A few months back, the Christian Chronicle featured an editorial entitled, “Will Facebook kill the church?”. As a member of the church myself, I felt that the author of the article did not really grasp what the “church” really is and should be. I wrote a letter to the editor in rebuttal to the article, but as they have not yet published it (two issues have come out since then), I will publish it here on The Blog Testament for the world to read and argue with me. Enjoy!
Basically, 1 Kings 5–7 & 2 Chron. 2-4, 2 Chron 8:12-16 (1 Kings 9:25)
Ryan: Thanks to all “those miserable psalms,” it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to do a nice solid math post. Having gotten to read about Solomon’s building of the Temple of the Name of the Lord, we got another day of reading with lots of numbers. The one that struck me the most and made me want to dig a little deeper was “The Sea” (2 Chron. 4:2-5, 2 Chron. 4:10, 2 Chron. 4:6c). The Sea was a (very) large basin filled with water that was primarily used for the priests’ washings. It measured roughly 15 feet across and 7.5 feet deep; in other words, enough for an average U.S. male (6-feet tall) to stand in the water and still have 1.5 feet of water above him, and have 2.5 average males floating on the surface from edge to edge. The Bible account says the volume was “three thousand baths” (2 Chron. 4:5), which NIV converts to roughly 17,500 gallons. Other sources (and my own calculations) put it closer to 10,000 gallons. The weight of 10,000 gallons of water is approximately 42 tons. The bowl itself would have been (very) roughly 9.14 cubic meters of solid bronze, and weighed roughly 84.6 tons, for a grand total of 126.6 tons. That’s the weight of a little more than 37 Ford F-150s sitting atop the 12 cast bronze bulls’ behinds.
Samantha: If only they had cameras back in Solomon’s time! I’m sure the temple was even more magnificent in person than how we picture it from the description. There is a great site called the 3D Bible Project where they have 3D modeled Noah’s Ark, Moses’ tabernacle, and Solomon’s Temple. With a quick download of the viewer software, you can walk into the temple as if you were there and see the altar of sacrifice, the basin, the walls of gold, the beautiful curtain, and enormous cherubim guarding the ark of the covenant. If you’re a visual learner, this tool is an excellent way to get an idea of the scale and grandeur of the house of the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Interestingly, what I found missing in the reading today was any indication from God on instructions for the temple. When Moses built the tabernacle, it was repeatedly instructed by God to, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:9). In this case, God didn’t ask for a temple; in fact, at first God was opposed to it and told David that instead of David building a house for him, he would build up David’s house. God later gave permission for Solomon to build the temple, but not because he needed it! Our God was perfectly content to dwell in a tent so that he could move around with his people (2 Sam. 7).
1 Kings 2:13-46, 1 Kings 3:1, 1 Kings 9:16, 1 Kings 3:2-28 (2 Chron. 1:2-13)
Ryan: We read today of an event that I have already referenced several times in which Solomon asks for (and is granted) wisdom beyond that of other men (1 Kings 3:12). What I did not remember before reading this story today was that God indicated that because Solomon asked for wisdom, and not riches or fame or the death of an enemy, God chose to not only bless him with wisdom, but also with the riches and honor for which he did not ask. (I always knew that King Solomon was rich and famous, but I always just figured that was a result of the wisdom.) The LORD knows our hearts, and he knows what we will ask him for before we even ask him for it. He also knows why we are asking for it, something that often times we do not even know ourselves. When we pray for things for ourselves, God knows two things we don’t: he knows our true motives for asking, and he knows whether or not we would be able to handle whatever it is we have asked him for. He then takes the answers to those two questions, runs it through his filter of “If it is in the LORD’s will”, and then he issues his decision on his time. So the next time you think that God didn’t answer your prayer because it wasn’t in His will, ask yourself whether your motives were pure and if you truly could handle the outcome if your prayer had been answered the way you hoped.
