SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/20/2017
9:29 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Temple”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 7:44-53
Message
of the verses: “44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of
testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make
it according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 “And having received it in
their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the
nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 46 “David
found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for
the God of Jacob. 47 “But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. 48 "However,
the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet
says: 49 ’HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND
OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?’ says the Lord, ’OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY
REPOSE? 50 ’WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?’ 51 "You men who are stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are
doing just as your fathers did. 52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers
not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the
Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who
received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."”
The next response that Stephen gives is the response
about the temple as he had been accused of blaspheming against the temple and
so in verse 44 he begins to respond to that charge. He actually begins with the tabernacle which
of course came before the temple as Moses was given instructions on how to
build it while up on the mountain and we can see its construction in the book
of Exodus. The tabernacle as then taken
by Joshua into the Promised Land, and I suppose that it was brought right in
when Israel crossed the Jordan river as God had stopped up the river so Israel
could cross on dry ground. The
tabernacle was used by Israel up until the time of David as it was his desire
to build a temple, but because of so much blood on his hands the Lord had his
son Solomon build the temple. It was
David’s idea to build a temple and the temple would be built at the exact spot
where Abraham was going to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice to God, but God
provided a lamb. The spot where the
temple was to be built was purchased by David because of the sin of numbering
the people was stopped at this exact spot where Abraham was going to offer up
Isaac. I have mentioned in earlier SD’s
that the two sins of David which most people know were actually used by the
Lord to have the temple built. His sin with
Bathsheba resulted in the birth of Solomon, and his sin of numbering the people
resulted in the purchase of the land where the temple was built. David offered up sacrifices to the Lord at
this place where the Lord stopped the plague that was killing some of the
children of Israel because David was numbering them.
Stephen says little about Solomon’s temple as the
Sanhedrin knew the history of it already.
Another reason was because the current temple was not Solomon’s temple
but what is referred to as Herod’s temple because Herod remolded the
temple. Solomon’s temple was destroyed
by the Babylonians in August of 586 B. C. because of the sins of the children
of Israel, mostly because of their dealings with idols. The new temple was built by Zerubbabel (see Ezra
5:2). It seems to be the belief of John MacArthur
that Zerubbabel ‘s temple was destroyed and Herod built the temple later on,
but I have never heard that the second temple was destroyed, only that Herod
had remodeled it so I will leave it at that.
Stephen then makes the point that “the Most High does not
dwell in houses made by humans.” We know
that Solomon knew that point also for this point was made in his prayer when
the temple was dedicated (1 Kings 8:27).
We will continue looking at this subject in our next SD.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: In responding to
the point that the Most High does not live in temple’s made by humans, He does although
dwell in humans who have accepted the forgiveness that Christ offers through
His death on the cross along with His burial, and resurrection, which shows
that God was satisfied with His sacrifice.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Remember that the Holy Spirit lives in
me and by God’s grace I will listen to Him as He leads me each day.
Memory verse: Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever
is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Eight” (Genesis 7:13).
Today’s Bible
question: “Through faith we understand
that the worlds were formed by what?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/20/2017 10:03 AM
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