31. Follow Him into the Temple

Last time we had a wonderful revelation of the meaning of the two pillars and their names (please have a look at it again to refresh your memory). We learned that God established a new covenant with us through the sacrifice of His Son and now He wants us to walk in agreement with Him. He wants us to enter into the Temple, unto a deeper revelation of Him.

Now today I want to finish off the two pillars by looking at the detail on the pillars themselves. The top of the pillars were in the shape of lilies and there were pomegranates on the pillars too:

"The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around." 1 Kings 7:20

Okay, so let us take a look at these two symbols. First of all we've seen in previous weeks that lilies resemble God's provision and care. God would look after them and provide for them.

Secondly let us have a look at pomegranates in the Bible. In Numbers 13:23 we see that the scouts brought back pomegranates to show how wonderful the Promised Land was. The pomegranates were a sign of a prosperous new future. Also in Deuteronomy 8:8 Moses mentions pomegranates to tell them how full of abundance the Promised Land is. Amongst so many things he could have mentioned he mentions pomegranates along with milk and honey and a couple of other things. But the point is, it was a sign of good things, God's unearned favor bestowed upon them. Another place where pomegranates are mentioned is in Song of Songs 6:11 and 8:2. Pomegranates are mentioned here as abundance provided and as a delicatessen to be enjoyed. It was certainly a sign of good things to be enjoyed. Therefore we can conclude that pomegranate is a symbol of prosperity and life to be enjoyed with God.

Interestingly there were two hundred on each pillar. Now the meaning of two hundred is complete deficiency. 'It is a strong expression of a person that is completely devoid of solutions or not able to provide sufficiently' (Hearing God - Numbers dictionary - Martin van der Merwe). Now, if we add the two together we come to four hundred and this means: full dominion/power/authority. So for me the meaning is clear, if Israel were to walk alone they would be completely deficient, devoid of solutions, but if they walk together with God they will have full dominion.

So, let us take all these together and see what God wants to reveal. He is saying that if Israel will walk with Him in full dominion, He will look after them and provide for them like the lilies. He will give them life to be enjoyed in abundance like the pomegranates.

If we take all this together with what we learned last week we can apply it to our lives today as well. God is saying that we need to walk with Him in agreement in the New Covenant that He has established for us. Alone we are completely deficient, but together with Him we can walk in full dominion. He will look after us and will give us access into His Promised Land where there is prosperity and a wonderful life to be enjoyed.

Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Sounds like a fairy tale, and yet it is the Word of God teaching us this. We are more inclined to believe what the world tells us than what the Word of God says, so sad. And you know what; it is when we run around in the outer court, in the world, that we get hurt. It is when we rush around and are too busy to go up the steps to the entrance of the Temple that we get frustrated and discouraged.

I have seen this with my own life. I actually liked the outer court at one stage of my life because I truly succeeded in it. I received acclaim and I received the medals. So it was nice for me there. But God wanted more for me, He wanted me to go deeper, He wanted me to enter into the Temple with Him. He wanted me to walk in agreement with Him. But I didn't want to go, I resisted. I wanted to stay where praises could be seen and experienced. I wanted to stay where the world clapped their hands for me and looked up to me. And then God had to take me through a journey where it became unbearable for me to stay in the outer court. All acclaim vanished and the medals were given to others. I was thrown with mud and I stained my most precious dress. I got hurt and I lay there for a long time. I didn't want to get up and I felt very sorry for myself and I was angry with God too. I was truly angry that He allowed this to happen to me. How could He? But ever so gently He worked with me, He gently came and washed off the mud from my face. He extended His hand and lifted me up. And slowly but surely my heart softened through the care of the Holy Spirit, and I started to walk after Him. Up the steps, past the pillars and into the Temple. And I can honestly say, wow. Deeper and deeper with Him, wow. It is nothing compared to the acclaim I received in the outer court, nothing! It is SO much more. It is exhilarating. Walking with Him is amazing. I will tell more of my journey later. But for now ask yourself the question as to where you are? Where is God in your story? Are you ready to follow Him? Don't shun Him. He won't force you to follow Him into the Temple, but He really wishes you would. He wants to look after you and bring you into the Promised Land. Most Christians stay outside and never experience the fullness that He has for them, what are you going to do?

Father, wow. Thank you for my journey, for my story. All of us have a story to tell. Thank you for loving me too much to leave me in the outer court. I love and praise You. You are My Provider, the One I will love forever and ever! Amen

 

1 comment for “31. Follow Him into the Temple”

  1. Gravatar of RonelleRonelle
    Posted Tuesday, 02 April 2019 at 3:58:56 PM

    Praise the Lord, for He loves us too much to let go of us!

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