It is with utter pleasure that I take this opportunity to walk you through a journey of the history of the Temple. If you are influenced by a tradition that was established in the past, then the past should be clear to you, because, as George Santayana put it, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”1 . Hence I welcome you to this journey of discovery.
The history of the temple can be traced back to the desire of God to dwell among his people. This goes back to Genesis when God would visit Adam and Eve in the cool of the day so he could hung out with them. Later sin created a rift which separated man from God and for many years God used specific chosen people to communicate his will to his people. Although God hid his face from his people, his desire to dwell with his people was never quenched. It is God who initiated the move to restore man to fellowship with Him.
The Tabernacle
In 1491 BC, when the Israelites were camped in the desert after their deliverance from Egypt, God summoned Moses to mountain Sinai, their usual meeting place, so that He could give him his instructions. While at the mountain, God gave Moses a blue print of a Tabernacle, which Moses was to build so that God would dwell in the midst of his people2 . A time had come when God would physically dwell among his people. Interestingly enough, God gave instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle and in the innermost part of the Tabernacle was to be placed the most important item, the Arch of the covenant, which symbolized God’s presence and through which God was to speak to his people3 . (Also Click Here to Read A Brief History Of The Church)
The Tabernacle or Sanctuary was made out of the sole desire of God to dwell in the midst of his people. It was not a permanent structure, which probably made it easy to relocate to new places as the Israelites were not yet settled in Canaan. When Israel finally settled in Canaan, the Tabernacle or house of God was moved to Shiloh4 and we do not hear about it being moved to another location. While the house of God was in Shiloh, it was a place of pilgrimage, a place of worship, but years later, under unclear circumstances, was destroyed, a destruction which was echoed by the prophet Jeremiah5 .
It is evident that by the time of Samuel, the Arch of the covenant had lost its true meaning to the people. No longer were the people living a holy life in reverend fear of a God who was in their midst. The Arch was now viewed as a “Good Luck charm” which could be used in difficult times to bring them out of trouble. A case in hand is when Israel thought that by bringing the Arch of the covenant from Shiloh to the battle camp, that their victory was assured, little did they know that the Arch was a physical representation of God and that He is a holy God hence their lives were to be holy too. They were thrashed mercilessly and the Arch was taken captive by the Philistines6 .
During the time of David, reverence to God was restored. David desired to build a permanent Tabernacle or Sanctuary for the Arch of the covenant so that God would permanently dwell in the city of David, but God could not allow him since he had shed much blood in battle, but God promised that Solomon would do it.
The Temple of Solomon
In 1004 BC Solomon finished building the temple of God, which was a Tabernacle or Sanctuary in a permanent form. The building was magnificent which resonated the majesty and splendor of God. The Temple became a symbol of Jewish heritage. It was so revered that even when Jews were far away from Jerusalem, all their prayers were done facing Jerusalem in accordance to Solomon’s prayer and request to God7 .
Destruction of the Teple of Solomon
As time went by, the glory of the temple diminished with the succession of each new king. 400 years after the temple was dedicated, it was destroyed, ransacked and burnt down by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. But before the destruction of the temple, God sent prophets to warn his people about the destruction, likening it to what had happened years earlier to Shiloh8 .
As God was preparing to destroy the temple, he also gave hints of a better option in place of the temple, no longer was his presence (Spirit) going to dwell in structures and buildings but in the hearts of his people9 . No longer would the people need to go to a place so that they could experience God but rather that God was going to dwell in their hearts9.
The New Temple
The desire of God to dwell in the midst of his people got fulfilled finally in the New Testament. In the gospel of John, the Word, who is Jesus, became flesh and dwelt among us10 . The Greek word for ‘dwelt’ as used in John is the same word used in Exodus 25:8, which is “Tabernacled’ hence now, God has accomplished his desire to dwell in the midst of his people through Jesus Christ.
Jesus redirects our thoughts from what the temple represented in the Old Testament to its new meaning when he referred to his body as the temple11 , Paul further adds that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit12 . The treasure which was only to be found in the holy of holies of the temple is now in the hearts of men (Jars of clay). When you accept Christ in your life, he dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. This is the greatest mystery of all. That the eternal God would dwell in the hearts of immortals. It is amazing that we no longer need to go to temples, buildings, structures or physical places so as to find God, he lives in the hearts of those who have opened their hearts for him.
Notes
1 The life of Reason: Reason in common sense. Scribner’s 1905:284
2 Exodus 2:8-9
3 Exodus 25:22
4 Judges 18:31
5 Jeremiah 7:12-14, 26:6
6 1Samuel 4:1-11
7 1Kings 8:29
8 Jeremiah 7:12-14
9 Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:26-27, 11:17-20, 39:29, Isaiah 59:21
10 John 1:14
11 John 2:19
12 1Corrinthians 3:16
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