Why would Solomon ask a question like that? He has just finished building a temple for God and as he prays the prayer of dedication it is almost as if he is overcome with the greatness of God. As grand and glorious as this temple was, and it sure was, could it possibly even come close to containing the presence of God? Move ahead 1000 years and we find Mary giving birth to the very Son of God. God in a baby’s body. The great temple of Solomon could not contain Him and yet this little baby was fully God. Imagine that. God’s ways are so much beyond our ways. Is that the way that you would have done it? Doubtful.
God doesn’t stop there. We are told in Psalm 139 that “…You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (vv.13-14) There is a reason why God made us the way that He did. It was to prepare us for that day when He would take residence in us. The apostle Paul asks the people of the church of Corinth a question that implies something amazing. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul asks this question: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Your body, my body is a temple of God. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit, God, dwells in you. Solomon’s Temple could not contain Him and yet He dwells in you and in me. The creator of the universe, the creator of you and me, has taken residence in us. Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Is that obvious to the people around you? Is it obvious that Jesus has taken up residence in your life? When people look at the way you act, hear how you talk, see how you treat others, is it obvious that Jesus lives in you?
Will God really dwell on earth with men? Solomon asked that question 1000 years before the birth of Jesus and 3000 years before you and me? How does your life answer that question? Don’t ever forget that God will be glorified; you can be sure of that. Is He being glorified in your life? Is He being glorified in my life? Is it obvious to the people around you that Jesus lives in you? When people look at you, do you reflect Jesus to them? Take inventory at the end of this year and prepare for the year ahead. Ask God to do a work in His Church and ask Him to begin that work in you.
Merry Christmas!
Jerry