Temple Builders in the Bible
Dear Friends,
Our next examples of workers are from the group of people I call ‘Temple Builders’.
I found a relevant article in the Bible Project written by Joe Slunaker titled ‘Y’all are the Temple of God – Responding to the Story of the Temple’. You can read the article and access relevant scripture at https://bibleproject.com/blog/temple-of-god/#!
The first in this group of Temple Builders is Bezalel whose story is documented for us in Exodus 31. The Bible describes that the Lord chose Bezalel, filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills. He then appoints Oholiab to help him. God, also, gave ability to all the skilled workers he called to the work to make everything needed for building the Tabernacle (Sanctuary) of God.
God’s call to build the Tabernacle was to Bezalel and Oholiab and to every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. All other Israelites who were not involved in the building work also brought in their freewill offerings for the work, and they brought so much stuff they had to be told to stop! (Exodus 36:1-5).
The second of the Temple Builders of focus is Huram whose story started in 1 Kings 1 when King Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord. His father, King David, had already made available all the provisions needed and ordered all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon build the Temple. Still, according to 1 Kings 6:38, Solomon spent seven years building the temple.
The Bible describes in 1 Kings 7 that King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram, just like Bezalel before him, was filled with wisdom, understanding, and the knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work.
Solomon conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them. These numbers came from among the 153,600 foreigners residing in Israel at the time (2 Chronicles 2).
Finally, the third example of the Temple Builders is taken from the group of exiles who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. Cyrus, King of Persia proclaimed that any Israelite who wishes may go up to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel. The King also ordered his own people to provide the Israelites with the materials they need to build the Temple (Ezra 1:2-4).
The Book of Ezra records that everyone, whose heart God had moved, prepared to go, and build the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. Notable among the list of these Temple Builders were Joshua and his fellow priests, Zerubbabel and his associates, and Ezra the teacher of the law. There were oppositions to the re-building, but the work was completed according to God’s plan.
Lessons learned from the Temple Builders
The following is a list of lessons learned from the three sets of Temple Builders:
- God makes the calling to build His Temple
- He calls many people to make various contributions, but He always appoints a leader among the called.
- God gives people a choice to accept or decline His call to build the Temple and He then moved the hearts of those who are willing.
- Those called are given the skills and resources to accomplish the tasks assigned.
- God calls both the native Israelites and foreigners to build His Temple.
- The appointed leader is especially filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills.
- Temple building takes a long time to complete and uses a lot of resources.
- God does not compromise on the specification of the Temple; it must be exactly as prescribed.
- There is usually an opposition to the building of the Temple.
- Partnership and unity among those involved in Temple building are important to the success of the work.
- God always accomplishes His aim to build His Temple
The Temple Builders of today
God’s idea for a Temple is a place to meet with people He has created in His image, US! Unfortunately, we allowed sin to separate us from God. But God never gave up on us and His idea and so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to us as one of us, to pay the price for our sins, so that we can achieve God’s intention for us.
This work of Temple building, therefore, started at the beginning of the world and the examples of Temples built in the old testament were just a foreshadow of what is to come.
The eternal Temple is being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. The whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy Temple in the Lord, becoming a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).
In this spiritual and eternal Temple, each new believer is a costly and precious stone, carefully cut from the world, then placed in the growing structure by the Holy Spirit on the foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5). Each believer’s body is therefore described as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Jesus Christ is the anointed leader of today’s Temple Builders. He is filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills needed to build the Temple. He has all the resources that He needs, and He is calling all those that will heed His call to join Him in the work.
Jesus is building the Temple in partnership with God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and with all His Disciples who are willing. That is why He prayed that we will be together in complete unity with one another and with Him just as He is with the Father (John 17: 20-23).
All of us who see ourselves as Jesus Disciples are called to join up with Him in building the eternal Temple of God. He has already given us all we need to make our contribution, but each of us will need to decide to be part of Jesus’s Temple Builders.
The task and reward of God’s Temple Builders
Our task as today’s Temple Builders is quite straightforward; first, we build ourselves up as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, and we connect in partnership with other human Temples. Then, together we seek other human vessels that can become Temples of our God. We do this with whatever talent, skill, gift, ability, and resources that God had already deposited in us.
Some principles are important in this work and you can read more from previous blogs on creativity https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-vision-and-creativity and partnership https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-partnership from the mini-series of Principles of Work.
The best encouragement to all of us is found in Revelation 21:3 which states ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple (verse 22).
This is the assurance that those of us who chose to obey God’s call in building His Temple will dwell forever in the New Heaven and the New Earth with the Lord Almighty God and the Lamb. Hallelujah!!!
I hope you have benefited from reading this blog and if so, please share with others. Please also continue to send your feedback and comments to hello@fmministry.co.uk or use the comment box below.
God bless you and let us keep growing in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ
Adesina