2 Chronicles 4:19
“Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God…”
The primary purpose of the Temple was to serve as a place where God and man could meet, however, it also serves as an illustration of the our salvation. Each of the furnishing depicts an aspect of our relationship with God. We can walk through the courts of the Temple and be reminded of the main elements of our salvation.
Once we entered the main courtyard, we would come face to face with a massive altar designed for sacrifice. It was on this altar that a substitute would be sacrificed in place of the guilty. The altar is a picture of the cross where the Son of God died for the sins of man. Our first step into relationship with God is to come to the cross and have our sins forgiven.
Beyond the altar, and in front of the Temple, sat an enormous bronze pool held up by twelve brazen oxen. This pool was designed as a place for the priests to wash before entering the Temple. This pool is a picture of the Word of God which is designed to wash the believer, daily. The Psalmist declared that our way can be cleansed by taking heed to the Word.
Beyond the pool was the Temple. This massive structure, standing 180 feet tall, 90 feet long and 30 feet wide, was divided into two chambers. The first was called the Holy Place, and contained the table of Showbread, the lamp stands and the altar of incense. The Showbread illustrates Jesus as the bread of life, the lamp reminds us He is the light, and the altar is a picture of prayer. The second chamber was the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant sat. This room could only be accessed by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. It pictures the intimacy available to the child of God, where we meet with the Lord, and experience His mercy and grace.
It would be a good idea to take a symbolic walk through the Temple this morning. Begin at the cross where you confess your sins, look into the Word and allow Him to wash you and direct you, continue on in prayer, experiencing Communion with Christ and direction for life, and end up enjoying a flowing stream of mercy and grace for the day ahead.
Pastor Jim
Living in Israel at the time of Christ, it was impossible to walk the streets of Jerusalem without getting dirty. Open-toed sandals in a desert climate made for dirty streets and dirty feet. One solution was the custom of foot washing. Whenever a guest entered a home, the host was responsible for ensuring that the feet of the guest were washed. When Jesus gathered with the disciples for the Passover meal, he took on the role of the host, and began to wash their feet. As expected, Peter had something to say about the actions of Jesus. First he resisted, to which Jesus explained,
Jim Gallagher 