Samantha: Twice now we’ve seen a person run to the altar of sacrifice in the tabernacle and grab on to the horns on the corners of the altar. First, Adonijah in 1 Kings 1:50 and then Joab in 1 Kings 2:28. Every article inside the tabernacle is oozing with symbolism, but for now I’ll contain my shiny object syndrome and focus on the horns. In addition to being the cord tie-down spot for the sacrifices (think roasting pig, only instead of a pole through it, its limbs tied to the four corners of the altar), the horns were also a place of refuge or asylum. Exodus 21:12-14 indicates that if a person accidentally murdered another, he could go and touch the horns to receive mercy. If the person were guilty of premeditation then he was to be taken and put to death. In both cases in 1 Kings we see that the men were both guilty (for different reasons) and were put to death. I found a fantastic sermon by Charles Spurgeon, delivered on March 23, 1884, entitled, “The Horns of the Altar.” His sermon is on how Joab thought he could get mercy by holding the horns on the altar, but how his life wasn’t right so it didn’t do him any good. Then the sermon goes on to give examples of things we hold on to but won’t do us any good. It finishes by saying that we need to cling to the spiritual altar of Jesus instead, and let go of all other false hopes. It is an excellent sermon to read–powerful, convicting, and right on the mark. Go read it. 5 minutes tops. Go. Thank me later.
For a fun read, check out The Brick Testament’s incarnation of the story of Solomon and the prostitutes.
Tags: Faith
1 Kings 1, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, 1 Kings 2:1-10, 1 Chron. 29:28-30, 1 Chron. 29:23-25 (1 Kings 2:12, 2 Chron. 1:1)
Ryan: Tomorrow, May 12, is my father’s birthday. (And, now that Mother’s Day has passed, we’re approaching the season for Father’s Day, too.) It’s hard for a son not to think about his father when he reads the words that David son of Jesse spoke from his deathbed to King Solomon:
“‘I am about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said. ‘So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go…’” (1 Kings 2:2-3).
I’m sure it was very heartening for David to watch his son on the throne through the eyes of God in Heaven. King Solomon had his share of failures, just as his father before him, but overall was a very successful king and well-liked. Solomon went down in the history books as the wisest man who ever lived, and the man responsible for building the first Temple of God in Jerusalem. It’s very difficult, living in the American mentality of “go it alone” and “do whatever makes you happy,” to think about to what lengths men would go to in order to please their fathers. In that vein, I pray that I have made my father proud of the man I have become. Happy Birthday, Dad!
Samantha: Ryan mentioned Father’s Day, so I’ll mention Mother’s Day and what a treat it must have been for Bathsheba to see her son Solomon crowned king after David! I never really thought much about Bathsheba until I read Francine River’s Lineage of Grace #4: Unspoken. Bathsheba is a woman in the line of Jesus, and her life is an excellent example of God’s redemption and grace. The book of course fills in historical details and narrative around the Biblical account and you really get a deep look into her character and what life could have been like for her. Talk about The Scarlet Letter–she definitely wore that her entire life. Everyone knew what happened, and by law she should have died as a consequence of her sin with David. No doubt the other wives of David scorned her and she probably lived a very lonely and isolated life in the palace. The fact that her son, Solomon, was the only one of David’s sons to be worthy to lead Israel speaks to her character and trust in the Lord. This book is emotional and gives you an entirely different (and real-life!) perspective on sin, grace, and redemption.
Psalm 45, Psalm 47-48, Psalm 87, Psalm 110, Psalm 72:20
Ryan: “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.” (Psalm 72:20). I found this verse to be absurd in its existence. What would have been more accurate perhaps, is “This concludes the written prayers of David son of Jesse.” The “psalter” includes at least 73 psalms written by David, but there are several others which have no author recorded, but are likely to be David’s as well. As of today, I have written down at least 20 prayers. But that in no way “concludes the prayers” of myself. How many prayers have I offered to God in a group setting that were impromptu? How many blessings offered to God before a meal? And then, to multiply that number by factor unknowable but to God, how many prayers have I offered up silently? As we have all learned by now, David was a man after God’s own heart. I can guarantee that David spent more time in prayer than I ever will in my lifetime. To think that 73 psalms could even possibly come close to “concluding” his prayers is ridiculous. You could almost substitute David’s name in the last verse of the book of John: “[David offered] many other [prayers] as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25, with changes to subject and direct object).
