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Episode 555: In this episode, we explore the dedication of Solomon's temple, a monumental event in biblical history. We read from 2 Chronicles 7, where Solomon prays and the glorious presence of the Lord fills the temple, leading to a powerful moment of worship among the people of Israel. We discuss the grandeur of the temple, built with immense resources and artistry, and how it served as a permanent dwelling for God among His people.
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So join the more than four hundred thousand Virginians who have enrolled on the marketplace. Go to Marketplace dot Virginia dot gov to apply. Brought to you by Virginia's Insurance Marketplace that's Marketplace dot Virginia dot com of. You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible Guys. It is Friday. If you're listening day to day, and so we. Are, it's an important day. Yes, it is an. Important day because because it's everybody's favorite segment. Well, that's because but in a world full of injustice, this is what made Chris mad this week. That's right, that's good. I like it. Hey, I think you should introduce it every single time in the world, in Christmas world. Yes, it's just full of injustice. So typically when I am asked the question what made Chris mad this week? I would say the majority of the time, wouldn't you say that my complaints are against sort of like dumb people in bad customer service, bad customer service, and. People who don't take the carts back. Yes, and I and I get mad for the behalf of us. Yes, for the little people. Yes, yes, you you are mad for me and all the other little people in the world. Well, this maeks a little bit different because I'm still mad for the masses. Okay, I'm not just mad for me. I'm mad for the world. Yes, they have to experience what I'm going to complain about, Okay, but I'm mad at time time because my knees aren't holding up the way that they used to. Oh. Oh, I'm working out and I'll step wrong, and literally, all of a sudden, I go like this, I step wrong, and I go in. My wife goes, what was that. I'm like, I don't know, right, And then like you bend over in your back, it's like, oh, or maybe you'll twist. You're in your car and you twist and you go grab something, and all of a sudden, like this pain comes up and it just won't, you know, go away for a minute. And then I also realized that when I was thirty, I if I wanted to drop to ten pounds, I could do it in five minutes. It seems like right right, And it seems like the oher you get right hard it is. And I have been recognizing lately that yes, I'm currently right now, I'm not overweight. Currently, right now, I'm eating well. Currently right now, I'm working out, and I'm doing all those things. So like I'm definitely being active. So it's not as if you could look at me and be. Like, okay, being active. Come on, mister, say get off the couch, you know. Like, so I'm being active, and because I'm being active, I'm recognizing how much I am not a friend of time. I don't like time. I'm out of time currently. Yes, but you're getting so distinguished. Time is making you like this distinguished. Okay, So you're saying there's some benefits of time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's there's this much benefit, there's this much drawback. Okay, that's fine, which I would even argue that that's pretty subjective. Okay, right, but I really think time is a terrible thing to do with. Wow. Yeah, don't you agree? You're the same age as me. Yeah, so people ask me that. People get frustrated that I don't feel bad about being my age. I like my age every year. I never. I never dread a birthday. I never. I'm like, oh, I'm getting old everything. Like I don't play softball very much anymore. Right, I loved baseball, and softball I don't play it much anymore because that season my life is over. But I'm I'm a grandfather. Now, How cool is this, and I'm I'm in a place where finally, financially things are getting a little bit more stable, and and you know, I feel like I have a patience and a wisdom I didn't stab So I like my life today, okay, And I don't resent. None of that. Is that what I'm talking about talking about? Physically? Yeah? Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, because everything you're saying I have. My left knee is a little goofy. But I just always keep thinking I should go get it. Then I have it, but I don't. I don't know, and I never think of it like, oh, man, I wish I wasn't old. You don't think of it as oh, that's new. When I'm working out with my trainer and she and she's like, hey, do this, and I go, oh, I make it, and she's like, what's your problem now, I'm like, hang on, I have to rest for a minute because it's an old person thing. Or she'll say do do reverse lunches and I'll go back. And she specializes in like geriatric, she does all of. The old people we send to that trainer. No, that is not so. If you don't know, if you're if you're a new listener. The church that we passed her at Heritage Church in uh outside of Detroit, Michigan. You take the We have a gym, yes, the Hetage Fitness Project. Yes, and we have several