This chapter also describes construction of the temple.
“In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.” (v15-16)
According to my reading, these bronze pillars were pretty impressive. They were 6 feet in diameter and stood 27 feet tall. These pillars were extremely heavy and nearly immovable, which is why when the temple is later destroyed, the pillars are broken into pieces so they could be moved more easily.
Not only were they decorated with symbols of prosperity (pomegranates), they were named Jachin and Boaz. Jachin means “He Establishes, He Will Give Certainty” and Boaz means “In Strength, By Strength”. I believe these pillars and their names were symbolically descriptive of God: ‘He establishes by strength’.
God establishes many things – He made this entire world and universe, and He hand-crafted each and every person, including you. Do you know that God established you in His strength? That means each of us are created by God, for His purposes, and no power of evil and change that, no matter how far we may stray.
I encourage us to rest soundly in our identity as God’s handiwork, those He established in His strength. Knowing that we are God’s, and that He is actively with us can make all the difference when we face various trials. Knowing we can rely upon the strength of God, that we can fully trust in Him and not worry about facing life’s trials on our own is hugely inspiring and comforting (at least it is for me). Let’s allow our souls to rest in these truths, and face today’s challenges with renewed strength which flows from our Lord and God.
Father God, our All-Powerful and Unmovable Lord, we praise Your strong and holy name. Thank you for being our rock, our fortress, our pillars, our source of strength. Thank you for establishing us out of Your strength and wisdom, and thank you for walking with us along life’s difficult paths. May we learn to fully rely on You, the sole source of true strength in this world. We honor, praise, glorify and worship You forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training