Last week we finished discussing
the second Temple and we concluded that the second Temple was
merely used for religious activities. The religious leaders
followed the Torah to the tee, but their hearts were far away from
God. They didn't follow all the rules to draw closer to Him. They
rather followed it to receive acclaim from people and to get
rich.
They used this Temple until +- 20
BC. Then Herod started to rebuild it into something magnificent,
much larger than the other two with open paved areas known as
different courts. The Temple was totally transformed and that is
why I call it the Third Temple.
Herod was interested in
perpetuating his name for all eternity through construction
projects and by rebuilding the Temple he hoped to find favor with
the Jews. During this project the daily sacrifices and rituals
could continue as per normal. The reconstruction took 46 years
according to the Jewish leaders to complete (John 2:20).
This Temple was finished in 26AD,
but destroyed in 70 AD by Titus. Interestingly to note, God is
nowhere to be mentioned in the reconstruction of the Temple. No
special mention is made of how God helped them. This Temple was
rebuilt by the might of men and to the glory of men. Herod wanted
to show how great he was not how great God was. He rebuilt the
Temple in order to exalt himself. He wanted all the praise.
There is therefore no mention of
God's Shekinah glory occupying the Temple. God didn't approve of
this Temple. It wasn't what He wanted. He wanted the hearts of the
people. He didn't want them to become proud and praise and worship
the Temple more than they praised Him.
Today we must also make sure that
we are not building a 'third' Temple in our lives that God doesn't
approve of. Many times we want to do something, and without
realizing it, it might be to exalt ourselves, it might be to
further our career, it might be to 'help' our children excel at
school. Whatever the case may be, make sure that you are building
on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ! Make sure that you are
building your 'house' on the Rock, Jesus Christ. And not on sand
that won't stand the test of time.
The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD
never to be rebuilt again. Why? Because God wasn't honored there.
Make sure that whatever you are busy with honors God. Make sure
that He is the One receiving the glory. Make His Kingdom your
primary concern, and then all other things will be added unto
you.
Jesus said He can rebuild this
spectacular new Temple in 3 days. He was actually saying that the
era of a physical Temple was coming to an end (John 2:19). Without
running too far ahead, just know that we are living in the 'no
Temple' era. As we are the Temple of God now. We are the ones in
which the Shekinah glory of God resides. But I will come to that in
the next couple of weeks. For now, just make sure that your Temple
exalts God, that your Temple brings you closer to Him. That is all
He wants, a relationship. Christ died so that we can have one.
Praise His Name!! May we all rejoice in the wonder of His amazing
grace.
Father thank you for Your amazing
grace. Thank you for looking out for us. We love You dearly. Please
show us clearly if we are building Temples on shaky foundations and
give us the courage to tear it down and rather to build our Temples
on our Rock, Jesus Christ. Amen