City on a Hill
1 KINGS 5–8
It was hard to believe, impossible for some, but it had
happened. God had taken an old, barren couple and from them produced a nation
of people, millions of people. He had given them the best land imaginable and placed
them right in the middle of civilization so that other nations could come and
see what it looked like when a people lived together in harmony under the
authority of God.
One promise fulfilled, Israel had arrived.
They had encountered many missteps along the way, but those
days were behind them! They had an established monarchy now. Saul had failed,
but David had been a success (often in spite of himself). Now the crown had
been passed to David’s son Solomon, and things really looked bright.
Solomon was the wealthiest man in the world, wealthier than
most of us can imagine, sort of like Donald Trump, only with even more wives!
Donald Trump, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates combined couldn’t begin to touch
the amount of Solomon’s wealth (or the number of wives, for that matter). And
wisdom coming out his ears!
These were bright times indeed, and the brightest spot of
all was a gigantic Temple that Solomon constructed for YHWH. He spared no
expense, seeking out only the finest building materials and the most skilled
craftsmen. The Temple was one of the marvels of the ancient world, and
dignitaries from all over came to see the magnificent structure.
It took seven years to build and more than 200,000 workers.
And the celebration at the opening put everything before or since to shame. It
was New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the
Olympics, the Academy Awards, the Fourth of July and everyone’s birthday all
rolled into one! The presence of God was so thick, so heavy, so palpable, so
tangible that the priests literally couldn’t stand it!
For the Israelites, though, the Temple was more than just a
building; it was a visible reminder of God’s abiding presence. The Temple was a
symbol of just how faithful their God had been, bringing them out of barrenness
into fruitfulness, out of famine into abundance, out of slavery into freedom.
Unfortunately, that day was the high point.
From there on out, it was a slow and gradual decline, both
for Solomon personally and for the entire nation of Israel. They would never
again be this wealthy or this unified. Solomon would allow himself to be led
down the slippery slope of idolatry. The people would grow more and more
divided, ultimately splitting the kingdom in two. Then they would grow more
alienated from each other and their God.
YHWH’s ultimate dream of building a city set on a hill would
have to wait. But for one brief moment, they actually got it right.
And what a moment it was.
God of Abraham and David, You have planted a profound
longing deep within me that no earthly attainment or solace can satisfy. This
aspiration is for Your manifest presence, and it draws me to see the world as
You meant it to be. The brief Camelot of Solomon’s early reign, with its splendour
and its far-reaching influence on the nations around Israel, gives me a hint of
what You are planning for the future that will not be ephemeral, but will go on
into eternity. When I come in contact with the innermost desires of my heart, I
must openly admit that this present world is not enough. You have planted one
of my feet in this age and the other in the glorious age to come. Keep me in
touch with this hunger and thirst for what You plan to bring, so that I will
see more clearly that nothing in this world is enough to satisfy this divinely
given restlessness.
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