Articles
Temple In Ruins - 1Kgs. 9:6-8
Temple In Ruins - 1Kgs. 9:6-8
God warns Solomon: “6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’” (1 Kings 9:6-8).
Solomon reigns as king from (970-931 B.C.). During this time, he built the temple of the LORD and fortified the city of Jerusalem. He extends the borders of Israel to the promised boundaries (cp. Gen. 15:18 and 1Kings 4:21-24). Now we set out to read the history of Israel’s dealing with God and this temple. It is an ugly read from a spiritual standpoint.
Out of the Davidic kings, 12 of the 20 kings are evil*. The priests and Levites who were to lead and teach the people were often corrupt themselves. The law is ignored, and the temple is defiled. Finally, God had enough and raised up Babylon to punish Israel.
In Ezekiel 10, we watch the glory of the Lord that had come at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, removes itself. Shortly thereafter, in 586 B.C., Babylon completely destroys the city of Jerusalem and the temple. The people of Israel are destroyed as a nation. Many of them are physically removed from their land and taken as slaves to all part of the Babylonian kingdom. The story however does not end at that point.
Truly God was longsuffering, YET He was faithful to keep His word! God is always faithful to His word, but He accomplishes such in HIS time and according to HIS purpose and plan. This involved some 400 years of longsuffering, some 10 plus generations of longsuffering. But, as one of our old hymns states, “there is a line that is crossed”.
70 years later, God does restore the people of Israel to the land. The city and the temple are rebuilt. The priesthood and sacrifice system are restored. BUT there is no Davidic king, that must wait for the promised ‘David’, the Messiah. Some 400 years later, Jesus is born: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).
We learn that God is faithful. We learn that the longsuffering of God often appears to men to be inactivity and uncaring on the part of God. God is still longsuffering and faithful! God has promised that Jesus will come again and we will be gathered together with Him to live in the presence of God. Peter wrote about such problem for God’s people in 2 Peter.
He is longsuffering as to gives US time to repent. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The promise of Christ's coming WILL HAPPEN! Are YOU ready?
Hugh DeLong
Kings of Judah, southern kingdom - 19 kings and 1 usurper - 8 ‘good’, 12 ‘evil’
· Rehoboam – evil
· Abijam – evil
· Asa – good
· Jehoshaphat – good
· Jehoram – EVIL
· Ahaziah – evil
· Athaliah – evil usurper
· Joash – good AND bad
· Amaziah – good AND bad
· Uzziah - Good
· Jotham – good
· Ahaz – EVIL
· Hezekiah – GOOD
· Manasseh – EVIL
· Amon – Evil
· Josiah – GOOD
· Jehoahaz – evil
· Jehoiakim – evil
· Jehoiachin – evil
· Zedekiah – evil
(synopsis taken from Old Testament History by Wilbur Fields, pg. 506-509).
