From Tent to Temple - George H. Warnock

CHAPTER 3 - THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON

However, that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan with a message for the king, which he immediately took to David. God reminded David that He had always walked with His people and moved in their midst in a simple tent-like structure, going "from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another." He made it clear to David that He really did not need a house of cedars to dwell in, and concluded by telling him that His purpose was really to build David a house; and that He would settle David's son in His house and in His Kingdom forever. (See 1 Chron. 17:13-14.) The immediate promise was to Solomon, who would build the temple that David wanted to build; but the promise looks far beyond Solomon and embraces the Day of Christ, David's greater Son, who would inherit "the sure mercies of David" and would build a Temple "not made with hands."

David was quite overwhelmed with this revelation. He came and "sat before the LORD," and in his reply to the LORD there was really nothing he could say but extol God's great and glorious Name. He simply concluded his prayer by saying, "LORD, do as thou hast said."

The Transitional Tent Of David

In the previous chapter we talked about the Tabernacle, or the Tent of David. When the ark was on its way back to Jerusalem no doubt it was just taken for granted by the priests in Israel that it would be restored to the old tabernacle that Moses built, which was then on the hill of Gibeon. The Tent of David must have come as quite a shock to them. How could they continue to worship in the old tabernacle without the ark of the Covenant? Without the Glory? Without His Presence? But they were going to have to understand from David's action that this was no mere "renewal" of a former institution. This was restoration to a higher order. This was something new. They were moving out of one order and into another; and the Tent of David was to be the connecting link between the old and the new, between the Tent in the Wilderness and the Temple of Solomon. It was to be preparatory to the Temple.

Transitional Difficulties

Transitional times are always difficult times for God's people. It is so in the natural realm, and it is so in the spiritual. Jesus reminded us, "No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better" (Lk. 5:39). Only those with the adventurous, pioneer spirit will step forward into the unknown. As usual, men of the world are often "wiser in their generation" than the children of light. They will continue to reach forth into the realms of space, and are constantly developing new methods and new inventions to meet the challenge of the unreachable. But men in the Church sit back and feel they have everything there is to be had in the realm of the Spirit. Satan himself, with all his principalities and powers in the world of darkness, is daily bringing forth new, diabolical weapons of destruction, and using them to destroy the spirits and souls and bodies of men. But God's people can envision nothing better than a restoration of something we had in the Church many years ago, or many centuries ago. They think it is right and scriptural for the wheat of God's harvest fields to remain forever in a state just a little short of maturity... because, after all, no one can be perfect. Satan does not hesitate to exercise complete lordship in the lives of his subjects; but it is thought to be incredible that our Lord should exercise anything like total Lordship in the lives of those whom He has purchased with His own blood!

But I think the real reason we do not want to venture forth in response to the new vision is because we do not want to become involved with the unsettling and disturbing changes that the new vision demands. The changing of the order requires a new beginning, and a relinquishing of the old titles and deeds. And this demands a price that seems to be just too high for most people to pay. Yet real Christianity knows of no life, and no spiritual progress, except as we are prepared to lay down the life we have, and to relinquish the things we have come to prize as our very own. It is the truth of the Cross as it is enacted and reenacted in our lives, from the moment of our spiritual birth until the moment of glorification.

Where do we go from here? It might seem a lot safer if we could see the pathway clearly laid out before us... but God's Way is the Rule of the Cloud, which we have already talked about. We must move forward when the Cloud of God's Glory moves forward. We may not see the pathway ahead of us clearly, but we hear Him calling, and we must have confidence that "the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

Where are we today in God's unfolding plan and purpose for the Church? To pinpoint our present spiritual location might be difficult; but preeminently this is a day of preparation. God is seeking to lead us in a new way. If we are assured of this, then we can rest in the midst of all the disturbing and perplexing things that we see transpiring in us and about us. Preparation was the key word in the message of John the Baptist for his day; and we believe once again it is the key word for this hour. Let us observe some of the preparatory things that had to be done for the temple that Solomon was to build.

Preparations For The Temple

"And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it" (1 Chron. 22:5).

There are living trees in the earth estimated to be as old as four thousand years or more. There they stand in stately glory, defying the changes of the seasons and of the weather today as they have done throughout the centuries. But a mushroom will grow up overnight, and perish in the heat of the sun the next day. What we are saying is that the greater the magnificence and the glory that attends God's workmanship, the greater will be the care that He will exercise in its creation, and the more prolonged will be the time of its preparation. God will not permit His people to pressure Him into a premature and imperfect execution of His plans and purposes; because what He is doing is for His own Glory, and not for ours. In the outworking of the maturing process in our lives we must not yield to the persistent temptation to hasten forward the work of God by our own device and planning. At the same time, let us be spiritually alert to see God's timing in our lives, lest we fail to grasp the opportunity that God affords in the fullness of His times. There is no substitute for the simple procedure of "walking with God." We might be very active and energetic in ministry and still not learn God's ways. But if we walk with God, we will not miss out in any area of ministry that God has planned for our lives. Simeon did not just casually walk into the temple that day when the baby Jesus was presented there for dedication. Simeon was led there, because he had been walking with God. He must go to the temple that day... and he must go now. The promise of perhaps many, many years duration was to be fulfilled today! Tomorrow he may die... but today he must see the Messiah! He could not miss it! God would not let him miss it!