trainers. By the way, it's a great gym, fabulous. Gym, And we have several trainers. Yes. And your trainer is the one that also trains all of the old people. My trainer. You to be ready for this. For a living, she did physical therapy, so she was an actual pet person. That she was. She's fabulous, Yeah, which means she. Contains knowledge for those up in age that other people do not contain. That's what I think I would saying. So I would say the specializes the wisdom of Chris May, who leads the thing, would say, anybody who's a little bit older go to her because she's better. She won't hurt you like she's no, that's okay, well, actually that is. She'll give you modified exercises well because the young people. Yeah, when I had. Two mensca surgery, she knew every modified extra absolutely. Yeah. She does not specialize in Jerryachers, I love it. I love Yes. No, she's great though, yees, she is great. But I'm mad at time, mad at time? Thank you, buddy, thank you, thank you, because I wouldn't have even thought to be mad at. Time for people. Yes, yeah, because you're closer to heaven. Did you ever see the movie with Will Smith were He's mad at death and time and love? No, what's that called? Anyway? Yeah, he's actually mad at time. Okay, nope, I'm not not yet anyway. Okay, well, hey, thank you Chris for that. I know many of our listeners probably. It's called collateral beauty. Okay, no I haven't. Yeah, uh, I'm sure many of our listeners are grateful for your your concern. Thank you. Yes, and if you could do something about it, then that help be helpful. Yeah, because when you're in a parking lot and you see somebody not put away their cart, you just yell. At him put your card away. What kind of person are you? Yeah? Well this right? Yeah, you're right, you kid? Yeah yeah yeah. But if you can work it out, if you can work out a solution for this time thing, then let us know. Yeah yeah, yeah, get to. Work on it, no problem, I'll let you know. Well, thank you, thank you, thank you. Hoops dropped my is to get to get to heaven before you and to convince God to change the system. Yeah, that's which is not going to happen. Okay, it's not gonna happen. You're not gonna get to heaven for me. Well, I mean, I'm a pretty good influencer, but probably not. He's not sure he's getting to heaven. People, you heard it here first. You remember the old nineteen seventies movies Oh God, Remember Oh God? Yeah, with George Burns. Yeah, yeah, not very biblical, but there's a conversation and oh God. Book two, he's having a conversation with a little girl and she and she's real small, and they're walking together and she goes, God, She goes, why did you make the giraffes next so long? And he goes to have to eat off of the high trees, and she goes, why didn't you make the tree shorter? And he just looks down and he smiles, and he goes, where were you? And I needed you? There? You go, Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of us who really helped God Outah right, okay, well, hey today, do you have a transition for us? Yes, speak speaking of speaking of Wait a minute, I did God. Book two quotes. So I gotta go back to the time. Speaking of time, we are going to skip over the time that Solomon built the temple, because that is a lot of time. And we're going to skip over to the time where he actually dedicates the temple. Okay, to the dedication time, not the building time. Correct. Okay. See, it's a terrible transition. That was a terrible which is our goal. Our goal is terrible transitions. So, if you're a Bible reader, which I hope you are, there is something really special about these chapters that talk about the glory of the temple. Yes, it describes the exterior being just massive. The interior is magnificent. Remember this is a building that is worth billions upon billions of dollars with the gold and silver and all these things. It is an unbelievably magnificent building. And then it talks about the furnishings. And I mean King Solomon went all out, Yes, came to the glory of God's place right temple, and then the life applications. He loved his father, Yeah. And he honored his father, and his father really set the precedence for this thing because it was actually David's brainchild and it was. It was David's passion, right and his sacrifice. That's correct. So yeah, So then in the Life Application Study Bible, there's a couple of cross sections and some pictures and those kinds of things, and tons of notes, and so honestly we're skipping twenty pages here of really great stuff that if you would go back and read it. Both it's found in First Kings and then also in Second Chronicles. These these two passages or two books kind of highlight the same basic stories. So we're going to be reading from Second Chronicles, chapter seven, and it says when Solomon finished praying, right, he prayed this amazing prayer about everything comes from you and you are great and glorious and all these things. Is really great. And then it says when Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnoff frings in the sacrifice. This in the glorious presence of the Lord filled the. Temple, I think makes me think of Indiana Jones. Yeah, no, caid, the priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. When all the people of Israel. Saw the fire coming down in the glorious presence of the Lord filling the temple. They fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying he is good, His faithful love endures forever. Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. King Solomon offered a sacrifice a twenty two thousand cattle, one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats, and so the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites, who were singing His faithful Love and doers forever, That's their song. They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments David had made for praising the Lord. Across from the levites, the priests blew the trumpet while all Israel stood. Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord's temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat. For the next seven days, Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebohemath in the north into the Brook of Egypt in the south. On the eighth day, they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days, the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Then at the end of the celebration, Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel. So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord as well as the royal Palace, and he completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the temple in the palace. And then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, I've heard your prayer, and I've chosen this temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up to heavens so that no rainfalls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attended to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this temple and set it apart to be holy, a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart. As for you, if you faithfully follow me as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said one of your descendants will always rule over Israel. But if you or your. Descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I've given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them, and I will reject this temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and res to qele among the nations. And though this temple is impressive, now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, what did the Lord do or why did the Lord do such terrible. Things as this land and to this temple? Is that where I end one more vership. And the answer will be because this people abandoned the Lord, the god of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down into them. That is why he has brought all these disasters on them. Wow. Yeah, So up to this point there had never been a permanent address for God. There was the Tabernacle, which was a mobile even though it wasn't It was very stationary in one place for long periods of time, but they would. Pick it up and move it there. They would pick it up. It was tense, yeah, yeah, are tense yep. And it was elaborate, I mean it was. It was not you know, a circus tent where you put up in one day. But however it was mobile. And but this is the first time where brick and mortar and stone and gold and silver and everything else comes together, and it is the most I would imagine it is probably the most elaborate building, maybe perhaps ever created in human history. At this point. Would you agree with that? Yeah? Well, if you get in and read the descriptors, I mean, the everything covered in gold, the magnificent design of it. But then it was so delicately made that there there were leaves on this this one thing inside the temple, there was a tree and there were leaves, and each of the leaves was independent, and when the wind would blow through, the leaves would rustle. But it was made out of gold. Right, it's phenomenal. The artistry in this is it's the peak. It's the pinnacle of everything that had ever been made in the world up to that point. Right, And you and I we've been to the Pyramids before. I've been to all kinds of pretty amazing things that happened before this time, but I've never seen anything that even came close to the intricacies and the delicacy of how fabulous and ornate this building was. Yeah, it's pretty pretty phenomenal. So it's yeah, it's got to be one of the greatest structures ever built. God says, Hey, listen, I'm impressed. I like it a lot. Don't mess with me or I'll destroy it, because this building is not more important to me than your heart. Right, what you built for me is not more important to me. There if you cheat on me. This building means nothing to me. That's what he says. Right, I'll destroy it and the world will mock it. And that that's really amazing that even then, in this great act of worship, God still only really wants the heart. Thank you for the nice gift, but I want the heart. Because because the temple for God is just a vessel. For this is where the sacrifices will be. I'll hear the prayers in this building. That's the promise. And as long as you worship me, this building will be important to me. If you if you don't worship me, I'll make it mockery this building. So yeah, you're right, it