Readings for today: 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2-3
“Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (2 Chron. 3:1)
I love today’s passage mainly because of how it ties so many different threads together. Mount Moriah is the Temple Mount. It’s the place where Solomon built his Temple. But as Chronicles mentions, it’s also the place where David saw the angel of the Lord relent from his destruction of Jerusalem. 1 Chron. 21:16 tells us, “David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven...” This is really what temples were all about in the ancient world. They were the places where heaven and earth meet. Where God’s presence literally dwelt on earth. It was the place you came when you wanted to speak to God. Encounter God. Worship God. These were deeply sacred spaces. Thin spaces where the veil between this world and the next grew thin.
This isn’t the only place Mount Moriah appears in the Scriptures. Moriah is also the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. And those of you who remember the story from Genesis 22, probably recall it was the angel of the Lord who stayed Abraham’s hand. Thin space. Sacred space. The Lord providing a ram in the thicket to sacrifice on the altar. And, of course, for those who believe in the rapture and certain streams of end times theology, Mt. Moriah is the place where Jesus will return when He comes again. It’s where the New Jerusalem will be located. It’s the throne from which God will reign for all eternity.
What to take away from the building of the Temple? First of all, I think it’s important to recognize sacred spaces in our lives. Places where God showed up in a powerful way. Bending the heavens to come to earth to perform a miracle or do a mighty work in our lives. It could be a healing. It could be miraculous provision of some kind or another. It could be a moment where God came through when we felt desperate or helpless. Those spaces will hold a special place in our hearts as well they should. But these spaces aren’t just personal, they’re communal as well. I think of the sacred space being created right now as so many march for justice. The sacred space being created in laboratories all over the world as so many race for a cure for COVID. I think of the sacred space many communities will create as they gather to listen and love and work for a more united future. All of these point to the reality that sacred space is not just out “there” but in each of our hearts. The Bible declares that those who trust in Christ are now “temples” of the Holy Spirit. Walking, talking “Moriahs” due to the abiding presence of the Living God. God has touched down in our lives. He has done something in our hearts. And we need to praise Him continually for the miracle of spiritual rebirth.
It also means there is a certain “sacredness” that all human beings share. Made in the image of God. Endowed with dignity, worth, and honor as a result. Broken? Yes. Sinful? Yes. Prone to wander? Lord, I feel this deep in my bones. But beloved nonetheless. Friends, you encounter the sacred everywhere you go and in everyone you meet. As C.S. Lewis once said so well, “There are no ordinary people. You’ve never talked to a mere mortal.” Everyone you meet destined for immortality. Either with God or without. Make sure you give them the chance to see Jesus in you today!
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 7-8, Psalms 11