The Preparation Of The Site

"Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel" (1 Chron. 22:1).

It was the threshing floor of Oman the Jebusite, where David had offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings to eliminate the plague that had come upon Israel through David's folly. We do not know how Satan had gained this foothold in David. At any rate the ransom money had not been collected from the people when David took the census, and God had already warned that a plague might fall if this was not done. (See Ex. 30:12-16.) But God in mercy revealed to David his sin, and also the solution. David obeyed and set up an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite which he purchased from Ornan for 600 shekels of gold. Now it was this plot of ground that was to become the site of the exceedingly magnificent Temple of Solomon. David said, "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering." It was a proclamation of faith--God had declared this to be His plan, and therefore it was so. It had yet to become manifest. The preparation of the site was extremely important. It was the place of the burnt offering. It is believed to have been the very spot upon which Abraham had offered up Isaac as a burnt offering many centuries earlier. But now in David's time it had become a threshing floor. The Temple of Solomon was to be erected on a harvest floor. It would also be dedicated on the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the nation had gathered in their wines and oils, and had reaped their harvest. The early Church was really the seed Church. True it was inaugurated at Pentecost, which was the Feast of Harvest, but it was really a "firstfruits" harvest. The final harvest would be in the seventh month on the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the Feast of Ingathering. The "glorious Church"--not having spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing--is the harvest Church. The great winnowing fan of the Harvester is in the hands of the Husbandman, Who has patiently waited for "the precious fruit of the earth." The fire has been kindled to destroy the chaff of the threshing floor. Then He will gather the grain into His garner--grain that has come to full maturity and perfection, just like the good seed that was planted in the earth almost 2,000 years ago, when our Lord Jesus was faithful as the "corn of wheat" to "fall into the ground and die."

Preparation Of The Man

"And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God; but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name" (1 Chron. 22:7-10).

Great conflicts have raged through the centuries as God sent forth His truth in the earth and the haters of truth resisted it. This is inevitable, as light has no communion with darkness. However, it is most regrettable that God's messengers of truth should so often have yielded to the temptation to propagate their message by carnal warfare. We realize that God did ordain Israel to fight His battles on many occasions in the Old Testament, for they were God's own weapons to execute His judgments upon corrupt and idolatrous nations. But it must not be so with you and me in this day of the New Covenant, when the people of God have been given a mandate, and spiritual weapons, to wage warfare in the realm of the Spirit... and in that realm only. He who builds in the Temple of God must be a man of peace.

Man has always sought to perpetuate the old order for his own glory, but sooner or later it will come to nought; and we do not have to attempt to tear it down. Now Solomon's brother Adonijah exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." He was David's son too, and he is described as being "a very goodly man." He had Joab on his side, who was the general of David's army. He also had Abiathar with him, who was David's high priest. Surely with such great men behind him Adonijah would succeed in his efforts to perpetuate the Davidic era. "Behold, Adonijah reigneth" they shouted. His name means, "JAH is my Lord." He, too, would honor the true God of Israel. We are told that they slew oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and all the king's sons were invited to the feast. (All except Solomon, of course--the builders of religion always reject the chief corner stone). And what did Solomon do about it? Nothing!

David was notified of the conspiracy and before he died he proclaimed Solomon to be king of Israel with the blessing of Zadok the priest, and of Nathan the prophet. No need for Solomon to stand up for his rights. When he became king he would judge righteously, and with power, authority and wisdom. But he would not seek to establish himself in that position. He, as his name means, would simply rest in the plan and purpose of God. And he, the man of peace, would build a temple which was to become God's place of rest... but of course it was only a type and shadow of the true Temple yet to come, a Temple not made with hands.

Preparation Of The Materials

"Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto" (1 Chron. 22:14).

In this time of transition God's people everywhere are in a state of trouble and unrest; and oftentimes in the midst of their trouble, they do not understand that God is shaking the old systems in preparation for His new order. Like David in his trouble, we would like to get away from it all...

"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove!
For then would I fly away, and be at rest.
Lo, then would I wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah"
(Psa. 55:6-7).

But David soon discovered that running away from it all accomplished nothing either, it simply brought him into still greater dangers:

"How say ye to my soul,
Flee as a bird to your mountain?
For lo, the wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string,
That they may privily shoot
At the upright in heart"
(Psa. 11:1-2).

God help us to see that in our trouble we can prepare spiritual gold and silver and timber for a dwelling place for the Most High! God help us to see that a change of environment cannot change the situation, And that no matter where we go, or what we do, the archer is there with his bow to shoot us down and to molest. We must know and understand that we have "the shield of faith" whereby we can "quench all the fiery darts of the evil one."

Preparation Of Priest And Levite

"For David said, The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever: and also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof" (1 Chron. 23:25-26).

God has a rest for His people. Solomon was to be a man of rest. The priesthood was to be a priesthood of rest. Some fear that this could make for ease and carelessness. The truth is, when we enter into God's rest we will become more active in the Spirit, even as we are ceasing "from our own works." No longer will we be moving from one desert oasis to another, always looking for something beyond our grasp. For God has promised...