This chapter overviews the construction of Solomon’s palace, and has many details of the temple’s furnishings.
“So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.” (v48-50)
Solomon had many furnishings made for the temple, all of which were symbolic and meant to remind people of who God is. Not only were they to be reminded of God’s abundant provision, but also His perfection, glory, strength, forgiveness, lovingkindness, grace, mercy, and any other attribute you can think of. The temple and its furnishings were reminders for people to honor and revere God.
On this day of remembrance we are encouraged to honor and remember those who dedicated their lives to our rights and freedoms. Many honorable men and women have served their countries, and are deserving of our respect. I have/had several family members serve their countries, and maybe you have too.
We all serve – whether we serve ourselves, our country, our company, our God, our family, our church, or elsewhere – we all serve. Service, when performed for noble or humble reasons (eg. in service of someone other than ourselves), is worthy of respect. This is why we are reminded to honor our soldiers, pastors, medical professionals, emergency responders, and any others who perform their duties for someone else’s benefit.
God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus are model servants – they consistently put our needs and wellbeing at the forefront of their minds, and do everything for the benefit of us who love them. Jesus literally gave everything to serve us, and He asked for nothing in return except that we honor and obey His Father. I encourage us to honor all those who serve others rather than serve themselves.
Father God, our Gracious and Merciful Lord, holy is Your name. Father thank you for Your countless blessings upon us, including the gift of Jesus. Jesus, thank you for serving us with all that You had, including Your very life. May we learn to honor all those who serve someone other than themselves. May we also continue becoming people who serve others, putting someone else’s wellbeing ahead of our own. We honor, glorify, praise and adore You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training