Glory in the Temple

"One Year Bible" Old Testament History Passage
I Kings 8:1-66

"And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." I Kings 8:10-11 (NKJV)

These verses describe something that all true believers desire more than anything else. May God fill His house! This is our great aspiration - that God come down in such power and presence that it is practically tangible. The shekinah glory of God settles like fog and lifts us into a new realm. In that realm people are saved, healed, delivered, filled with power. In that realm the presence of God is so manifest that we can virtually feel it, taste it, smell it. That's what happened in Solomon's day!

But, this did not happen "out of nowhere". A temple had been built. It was built according to a specific pattern. Solomon had taken eleven years to build this structure that would be the House of the Lord. This had been the first step.

The second step was the returning of the ark of the covenant to it's proper place. Structures are all very good, but they are really like the wineskins that contain the wine. The correct structure is necessary, but then we must bring back right priorities. The ark speaks of the presence of God in the midst of His people.

When we are structured biblically and then centered on God's presence, God promises that He will fill the house with His glory. It happened in Solomon's day, and it will happen again in our day!