Royalty and Ruin: The Surpassing Beauty of the Temple

    The palatial building Solomon constructed for God and His worship had no rival in its splendor. Adorned with precious stones and lined with carved cedar and smoothed gold, the temple with its rich furnishings was a suitable emblem of the living church of God on earth, which through the ages has been building with materials that have been compared to “gold, silver, [and] precious stones,” “sculptured in palace style.” 1 Corinthians 3:12; Psalm 144:12. Christ is “the chief Cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” Ephesians 2:20, 21.

    At last the temple was completed. “All that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord,” Solomon had “successfully accomplished.” 2 Chronicles 7:11. Now, in order that the palace crowning Mount Moriah might indeed be a dwelling place “not for man but for the Lord God” (1 Chronicles 29:1), there remained the solemn ceremony of dedicating it.

    The spot on which the temple was built had long been considered holy. Here Abraham had revealed  his willingness to sacrifice his only son in obedience to Jehovah’s command, and here God had renewed the glorious Messianic promise of deliverance through the sacrifice of the Son of the Most High. See Genesis 22:9, 16-18. Here, when David offered sacrifices to stop the avenging sword of the destroying angel, God had answered him by fire. See 1 Chronicles 21:26. And now once more worshipers were here to meet their God and renew their vows of allegiance to Him.