2 Chronicles 2:1, 4-5 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom….Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him…And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
David planned the Temple, made elaborate preparations for it, and charged his son Solomon to build it. Solomon then determined to build a house for the name (the presence) of the Lord, and dedicate it to Him for worship and sacrifice. The House he built was great, wonderful, awesome, and beautiful. Chronicles describes in elaborate detail the materials and craftsmanship of the temple’s building.
The great, almighty Creator of the universe loved His people so much that He desired to humble Himself to live among them, to be with them always on the earth. There will be a place where God is present with us, where He will receive worship and develop a relationship with us. Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of David, became God with us in a human body. He lived, died, and rose to buy us back and bring us to God. He pointed to His physical body and called it a temple that would be destroyed and raised up in three days. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the bodies of believers, who would become the temple, the name, the presence, of God on earth.
We are humbly grateful and joyful that the God of the universe has chosen to dwell on earth in our bodies as a Temple. That very thought gives us pregnant pause: we say, “Jesus is my Lord,” we worship, thank, praise, glorify, and honor Him, and we die to self that we may love and serve others. Thus our response is to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name.” The name, the presence, of God is in us to renew us and energize us to live a godly and loving life.