MY VISION OF GOD
Tuesday, 9th August 2016
2 Chronicles 2:1-18 (NKJV)
Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal house for himself.
2 Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3 Then Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
4Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
5 And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
6 But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
8 Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants,
9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
10 And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil. …
Our response to God is determined by our vision or idea of who He is. Some see Him as, “just” God the Creator of all things. Some see Him more irreverently as “that man upstairs”. So He is their brother or their playmate. Others see Him as their senior brother, and they use His name in vain, showing no respect, fear, honour on their lips, in their prayers, praises and songs. He is just Jesus, God, and brother -my oga.
However, there are those who see Him with the heart of Solomon, the anointing of David, and the awesomeness of Abraham. Like David they declare: “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. He is also to be feared above all gods. …But the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place … Give to the Lord glory and strength … worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Tremble before Him, all the earth …”2 Chron. 16:25-33. Therefore, Solomon declared: “And the temple which I will build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods …”2 Chron. 2:5-6
Thought: Your vision of God determines His worth to You, and your service to Him.