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