is. It is only important because of the people. It's only important because God's cheap desire hire is to have a personal relationship. And by the way, that's that's a sermon altogether. Isn't it. Because you know, people think that you know that Jesus. Sometimes they would claim or think that Jesus came to start a religion. Jesus didn't start to coming just to start a religion. He came to start a relationship, right with with with you and with me. That's his chief goal. That's God's end game from the very beginning was our relationship were stored with our heavenly Father and uh and then also, uh, we're to understand that that God uh wants us more than our even our obedience. So what is he saying in the Old Testament? He says, uh uh uh, it's it's more obedience is more important than sacrifice. The human response is more important than a thousand burnt offerings. Right. So so it's always primarily the person over action, and it's over in this case the temple right right, which which which translates today into churches. Yeah, it's always the person over religious action. To what God's saying is you're demonstrating your love for me by how you behave. And he said, when you decide you're going to go after other idols, when you're gonna decide that you're going to reject my law. Then he said there's going to be consequence of this, and to the point where he finally says, I'm going to set. This aside and I will hear your prayers here. I'm going to make it holy. The idea that God makes anything holy just means the word holy for us, we think means perfect behaves in a perfect way. Holy for God means it's set aside for me. It's not for you, it's for me now, right, And he says, so, I'm going to make this holy. When he says that He's made us holy, it doesn't say he's made us perfect, right, It just means that he set us aside for him. Now we're not for us anymore, we're for him. Yeah, set aside, consecrated right. Right, And so now it's mine. And if you pray here, I will hear you here, because there's going to be times when you're going to get into sin. There's gonna be times when you're gonna disobey me, and I might have to send some grasshoppers to wipe out your fields, or I might need to send some things to remind you that you're here for me and that we are supposed to be together, and remind you that your pride is coming up in front of us. He says, So, if these things happen, one of my favorite verses in the Bible. He says, then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I'll hear from heaven, and I'll forgive their sins and restore their lands. My eyes will be open and my ears attended to every prayer made this place. I want to connect with you. And the minute you realize you're heading in the wrong direction, if and you realize you're my people, if you'll humble yourself, Remember James and Peter both tell us, humble yourself before God, and the due season he'll lift you up. Right. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. He said, humble yourself first, and then confess your sins. Right you say, humble yourself, pray seek my face. Turn from your wicked ways, he said, out here, and I'll forgive and I'll restore. It's one of my favorite verses in the Bible. So before I moved to Michigan, I worked at a church for seven and a half years at a small, little, tiny church. Then I went to a large church and I was there for like almost four years, and I started a college ministry for college students, and I was a college pastor. And they built a brand new building, educational building. They had a Christian school and we met on the third floor, so we kept on saying, Hey, meet on the third floor. Meet on the third floor. So I developed a name for a ministry, and we called a third floor, and I based it off of the temple. And what I said was is that, you know, I sort of gave the pitch that the closure you got to God you had to go up a level. So you know, there was sort of the outer courts at ground level, and then you you know, there's a set of stairs, then there was the other courts for the priests, and then there was another set of stairs, and on the third level was the most holy place. It was God's presence right. And then what I basically said was and this was a I'm giving you not the right explanation, but basically it was based on Hebrews four twelve, where it says, now we can go boldly into God's throne right and make our request, made no name, asking for grace and helping our time of need. And basically what I said was the moment that Jesus died on the cross, the veil ripped into I said, and then God's presence ushered out and into everybody. So God was not confined to an address. And so I said in that moment, I said, everybody was welcome to the third floor. That's what I said, right, I said, I said, it's an invitation that says everybody's not welcome to the third floor, right, And so I sort of pitched that. Everybody's like, oh, that's really cool, man, welcome to the third floor. So we've got on the third floor. Our ministry took off and went from nine students to like eighty five students in not a college town. Was really big, right. And then when the student Center was finally remodeled, we