Author: Calleen Hough

Night Watch

It’s hard to say what exactly went on in Solomon’s temple because what was prescribed was not always carried out. One of the reasons Israel went into exile was they were not observing certain portions of the law. Temple activities were intended to be continuous, with some things happening on a 24/7 basis. The priests who were responsible for maintaining these activities worked in shifts, rotating in and out over a period of time. Some of them worked through the night during what were called watches. “During Old Testament times the ‘night’ was divided into three watches: from sunset to 10 P.M., from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M., and from 2 A.M. to sunrise” (3915).

I think the hardest part of becoming a mom is attending to the needs of a newborn baby around the clock. Although we are used to sleeping at night, newborns have no awareness of time and do not differentiate between night and day. Their patterns are based on activity in the womb and must be adapted to sleeping only at night.

The Levites that served in the temple had to adapt their behavior to God’s patterns and ways of doing things. It says in Psalm 134:1, “Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.” The word translated stand, amad basically means “to stand upright,” but “cultically (with reference to formal worship activities) this verb is used of approaching the altar to make a sacrifice. It describes the last stage of this approaching, ‘to stand finally and officially’ before the altar (before God; cf Deut 4:11). Such standing is not just standing still doing nothing but includes all that one does in ministering before God (Num 16:9)” (5975).

God’s response

It goes without saying that when we pray, we expect to get an answer, but I wonder, do we really? I’ve heard it said that prayer is supposed to be like having a conversation with God, and yet, I’m still amazed that the first time I prayed, God actually answered me.

When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple, God answered him, but not until several years later. It says in 2 Chronicles 7:11-12, “Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the kings house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously affected. And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.” It says in 2 Chronicles 8:1 that it took Solomon 20 years to build “the house of the LORD, and his own house,” so it appears God’s response came at least 13 years after Solomon prayed at the temple dedication (1 Kings 6:38 – 7:1).

The obvious question is, why did it take the LORD so long to respond? God operates outside of time, so from his perspective, there was no delay. His response came when the outcome had been decided. Because we have free will, our actions to a certain extent determine God’s responses to our prayers.

God’s response to Solomon contained an if/then statement. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Prayer alone does not get God’s attention. God looks for evidence of repentance in our actions before he intervenes. Even though Solomon prayed on his knees with his hands raised toward heaven, his actions demonstrated his real priorities. Solomon spent seven years building the house of the LORD, “But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years” (1 Kings 7:1).

Prayer

In addition to being Israel’s king, Solomon was a spiritual leader of the people. His prayer of dedication was an important one because it was made “before all the congregation of Israel” (2 Chronicles 6:13). In order to be certain that everyone could see him, Solomon had a platform erected that was “five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high.” Then he, “kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven” (2 Chronicles 6:13). Most likely, Solomon wanted everyone to know that he worshipped the LORD like his father David had and would depend on God for guidance as he led the people.

Solomon’s prayer of dedication was quite long for a public prayer. He recounted many details of God’s covenant with Israel. The words recorded are probably a summary rather than an exact dictation of what he said. The entire prayer may have lasted as long as 30 – 60 minutes. For Solomon to be on his knees with his hands raised heavenward for that length of time was an excessive display of devotion. I doubt he could not have done it unless he was accustomed to praying in that posture.

It is likely that David taught Solomon how to pray and the two of them may have even prayed together. Solomon had a much different relationship with the LORD than his father David did, but it is clear that Solomon understood the importance and power of prayer.

Worship

Worship can be a supernatural experience. I think it is possible in the spiritual realm that our voices and those of angels are joined together as we worship the Lord. It could be that worship is the intersection between two realms and we and/or God are somehow transported into each others’ presence as we sing praises and lift our voices to heaven.

During the dedication of Solomon’s temple, when the ark was brought into the most holy place, it says in 2 Chronicles 5:13:

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lift up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD.

The reference to “singers were as one” and “to make one sound” implies that the priests were performing in perfect unison. What is not stated, but could also be true is that the natural and supernatural were also as one, which is why the house was filled with a cloud indicating the presence of God.

Many times as I have been worshipping at church, I have felt the presence of God enter the sanctuary. Although God’s heavenly host is invisible, and typically imperceptible, I’m sure they accompany him wherever he goes, uniting the two realms in which he exists.

No Secrets

I’m very glad that God doesn’t keep secrets from us about what he intends to do in our lives. The gift of prophecy is his way of letting us know what he knows about the future that is of concern to us. More than 20 years ago, I had a dream, I believe a prophetic dream, about my future. Although I didn’t understand everything the dream was communicating to me, I knew it was intended to be a guide that I could follow to assure me that God’s will was being carried out.

It is clear that Solomon was familiar with the books of Moses because most of the content of his prayer of dedication of the temple can be found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In particular, Solomon focused on prophecies that were given to Moses about Israel after they had settled in the Promised Land. The key issue in Solomon’s intercessory prayer was Israel’s repentance. He prayed to the LORD God of Israel:

If they sin against thee,  (for there is no man that sinneth not) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; and so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive…Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee. (I Kings 8:46-50)

It was no secret that the Israelites would go into captivity, therefore, Solomon prayed as if it had already happened and asked the LORD in advance to forgive them.

God’s Presence

Although God is invisible, he is not without substance. When the ark was brought into the temple, it says in 1 Kings 8:10-11, “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.”

