Psalms 127:1: A song of Ascent for Solomon: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”

I recently heard an excellent sermon about Solomon’s Temple. The speaker kept referring to it as Solomon’s Temple because that is what it is known as.  It really should be known as God’s Temple but history records it as Solomon’s Temple.  The Talumd teaches that it  was called Solomon’s Temple for good reason.  This was more Solomon’s temple than it was God’s temple with regard to the construction.  Up until recently all we really knew about the first temple was what we were able to glean from Scripture.  Since the return of the Jews to Israel and Israel gaining control of Jerusalem, there has been and continues to be extensive research going on with regard to Solomon’s Temple.

For one thing, we know that the temple was built on the backs of slave labor.  We find that Solomon taxed the people to the point of rebellion to finance the temple. We have discovered that there was no silver used in the temple although it was commanded by God that certain things be made of silver, Solomon chose to make them of gold.  Some of the things that were suppose to be made of gold, Solomon commanded they be made of brass or copper. This ended up being more of a monument to Solomon than to God.  By the time of the dedication of the temple Solomon had married a number of pagan wives who brought idolatry into Israel.  It was barely more than 5 years after his death that his son, Rehoboam took much of the gold from the temple to bribe the Egyptians.  In less than one lifetime after the dedication of the temple, it was in decline.

Prophets arose to warn of coming judgment.  The people would mock and say: “Why look at the temple, we are the people of God, do you honestly think God would allow this beautiful monument to Himself be destroyed?  Come on use some common sense.”   Common sense or not, it was destroyed.

Yet, when the temple was dedicated we learn that God’s presence filled it. You know if God had to wait for perfection before He could bless us no one would get blessed. In fact God is blessing us all the time.  The problem is found in Malchai 2:3 as discussed in yesterday’s study. God pours out His love, that is what glory is.  The word glory in Hebrew is kabod which means a heaviness. It comes from an ancient Semitic root meaning to bear a burden and by the time it reached the Hebrew language it represented the bearing of a burden of love. God is so filled with love that He has to pour it out to people.  But if a person does not take that love to his  heart, he will not appreciate the blessing.  Even though the temple was not built according to the specifications God gave He still choose to let His presence abide in the temple. Many traveled to the temple to sincerely worship God and God’s glory or love filled the house despite the fact that it was not built according to His specifications and despite the fact that there was corruption among the priest.

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”   The word we translate as unless is the word im which is more commonly rendered as if. The syntax is a little confusing.  You have two constructs together:  If Jehovah and  he is not building.   It appears the KJV is right on target with the syntax, except there is no definite article on the word house but there is a pronoun and I would add the pronoun:  If Jehovah is not building His house.  The word house esoterically has the idea of the place of the heart.  You know the old saying: “Home is where the heart is.”  More clearly rendered you could say, “If Jehovah is not building a place within His heart…”

Then we add the last part, they labor in vain who build it.  This gave me pause in my quest for the heart of God.   The temple was meant to be a place where you entered the heart of God.  Yet, man corrupted the place, Solomon filled it with his own designs and yet God still let his presence be known, even through it was in steady decline.   The Apostle Paul tells us our bodies are the temple of God.   The heart of God is meant to reside in us.  Indeed we do labor to build and maintain this temple.  Often our labors are to bring glory (overflowing love) to God in ministry.  Yet, like Solomon, we can not help but put a little of our own design into this temple.  We can not help but build a monument to ourselves.   Sure we seek to bring honor to God in our ministry, but deep inside we also want a little of that honor for ourselves, we want maybe to make a good living at it, or develop a reputation and a following.  So what is so wrong with getting a little praise and honor for our labors? Maybe nothing is wrong with that except we do run the risk of a legacy that becomes Solomon’s Temple and not God’s Temple.   If that is the case all our labors  whether in ministry or at secular jobs are in vain.  The word vain in Hebrew is  shave which has the idea of desolate or waste. Our labors to build a place within God’s heart is all a waste.  Thus, when my book is released by Whitaker House next month it will not have my real name as the author, nor will you find my picture on the back cover. I know myself well enough that I will pull a Solomon and use the book as a monument to myself. I am hoping I learned something from Solomon’s mistakes.

Jesus said in John 14:2: “In my father’s house are many dwelling places.  I go to prepare a place for you.”   Jesus spoke this in Aramaic and he used a word identical to the word for house that was used in Psalms 127:1 which is speaking of His heart.  Only He can build that place in His heart for us.  If we try to build that place with all our ministries, ourt books, our great works and monuments to ourselves, our labors are all wasted.