“Then
Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah,
where the Lord had appeared to
his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor
of Ornan the Jebusite.” (v.1)
No
building can contain God, so why did Solomon go to such an effort? Building the
temple was an act of worship, showing the heart of the king and the nation. The
temple would remind them of God's glory and their covenant relationship with Him.
It also reflected a strong sense of their history, as seen through out the text.
The
chosen spot to build the temple was Mount Moriah, where tradition says that
Abraham offered up Isaac (Genesis 22). Solomon also knew it as the place where
David's prayer to stop a plague was answered (1 Chronicles 21). Therefore, the
location held a special significance as a place to meet with God.
We
too should have a special place to meet with God - place where we can go and
spend time with our LORD. While we know we can worship God anywhere, Jesus
himself often slipped away, to a quiet place, to pray to the Father, away from
the distractions around Him. Therefore, I
encourage you to follow His example and find your place of solitude, your "war room", to commune with the Father.
The
Truth
“Very early
in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went
off to a solitary place, where
he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