The word translated cloud, “‘anan is used especially of the ‘cloud mass’ that evidenced the special presence of God” (6051). Solomon intended the temple he built to be an actual home for God because he said, “I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever” (1 Kings 8:13).

Surrender

One of the ways salvation is sometimes described is described is surrendering your life to Christ. The act of surrendering is often associated with criminals that have been caught by the police or an army that is taken prisoner by its enemy. There is usually some element of capture involved and the loss of freedom. When I became a Christian, I didn’t really surrender my life to Christ. I surrendered a part of my life, the part that was messed up and needed fixing, but most of my life was still under my control. Over the course of about 30 years, I slowly and gradually surrendered the rest until I was completely surrendered to Christ.

Most of the vessels in Solomon’s temple were made of brass (2 Chronicles 4:18), but some were made of gold. A list of articles made of pure gold can be found in 2 Chronicles 4:20-22 and it also indicates that “the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold.” The word translated perfect, miklah means completion (4357). Miklah is derived from the word kalah which means to end or be finished (3615). Kalah may refer to the end of a process or action, so the perfect gold may have been gold that was processed to remove impurities. The word translated pure, cagar means to shut up or imprison and figuratively it can mean to surrender. The likely source of this gold was an underground mine. Therefore, the reference to its purity is not about its quality, but its location.

Thinking about myself as a resource to God, I have no value unless I am where he wants to be when he wants to use me. Part of the process of my surrender was getting into a location where I would be available for service in a particular church/ministry. In some ways, my gifts and talents are now like a gold deposit ready to be mined when they are needed.

 

Baptism

After becoming a Christian, I was baptized a few weeks later. I know something happened to me on the inside through the experience, although I can’t say exactly what. I felt different, as if I had been changed on the inside instantaneously. I’ve never wanted to do it again, but I have wished I could get that feeling back.

Cleansing and purification were a major focus of the Old Testament sacrificial system. Among the furnishings of Solomon’s temple was a “molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about” (2 Chronicles 4:2). The molten sea was a large metal tub approximately 15 feet wide and 8 feet high filled with water “for the priests to wash in” (2 Chronicles 4:6).

The immense size of the molten sea indicates two things. First, the priests were cleansed by immersing themselves in the water. The height of the molten sea made it impossible to stand without being completely covered with water. Second, the cleansing was not meant for the priests’ bodies because a single bath of water, approximately 22 liters of water, would have been sufficient. The molten sea contained 3000 baths of water (2 Chronicles 4:5), enough to fill a large room.

The purpose of baptism by immersion is identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but I believe it is also a type of spiritual bath. In and of itself, being dunked in the water doesn’t do anything for us, but I think a cleansing does take place for those that believe in baptism’s transformative affect. When I was baptized, I believe I was made clean on the inside. All the internal effects of sin were eliminated as I was spiritually buried with Christ and resurrected to new life.

Pillars

Some people believe there are guardian angels that watch over people. I believe I have two angels, one that stands on my right side and one that stands on my left at all times. I believe these two angels were assigned to me at a specific time to deal with the spiritual issues of doubt and fear. The one that was given me to fight against doubt I named Tom to remind me of doubting Thomas who didn’t believe the Lord had risen until he saw him with his own eyes. The one that was given me to fight against fear I named George to remind me that I am gorgeous in the eyes of God because I am his beloved bride.

Chapter 7 of 1 Kings contains a detailed description of two pillars that stood outside the main entrance of Solomon’s temple. It says in 1 Kings 7:21, “he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.” The significance of these pillars is unknown, but they may have embodied some symbolism. The fact that they were named indicates there was a ceremonial purpose for their existence. As worshippers approached the temple, the pillars may have appeared to be guarding the entrance. All who entered the temple had to pass through them. The word translated pillars, ammud is derived from the word amad which means to stand. “It is what a soldier does while on watch” (5975).

The unseen spiritual realm is for the most part a mystery to believers. Angels engage in spiritual warfare on our behalf and often they defeat our enemies without us being aware of it (2 Kings 6:16-17). I believe the angels that stand beside me serve several functions, one of which is to protect me and they are responsible for my safety as types of spiritual bodyguards or bouncers. When I wake up afraid in the middle of the night, I imagine them standing one on each side of my bed, clad in brass armour with their swords drawn to defend me. I immediately calm down knowing that I am in good hands.

Impossible

I would like to think I can do anything I set my mind to, but there are some things that are impossible for me. Sometimes I think I can do things that I actually can’t and other times I think I can’t do things that I can. The problem is I don’t know my own limitations.

When Solomon was preparing to build the temple, he knew the task was too much for him. He said in 2 Chronicles 2:5-6, “And the house which I build is great: for great is out God above all gods. But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?”

Solomon described the house he was going to build for God as “wonderful great” (2 Chronicles 2:9). The word translated wonderful, pala’ means “to be marvelous, be extraordinary, be beyond one’s power to do. Pala’ is used primarily with God as its subject, expressing actions that are beyond the bounds of human power or expectation…Although something may appear impossible to man, it still is within God’s power” (6381).

Five years ago, I made a commitment to not have sex ever again unless I am married. For some people, this might not be a big deal, but for me, it seemed impossible. At the time, I felt like I would die if I didn’t have sex, so giving it up was a sacrifice. Over the years, my desire for sex has gotten stronger. There have been times when I thought not having sex was killing me. The only way I have been able to get through it has been the power of God helping me to do what I set out to do.