Why a Temple of Great Magnificence, Fame and Splendor? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 22:5,

"... the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations."

This is the direction David contemplated as he made preparations for his son, Solomon, to build the temple of the Lord.

While it may seem an overly pedantic question, I think it should be asked nonetheless: exactly why should the temple of the Lord be of "great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations"? Why not just order up a structure from General Steel and get 'er done?

Was it because David wanted to upstage the surrounding nation's false idols? A sort of "my god is bigger than your god" taunt? Was it because he felt that God's ego needed bolstering, that God needed a majestic temple of splendor to enhance his self-worth? OK, I know these options are ridiculous, but I offer those as some people have wacky ideas about God.

How about this: the temple to be built by God's people to provide a locus for his presence and a venue for their worship and adoration of God should be appropriate to his splendor and majesty. That sounds pretty good to me, but I think another point is to be made. After all, how could mankind build anything proportional to the greatness of God? What kind of structure might be commensurable to the majesty of God's transcendent and many-splendored qualities?

This leave room for another thought to consider as to why the temple of the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations: to have impact on all the nations, drawing them to understand the transcendent presence and qualities of the God of Israel. Israel was chosen as God's people to represent him to the world and anything short of what David was looking for Solomon to build would simply not do.

What do you think?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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