“But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?”
~ 2 Chronicles 2:6
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to draw building designs? If you have ever drawn a building design, would you like to build the building that you have designed? When your grandmaa and grandpaa were asked to find a piece of property that would work as a Bible education and leadership training center for guys from Christ-follower fellowships of guys, gals and kids that are associated with A.I.E.O. (Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas del Oriente) that are located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, your grandmaa drew a design of the kind of house that your grandmaa and grandpaa hoped to be able to live in while they lived on the property that they had purchased. The property was located on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. Eight guys a year were to be recruited from A.I.E.O. related Christ-follower fellowships of guys, gals and kids that are in Santa Cruz to spend two years – with his family if he is married, living in a resident context to be enabled with Bible knowledge and to learn how to initiate and pastor urban Christ-follower fellowships of guys, gals and kids. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were planning to live on this piece of property while they administrated this urban resident Bible education/leadership training program. The house design that your grandmaa drew had an open, inner patio area and inside corridor that connected the house’s different rooms to each other. Your grandpaa drew a very rough draft of what became a well-lit, airy classroom at the rural resident Bible education/leadership training center in Concepción, Nuflo de Chávez, Bolivia. When your grandmaa was in high school, your grandmaa – after taking an aptitude test, was told that she should consider becoming an architect. Your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk was a carpenter. Your grandpaa’s dad had his big bro build the three stall garage that is on your grandpaa’s dad’s farm. Your grandpaa’s dad’s farm is located one mile west and two miles north of Volga, South Dakota. Your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk also made grandfather clocks as a hobby. Your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk made grandfather clocks for several South Dakota Governors.
David told his kid Solomon to build in the city of Jerusalem an earthly house for God. 2 Chronicles 2 outlines the earthly house that Solomon would build on planet Earth for the presence of God to reside and where He could be worshipped in by His specially chosen guys and gals. The Chronicler has left your grandpaa thinking that Solomon was not terribly excited about building a house for the presence of God to reside. The Chronicler scribed in what has become verse 6, “But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?” Before he died, David accrued money and material for his kid – Solomon, to build a house/temple for the presence of God to reside. Solomon may have felt obligated to do what his dad – David, had really wished that he could have done himself but could not do because his life had been involved in skirmishes that involved in guys dying. It would not have worked for a guy – like David, who had so much blood on his hands, to be the guy to have the blessing of building a house/temple for a Divine Being – God, for His presence to reside.
When Solomon began to build the house/temple for the presence of God to reside, he contacted Hiram – who was king over the guys and gals who lived in Tyre, Lebanon, for his help with the lumber that was needed to build the house/temple for the presence of God to reside. Solomon needed cedar, pine and algum timber from trees that grew in Lebanon. Solomon promised the king of Tyre – Hiram, that he would pay 20,000 cors or 125,000 bushels of ground wheat, 20,000 cors or 125, 000 bushels of barley, 20,000 baths or 120,000 gallons of wine and 20,000 baths or 120,000 gallons of olive oil to the guys who cut the trees into logs. When Solomon asked Hiram for a skilled guy who could do about anything, Hiram sent Huram-Abi to the city of Jerusalem to help in the building of a majestic home/temple for the presence of God to reside. Huram-Abi’s ma was from the Dan tribal clan – making Huram-Abi part Israelite people group guy. Huram-Abi was trained to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, purple, blue and crimson yarn, fine linen and how to engrave any design that was given to him to engrave. Huram-Abi was a very capable dude who obviously really knew his stuff. Once Solomon got everything settled with Hiram, Solomon conscripted or enlisted the 153,600 aliens who were living in Israel’s land area to do the grunt work. Solomon had 80,000 of the aliens do the job of chipping out blocks of stone for the walls of the home/temple for the presence of God to reside that would be located in the city of Jerusalem. Solomon then had 70,000 of the aliens carry the blocks of stone for the home/temple for the presence of God to reside to the building site in the city of Jerusalem. Solomon made the other 3,600 aliens foremen over the grunts. Solomon would dedicate the home/temple where the presence of God would reside in the city of Jerusalem. The home/temple that would be built in the city of Jerusalem where the presence of God would reside would be where fragrant incense would be burnt before God, where bread that was consecrated would be set out daily before God, where burnt offerings would be made in the mornings and evenings as well as on Sabbaths, on New Moons and on the appointed feast days to God. If you decide right now to draw a house for God to live in on planet Earth, how would you design the house? Do not forget that God has your hearts as homes to live in on planet Earth. Is God – as God the Spirit, living in your hearts? Is God – as God the Son, listening to your hearts’ desires? Is God – as God the Father, glorifying Himself through you – bringing joy to your hearts?
2 Chronicles 2 (825)