1 Kings 6:1-38 [Build on the Rock 8]
Pastor Ron Koehler Grace—Sahuarita, AZ
July 22, 2018
Dear Friends in Christ, The focus of our worship today—the transcendence of God—might seem a little hard to grab a hold of. I mean, it’s not like thinking about baptism where we consider water, something we can see and use every day. And we’ve witnessed plenty of baptisms too. It’s not like discussing how God would have us watch what we say and how we say it. Then we could think about specific words we use and whether we are gentle and respectful when we speak to others and things like that. No, today it is the transcendent nature of God—something we can’t see and a word we might not use much—transcendent. So what do we mean and what does it have to do with the Bible Building Project before us this morning? Well, something that is transcendent is something that is so far above everything else, something superior or supreme. This week in the Chicago Tribune, an article on superstars LeBron James and Serena Williams spoke of these two athletes like this: The debate about “the greatest of all time” will rage on. But like Muhammad Ali, they’ve transcended sports—tackling issues including race, gender and politics—and will be iconic symbols of our time. Those two are at the top of their sports, but the writer explains that their importance goes far beyond basketball and tennis and their influence on society goes beyond that of other athletes; they are transcendent. Obviously, when we think about God, we are considering the One who is above and beyond anything we know or perceive of. Everything about him is transcendent—his power, his knowledge, his motives, his creativity, his love, his presence, his eternal nature, his holiness. God is superior and supreme—so high above everything else! Because we live in a culture that has produced Jesus bobble heads and in which the Savior is often approached as more of a buddy than the Almighty God and the cross is sometimes worn like a good luck charm, it is good for us to think about the transcendence of the LORD. Today the Bible building that will help us do that is Solomon’s Temple. It was built to be A House for the Transcendent God a building that would be Appropriate for Worshiping the LORD and a building that would be A Reminder of the LORD’s Greatness Appropriate for Worshiping the LORD Can I ask you to open your worship folder and let your eyes scan the lesson from 1 Kings chapter 6? Don’t try to read it all again, but just notice the amount of detail. Be reminded of how every hard surface of the Most Holy Place—that inner sanctuary—was overlaid with gold. In other descriptions of the building in Scripture, we hear that precious stones were used also, that they used blue, purple and crimson yarn and fabrics with angels sewn into them. In addition to the designs that included gourds, palm trees, and open flowers we hear about in our lesson, there were also pomegranate and chain designs. Nails of gold held things together in that inner golden room. Why so ornate with all the designs and colors and carvings? Wasn’t that a little over the top? Why the extravagance? Why the expense? Was all that really necessary?
Well, God didn’t stop them! Just the opposite, really. He told Solomon: “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” The LORD indicated that he would indeed dwell there in that temple, just as he had in the tabernacle—there, making his presence known over the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place. This temple would be a building appropriate for worshiping the LORD who was there with his people. And so the building and grounds of the temple would contain some other things, mentioned outside of our text: wash basins, altar of incense, lampstands, table, altar for sacrifices. This is where God’s people went to worship the LORD so all of these things were necessary, along with the people needed for worship—priests and Levites to assist with sacrifices and tend to the table and altars and lampstands. Those items and those servants at the temple helped the people to approach the LORD in worship. The construction and the decoration and the expense involved in the building of the temple all pointed people to their glorious LORD and Savior. It was not over the top! It was not too extravagant! It was appropriate because it was made of the very best God’s people had to offer. Would it have made any sense for them to keep all those luxurious and expensive things for themselves and NOT offer them to their Savior-God?! It was appropriate because it was all dedicated to the one true God, who transcends all things, but condescends to dwell with his people! It all made an impression upon God’s people as they came to him and it directed their worship to the LORD. I have a friend named Scott who goes to Shepherd of the Hills on the north side of Tucson. Back when he was a college student, he and I travelled back to Milwaukee for some Campus Ministry Committee meetings. We were there over a weekend, so I took him to church at Grace in downtown Milwaukee, one of the very first WELS congregations (1851) with a building that dates back to 1901. We walked through the doors into the entryway, then walked through the inner doors into the sanctuary…and Scott stopped dead in his tracks, looked up and around and said in a hushed voice, “God lives here.” I’ll never forget the impression that church building made on him. I have to believe that the Israelites felt that way when viewing the magnificent temple that Solomon built. The priests must have felt that way when they entered the Holy Place and the high priest when he got to go into the Most Holy Place once a year. They must have felt that way because of the way everything was designed and built to direct thoughts and hearts to God and because the transcendent God actually did dwell there! Of course, though God did, in a special way, dwell there in Solomon’s Temple, God is also truly with us when we meet in his house—whether that is in a converted ranch home, a school multi-purpose building, a small church building, or a big one with stained glass windows. No matter the style of the church building, there will always be things there that draw the attention to God, but those are not the most important thing. The most important thing is that God is there. Jesus gives us that promise, doesn’t he? “For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them (Matthew 18:20).” The transcendent God actually comes down to be with us too! It is appropriate to have a place where God comes to meet with us as he speaks to us with his Word, as he cleanses the sinner at the baptismal font, as he assures and strengthens the sinner at the Lord’s Table, and as his Spirit blesses the gathering of God’s people with peace and comfort and joy.
