Study from God’s Word… 1st Kings 5: 1 – 9 [2nd Chron. 2: 1, 3-16]; 1st Kings 5: 10-12; 1st Kings 5: 13-18 [2nd Chron. 2: 2, 17, 18]; 1st Kings 6: 1 [2nd Chron. 3: 1,2]; 1st Kings 6: 11-13; 1st Kings 6: 2 [2nd Chron. 3: 3]; 1st Kings 6: 9b, 18 [2nd Chron. 3: 5-7; 1st Kings 6: 7, 1st Kings 6: 3 [2nd Chron. 3: 4]; 1st Kings 6: 4; 1st Kings 6: 5, 6, 8, 10 [2nd Chron. 3: 9]; 1st Kings 6: 16, 17, 18, 19-22 [2nd Chron. 2: 3: 8, 9a]; 1st Kings 6: 23-28 [2nd Chron. 3: 10-13]; 2nd Chron. 3: 14; 1st Kings 6: 15, 29, 30 [2nd Chron. 6: 37, 38]; 1st Kings 7: 13, 14; 1st Kings 7: 15-22 [2nd Chron. 3: 15-17]; 2nd Chron. 4: 1; 1st Kings 7: 23-26 [2nd Chron. 4: 2-5, 10, 6c]; 1st Kings 7: 27-37; 1st Kings 7: 38, 39 [2nd Chron. 4: 6]; 1st Kings 7: 4—47 [2nd Chron. 4: 11-18]; 1st Kings 7: 48-50 [2nd Chron. 4: 7,8, 19-22]; 1st Kings 7: 51 [2nd Chron. 5: 1]; 1st Kings 9: 25 [2nd Chron. 8: 12-16] … Passage for Reflection: 1st Kings 6: 7 … NIV 7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
My Journal for Today: After reading through, the selected readings in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, prepared in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, the elaborate description of Solomon’s supervision of the building of the magnificent temple designed by his father, David, Dr. Smith is right that the highlight passage does stand out with its curious message, which happens to resonate deeply today. Do you see the historical fact that much of the ancient Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem was built without noisy tools? And how eerie it must’ve been to see this magnificent structure rising in its elaborate glory … in silence? How they would’ve done that is beyond me; but let’s face it God is often way beyond us (see Isaiah 55: 8-9).
But that silence was undertaken to honor God and let the world see that we need to silently, but diligently, working in the world to honor God with what we build out of our lives. And how difficult is that in these noisy days where we’re bombarded by the world’s noisiness. Satan has invented many ploys to stand in the way of our abiding and deepening relationship with God; and one of his battle strategies is the noise of this world, both audible and informational. We’re so encumbered by the “noises” of the world that it is hard to strategically get alone and honor God with our silence. That is why the joint faith disciplines of solitude and silence become so important for the Christian today, trying to honor God by building the walls of his/her personal temple these days.
What about it, my friend? Do you have time and a place – EVERY DAY – where you go to be alone with God, … a place where the noises and interruptions of the world don’t get in the way of quietly praying and reading and meditating on God’s word? Do you have a place – preferably to start each day – where you can go to be with God, away from the world and other people, … away from any phones, TVs, Ipods, I-phones, or other devices which are the world’s tools to keep you from being alone with your God? Dr. Smith asks a telling question of me (and his readers) today, positing, Can I bear to have silence in my life, or am I afraid that God just might speak to me in the stillness?
You’re going to have to answer that one for yourself; but I covet the time – EACH DAY and EACH MORNING – which I have here in my personal “closet,” which is my place to be still and listen for God to “speak” to my mind/heart, … my place where I can quietly, without noisy interruption mediate on God’s truth from His word, … and my place where I can go to the high ground of prayer, preparing for what I know is going to be a battle with the world, in its noisiness, with Satan doing all he can to get in the way of my communion and relationship with my God.
I will pray for us …
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to maintain this time/place each morning, which I covet so personally to be with You; and help any dear ones who are reading here to develop such a place/time to be with You, as we honor You with our quietude. Amen
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