Last summer, as Pastor Jon concluded his series on worship, I was concluding the reading of 1 Chronicles. Mostly, Chronicles is a big list of significant people in Israel but, at the end of 1 Chronicles, we get to see a description of what went into the building of the Temple of God. David’s heart for worship led to a great desire to build a home for God’s presence, the Ark of the Covenant. As we read in the books of Samuel, God required David to do other important work and reserved the work of building the temple for David’s son, Solomon.
Still, the task was a big priority for David and he spent a lifetime collecting all the materials his son would need. 1 Chronicles 29 gives us a description of those materials. Through the kingdom resources, David provided gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, onyx, turquoise, stones of various colors and marble – all in large quantities. However, as an offering to God, David gave “over and above”. He gave 110 tons of gold and 260 tons of refined silver from his own personal wealth on top of what the kingdom was able to provide. How magnificent this temple would be – adorned with an abundance of all things precious, given with generosity and thanksgiving.
In the New Testament (I Corinthians 3:16 & 17) we learn that through the resurrection of Christ Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit, our bodies have become the temples of God. Christ dwells in us! Our hearts have been made the sacred place for God’s presence. So, if God’s presence in the Old Testament was housed in a magnificently adorned temple and in the New Testament God’s presence is housed in my heart, how then should my temple, my heart, be adorned?
Obedience: Psalm 19:10 and Psalm 119:127 – David says that God’s commands are more precious than gold. By following His commands, my obedience becomes adornment for the temple.
Appropriate words: Proverbs 25:11 “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver”. When we speak Godly truth over a situation or a person, our words become precious adornment.
Humility, Love and Unity: Romans 12 teaches us to look at ourselves with sober judgment and to use our gifts in accompaniment to accomplish God’s work on earth.
Grace and Mercy: perhaps the most important adornments are represented throughout the entire New Testament. They are specifically spoken about in Ephesians 2 & 3. Nothing is more precious than the grace and mercy of Jesus. Those adornments make us alive forevermore!
We, of course, could dissect this further. There is certainly an abundance of gifts and fruits that God lays out in His Word. I encourage you to look for them as you read the Bible. Ask God to show you the treasures that He longs to see adorning your heart.
~Trisha Bowman
Christ Fellowship member