moved from the third floor of the educational wing down to the first floor of the and everybody on staff said, well, obviously you're going to change your name now, and I said, no, Well, why in the world would you ever call it third floor if you're gonna be me on the first floor. I'm like, you never got it, Like, did you were you listening? Are you? Did you go to Bible school the ghost? Right? The goal is the third floor? Pastor Rick? Yeah, you know, and so but yeah, that was the idea. So God's presence equal the third floor. So now we know that God did keep his promises. When Israel finally did totally defy him. Sometimes substantial time after this, God allowed Babylon to come in and destroy this temple. And for seventy years people did mock Israel, and they'd walked past this destroyed city and mock them and wonder why God did that. Then Nehemiah came back, They rebuild the city. They eventually rebuild the temple, and and and then it gets destroyed and then silent or then Herod King he builds it and it's destroyed. In eighty seventy there's never been another temple on the Temple mount again. Right now, there's a mosque where the temple used to sit in Jerusalem. But Paul tells us after the Cross, when God tore the veil in the temple from top to bottom, he literally did open the door for everybody to have access to God. Then Paul says, we are the temple. He said, don't you know that you're holy people, that God has made you the temple. So then glorify God in your body. Right, your body is the temple of God. Now, so if that's the case, you always qualify for that verse. If my people who are called my my name, you are His people right right, and you in your moment. You don't have to go to some holy place. God's called you and made you holy, and so you can go boldly before the throne of Grace and you qualify for this promise that you humble yourself and you pray, and you turn from your wicked ways, and you seek him, and he'll forgive us, and he'll restore your land right. And there's a lot of power there. So all the promises I believe that came along with obeying God, honoring God, the Temple, the blessings, the miracles that God did as a result of the Temple, I think every one of those is available to those that are followers of Christ now because we are the temple of God. Which then makes me think, I think a lot of times as Christians, boy, we sure do paint a lot of graffiti in God's temple. Yeah, we sure to do a lot of dumb things with God's temple. Now, you know, I would think we would think of our bodies and our decisions with our bodies, our life, the things we listen to, the things we do, the people that we're interacting with, who we sleep with, all that stuff. If we would realize that this literally is a temple of God. We sure do abuse it a lot. Sure, yeah, And I just want to say, maybe one of the closing thoughts could be this is such an unbelievably popular verse, isn't it. Then if my people, who already referenced it, right, then if my people who are called by my enable humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from the wicked ways, I would hear them from heaven, and I will forgive their sins and heal their land. It is definitely something that we always see when people say we need to pray for our nation, We need to pray as a people that we would, you know, turn back to God. And so we as as followers of Christ, need to always do our best to make sure that we are contributing to move God's kingdom forward so that we would always be a people corporately that would do our best to turn back to God. Because hey, the promise given back then is given by the same God who says the same things. Yeah, right, we just turned from our wicked ways. In any state that we find ourselves in, we humble ourselves, we recognize God, and then he will hear us. He will forgive our sins and heal our land. That's fantastic. That's a great, great gad verse. All right, well that's our time, so hopefully we will see you on Monday on the Bible. Guys, have you googled yourself lately? Are there negative posts from an ex employee or from a former client, maybe an outdated news article. Search engines don't always get it right for right or wrong. It's your reputation on the line. That's where Reputation Defender by Norton comes in take control. With Reputation Defender, their cutting edge approaches help you to wipe away unwanted information in your search results. They also promote the good stuff. You can start by getting your free reputation report card at ReputationDefender dot com or call eight hundred eight one one forty nine seventy five to speak to an expert. Virginia's Insurance Marketplace is where Virginian shop for affordable health insurance. Find a health plan that fits your needs and budget. During open enrollment now through January fifteenth, plus nine out of ten customers qualify for financial assistance with high quality plans starting as low as ten dollars a month. So join the more than four hundred thousand Virginians who have enrolled on the marketplace. Go to Marketplace dot Virginia dot gov to apply. Brought to you by Virginia's insurance marketplace. That's Marketplace dot Virginia dot gov.