Samantha: How fitting to end the Messianic psalms with a psalm about the majesty of the eternal king! I noticed some parallels between David’s psalm and John’s vision of heaven in Revelation. Psalm 45:3-7 paints a picture of a great warrior who is victorious in his pursuit of truth and justice; girded with sword and clothed with splendor and majesty, nations fall beneath his feet. This description made me think of the picture of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-16, who is called Faithful and True, riding a horse, leading the armies of heaven, and out of his mouth is a sword to strike down nations as he delivers his perfect justice. Likewise, the bride wearing a beautiful gown adorned with gold in Psalm 45:7-15 made me think of the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-8, where the bride (us, the church!) is brought before the groom in fine linen. These two parallels were just the ones that initially caught my eye–there are plenty more in this psalm. Nothing puts things in perspective like thinking about eternity in heaven with the king!
Tags: Discipleship
Ryan: Today marks the beginning of a couple of days of “Messianic psalms.” These are psalms that reference the Messiah, either directly or indirectly. Psalm 22, specifically, is full of “prophecies” that are very plainly seen in the life of Jesus. Let’s recount a few: the opening sentence, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was spoken by Jesus just before he died. “Scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads” (see Matthew 27:39). “I am poured out like water” (see John 4:14 & John 19:34). “They have pierced my hands and my feet” (see John 20:27). “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” (see Matthew 27:35). “The poor will eat and be satisfied” (see Matthew 14:20). A few more verses aren’t fulfilled in the written word, but in our daily life: “Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the LORD. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn–for he has done it.” Being that here we are about 3,000 years after this psalm was written and we’re writing a blog post on the Internet that is available to billions of souls worldwide, I’d say this psalm’s closing line is quite accurate.
Samantha: I’ve never been in a war, but I was in a fist fight in 5th grade (I won.). The image in Psalm 27 of an entire army coming at you, weapons drawn, is very intimidating. When I read the psalm I pictured myself standing in an open field, unarmed, watching my impending doom approach. Yikes! But the psalm says, “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident” (Psalm 27:3). Standing there, knowing what is coming (think Braveheart), and yet being completely calm and confident that the Lord will be there to save you–that seems so difficult! To me, sometimes it is easier to give in to panic and worry over something that is tangible, that you can see, rather than to have faith that God, who is unseen, will come through for you. But when I remember that God is the creator of the universe, my worries seem silly and insignificant. After all, “The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
With apologies to Tristan & Leslie:
Psalm 111, Psalm 130-131, Psalm 141, Psalm 146
Ryan: As we are slowly wrapping up the book of Psalms, it is fitting that one of the last psalms we read is Psalm 111, which includes the very famous line, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” The next major character we will be reading about (May 11!) is Solomon, David’s son, future king of Israel who is responsible for building the first temple in Jerusalem. Solomon, like his father, was God-fearing (though he made his share of mistakes, as do we all); he prayed for wisdom through discernment: “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). The prayer so pleased God that He granted Solomon his prayer and blessed Solomon with such wisdom that he is often called the wisest man who ever lived. We all should take our cue from Psalm 111 (and Solomon) and lean not on our own understanding, but begin to fear the LORD so that we may be blessed with wisdom and discernment.
Samantha: I have a new favorite Bible verse after doing the Beth Moore Psalms of Ascent study: “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). That really puts me back in my place! It makes me think of all the stupid, heartless, careless, mean things I’ve done to others; I don’t deserve God’s mercy one bit. The pages of records of my sins would stack up taller than me! And yet despite this, he still chooses to forgive me. God has taken my stack of records, shredded them, and destroyed them so that they no longer exist. “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:4).
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