The Day God Filled The House

The Day God Filled The House

Text: II Chron.5: 13 & 14

Intro: Our text gives us the exciting account of the dedication of Solomon’s temple. This temple was the fulfillment of a promise made by God to King David. David had desired to build a permanent dwelling place for the ark of God, but was denied the privilege of doing so because he was a man of war. However, God promised David that He would give him a son who would build a magnificent temple unto the Lord. That son of course, was Solomon.

As we enter into II Chronicles chapter five, the temple has been completed, and preparations are being made for its dedication. Solomon orders all the treasures dedicated by his father, David, as well as the instruments to be used in the service of the temple be moved from the tabernacle to their new place in the temple.

This was a solemn occasion indeed. Israel had never known a stationary place of worship. For years they had known only the portable tent called the tabernacle. It was a constant reminder of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. However, that was all about to change.

Solomon’s temple, due to the fact it was a permanent structure, implied that God had established His people in the land of promise, never to wander again. When the temple was dedicated, the Lord demonstrated His approval in a most exciting way. I would like to briefly examine the happenings of this momentous event to see what principles can be applied to our present situation.

Theme: God filled the house when:

I. GOD RETURNED TO HIS REVERED PLACE

A. Everyone Assembled For The Occasion.

1. The leaders of Israel were there.

II Chron.5: 2 “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.

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4a And all the elders of Israel came…”

NOTE: [1] It has often been stated that everything rises or falls on leadership. That statement certainly has an element of truth. Solomon was about to dedicate the house of God. He knew that the presence of himself, and the leaders of Israel, would demonstrate the importance of this event. It’s important for any member of the church to be faithful when this body of believers meets to worship. But if you hold a position in this church, your faithful attendance, or the lack thereof, helps set the tone for the rest of the body.

A Leader Is…

Peter Drucker, perhaps the most noted authority on leadership in the 20th century, says:

A leader is one who has followers. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He is someone whose followers do the right thing. Popularity is not leadership, results are. Leaders are highly visible. They, therefore, set examples. Leadership is not rank or privileges, titles or money. Leadership is responsibility.

Quoted in Focal Point, summer, 1997, p. 19

[2] Any person who holds a position in the church, and yet will not be faithful to God’s house, is setting a poor example. One who has been given the responsibility of a position in the church also has the added responsibility of setting the standard for faithfulness.

2. The people were there.

II Chron.5: 6 “Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.”

NOTE: It is important for every member of the church to be faithful to God’s house. You never know what you might miss. You might miss the very spiritual morsel you need. Having to miss a service now and then is completely understandable. However, haphazard attendance in God’s house by God’s children is not understandable.

B. Solomon And The People Made Sacrificial Offerings.

II Chron.5: 6 “Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.”

NOTE: These sacrificial animals represented the best the worshippers had to offer. They were being offered to the Lord in worship and adoration. Worshippers of today are not required to sacrifice animals in order to worship God. They are commanded by God to sacrifice something far more valuable—their whole person. Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom.12: 1). Without getting into all of the theology involved in this verse, let it suffice to say that Paul is advocating that the child of God make a full surrender to the Lord. In essence, we are to give God the sacrifices of our time, energy, talents, and even our finances for His service.