A Reminder of the LORD’s Greatness There is a really interesting bit of information in this lesson about how things were done during the construction of the temple. You must have caught it too—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. They went to some extremes in order to show reverence to God! That was extra work, not as convenient and, I suppose, put their fine work at some risk since they transported the finished blocks from the quarry to the temple instead of doing them on-site and simply putting them in place. Doing that rough, noisy work away from the temple site showed reverence for the great LORD. The temple’s construction and decoration were filled with reminders of the LORD’s greatness. Among the decorations were angels—lots of angels! They were everywhere—two large, hulking statues, two golden angels on the Ark’s cover, and others woven into the curtain and carved into the walls! These are the creatures of heaven. They are so far above human beings, but even they are servants of the LORD most high! All those angels were reminders of the LORD’s greatness. It may not have stood out as we heard the lesson, but there were several sets of stairs, so a person went up and up and up, ascending toward the LORD, who is over all things. And there were areas with restricted access. The people could go into the courtyard where the priests would assist them in worship. But the people could not go into the main hall, the Holy Place; only the priests could go in there. But the priests could not go into the Most Holy Place—the golden, cube-shaped room at the back; only the High Priest could go in there. But he could not go in there anytime he wanted, he could only go in once a year on the Day of Atonement. The design and the limitations reminded the people of the LORD’s greatness and their sinfulness that caused a distance between them and the holy LORD. They could not just casually approach him, though he was coming down to them. The worship at that building expressed the same. Sacrifices had to be brought. Cleansing had to take place. Mediators had to be used. Everything about the place screamed “The LORD is greater than you!” And that was the truth. He was and is God over all things. He is transcendent! Now, all of this is very interesting and possibly enlightening to us. And God had a reason for preserving all of these details in the biblical record. He does want us to know about it and to think about it. Perhaps it causes us to consider how we construct our churches and equip them today— careful planning, attention to art and architecture that moves us to think of the transcendent God and things found in his Word, giving the best we have to offer to God as a reflection of what we think about him…those sorts of things. Grace’s building committee is doing that very thing with the architect as we plan for a new house of God. But this house of God was planned that way too. And we keep things up—not just for each other or to impress guests, but for God! We have visible reminders like an altar, a cross, a baptismal font. We use designs on paraments and maybe a banner here or there. These things can all remind us of the greatness of the LORD who forgives our sins and reminds us of how he does that when we receive Holy Communion from that altar. We are reminded of the greatness of the LORD when we just look at that baptismal font and remember what goes on there occasionally—faith and forgiveness and the Holy Spirit are poured out along with water. That cross right there is the greatest reminder of the greatness of God your Savior. It is front and center—literally—for a reason! Your pastors are even reminders of the LORD’s greatness as they share his Word with you and serve you communion and handle the water of baptism. Church is where we go to have our senses flooded with reminders of our great God!
But above all else, our consideration of the most amazing physical building in the Bible ought to make us think about what makes God so great. It is not simply his power; it is his love. Location, location, location—that’s what they say is important in real estate, right? Let me remind you about the building site for the temple. Solomon built that temple on Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son 1100 years before Solomon. About 1000 years after Solomon, God did sacrifice his Son on a hill right near that spot. It was a significant piece of property—a type of Christ in Isaac, the worship of the Savior-God for 1,000 years, and the place the transcendent Lord Jesus went to die for the sins of the world. You and I are blessed to know that because of Jesus, God is close to us even though he is so superior to us. We are forgiven in Jesus for all our sins—including sins of not appreciating how great the LORD is and not following his decrees and observing his laws and keeping his commands, as he instructed Solomon. And because we are forgiven, God encourages us to gather and worship him. He urges us to do that more and more as the Last Day draws ever-closer. This prepares us to one day live with the transcendent LORD in the glories of heaven, where it will not be difficult to grasp how great he is because we will be close to him—all barriers removed—for all eternity. We will be in the temple of heaven which has a glory and a beauty that is beyond words, far surpassing the beauty of any church building or the glory that was Solomon’s temple. We look forward to that day—and we will see it, because our hope is in Jesus our Savior who makes it possible for the transcendent God to dwell with us. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.