Commandments. The first three commandments are all about God: that is, worship Jehovah God alone, and take Him as God. The later commandments about not killing, not committing adultery, not bearing false witness, and honoring parents, are God's most basic requirements. God's most basic requirement is: You must honor God, then you must honor people, and do not commit sinful acts. Therefore, God makes this covenant with you. The second thing is the jar of manna, which represents our daily bread. The golden jar contains manna, which fed the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. Not one person starved to death; they all died from sin! There were quite a few who died from overeating!
So, brothers and sisters, we must know today that in God's covenant, there is our daily bread, and you don't need to worry at all! In the wilderness, they did not plant crops, nor did they raise sheep or cattle, but the Israelites ate for forty years, and not one person starved to death. Many died from sin and overeating. The third thing is Aaron's rod. Aaron's rod represents God's authority – not something you seize with your own hand, or something elected by democracy, no! It is what God has chosen. What God has chosen represents God's sovereignty. Whoever God chooses is who it is. We must honor the authority that God has chosen! In the church, to have the glory of God, you must know Aaron's rod! Aaron's rod was when the twelve tribes challenged the authority of Aaron and Moses, God said, Let each one put down a rod, and of the twelve tribes, only Aaron's rod budded and produced fruit. As a result, that rod was lost by old Eli and King Saul, because they did not understand.
Therefore, today we begin to restore several things: First, make a covenant with God. Second, begin to clearly know that in God's hand, there is our daily bread. If we have the daily bread that God provides, there will be no poor in this world. If there are poor people, it must be because of sin, because of a curse. Third, we must begin to restore the use of prophetic authority.