Then Sovereign David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brothers and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahuah, and for the footstool of our Elohim, and had made preparations to build it. (1 Chronicles 28:2)
David’s heart desire was to take the ark of the covenant from the tent of tabernacle and place it in a place of comfort and beauty. Yahuah accepted David’s heart desire but instead of him building the house, his son Solomon was to build this house.
“Now, my son, Yahuah be with you, then you shall prosper and build the House of Yahuah your Elohim, as He has said to you. “Only, let Yahuah give you wisdom and understanding, and command you concerning Israel, so that you guard the Torah of Yahuah your Elohim, …….. (1 Chronicles 22:11-12)
Like all fathers, David was telling Solomon to walk with Yahuah and to do His commands as he will proper if he does.
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the Elohim of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a pleasing life, for Yahuah searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you do seek Him, He is found by you; but if you forsake Him, He rejects you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9) (1Kings 11:9-10)
Again, a caring father, David tells Solomon to walk in Yahuah’s ways with a perfect heart and to seek Him all of his days. David also warns Solomon that if he turns away from Yahuah and forsake His ways, he may be rejected (not be saved).
And Solomon gave word to build a House for the Name of Yahuah, and a house for his reign. (2 Chronicles 2:1).
Then Solomon said, “Yahuah has said He would dwell in the dark cloud. “But I have built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever.” (2 Chronicles 6:1-2)
“Yet, shall You turn to the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Yahuah my Elohim, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant is praying before You? “For Your eyes to be open toward this House Day and night, toward the place You have said to put Your Name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place. (2 Chronicles 6:19-20)
Here, Solomon is praying, asking Yahuah to listen to his pray, for Him to place His Name Yahuah in this house he built.
Solomon asking Yahuah for His blessing over the house/temple and for Yahuah to be in this house that David planned for Yahuah’s ark of the covenant.
And Yahuah appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of slaughtering (2 Chronicles 7:12).
Yahuah hears Solomon's pray and confirms He will place His Name in this house but with conditions. The conditions are;
“And you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you guard My laws and My rightrulings, then I shall establish the throne of your reign, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘There is not to cease a man of yours as ruler in Israel.’ (2 Chronicles 7:17-18)
“But if you turn away and forsake My laws and My commands which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other mighty ones, and bow yourself to them, then I shall pluck them from My land, which I have given them, and this house which I have set apart for My Name I shall cast out of My sight and make it to be a proverb (parable) and a mockery (conversation) among all peoples. (2 Chronicles 7:19-20)
Conditions made to Solomon by the Almighty Creator;
1) You truly follow Me and abide in My Torah and teachings then I will dwell in this house forever, but
2) If you turn away from the Torah and teachings, then I will not dwell in this house forever.
The house of Yahuah together with Solomon's own house was completed in 20 years. Yahuah then as promised, dwelled in the house where His Name was placed. (2 Chronicles 8:1)
Many years later when Solomon was much older, this happened;
And it came to be, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with Yahuah his Elohim, as was the heart of his father David (1 King 11:4).
And Solomon went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Zidonians (Tsidonian), and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Thus, was wickedness in the eyes of Yahuah (1 King 11:5-6)
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh (Kemosh) the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech (Molek) the abomination of the children of Ammon. (1 King 11:7)
Solomon went against Yahuah’s conditions turning away from His Torah and the teachings.
ThereforeYahuah was enraged with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Yahuah Elohim of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what Yahuah had commanded. (1 King 11:9-10)
And Yahuah said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My covenant and My laws, which I have commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant. (1 King 11:11)
Not only did Yahuah tear the Kingdom away from Solomon, He also removed Himself from the house where His Name was placed.
Much later this House of Yahuah together with all contents was removed and destroyed by Babylon (Jeremiah 52).
The scripture is quiet as to when the ark of the covenant left the house of Yahuah but what we know is that the ark was not part of the items that was removed by the enemy before destroying the temple.
The physically ark has not been seen until this present day, except that John saw the ark of the covenant in the dwelling place of heaven during his vision (Revelation 11:19)
Questions I have is;
1) Was the ark part of the second temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah after coming back from Babylon.
2) What did Yahuah mean when He said the temple will be a proverb and a mockery.
Lessons I learnt from this study;
1) David wanted a house for Yahuah, which was not a command from the Almighty.
2) The temple was to host the ark of the covenant.
3) Yahuah’s name would be part of this house (temple).
4) Solomon built the house for Yahuah at the same time he built his own house and this took 20 years to complete.
5) Solomon’s house must have been very close to be as impressive as the house of Yahuah.
6) In latter days, Solomon went after idol worshipping and built other places/temples for the false gods
7) The house David wanted for Yahuah was known as the house of Yahuah and not the temple of Solomon.
8) The temple Ezra and Nehemiah built was also known as the house of Yahuah and not the temple of Solomon or the temple of Nehemiah.
Yahuah says, “The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1-2)
The Most High does not dwell in dwellings made with hands (Acts 7:48-49)
Like Yahuah said to Abraham, “walk before me and I will be your Elohim,” so too He tells us “Where two or three gathers, there I shall be.”
Buildings known as temples or churches are good for believers to gather in to worship or to fellowship in but these building made by man is not His place of residence.
As He is found by “hear and obey,” and by worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth.
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