Based on 1 Kings 8:1-11 (New King James Version)
“Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. Then they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 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 because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”
What we can see here in this passage is that after the Lord’s house was dedicated, and when the most important piece was placed in the Most Holy Place, the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. But if we focus on the detail, the Word notes that the ark contained something; the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed in there in Horeb, or God’s commandments. That was what was finally deposited in the center, in the most private place of the temple, the Most Holy Place. So then, what is the lesson here? That when we put the Word of God at the center of everything, starting in our own life, then we will see the glory of God. But how is this done?
If we start looking at this, it would be good to see the following: “Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’” Matthew 19:16-21. We see here that the Lord makes it even more clear to the one He was speaking to, that if he wanted to be perfect, that he had to truly demonstrate the fulfillment of the commandments, that he had to treat God as God and Lord, the same person that was speaking to him. What was the Lord truly referring to? Precisely to the commandments, as it is written: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:2-6. What was the Lord trying to teach him? The practical side of fulfilling the commandments, because in the end, He was the One that actually wrote onto the tablets of stone that were in the ark. He was (and is) this God that commands us to love Him and to keep His commandments. This was to what the Lord was pointing to, just as He said it in another occasion: “…‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’’ This is the first commandment.’” Mark 12:29-30. This is the most important, the first commandment, and as such, the center of everything, because it tops everything. If this commandment is not understood and kept, then the rest is useless because this must be the foundation of everything so that a person could effectively keep the commandments and be perfect just as the Lord taught.
So, what does the Word of God have to do with loving God with everything we are? This, as it is written: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4. The Word is God. Christ is God. Through this is that we understand that was is written are more than words on tablets of stone, or on sheets of paper in a book, or as it exists today, data on a screen somewhere. The Word of God is God Himself, no matter what form He takes, be it as it may, and that’s why the Word must be loved. And loving the Word means that it must fulfilled in every dimension. It must be fulfilled spiritually, physically, and literally. This is what the Word of God itself says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The only way that the Word of God is fulfilled is when it is practiced, through every good work. The Word must be done, obeyed, fulfilled, believed, and of course, loved.
We see this matter of obeying in the life of Paul (before known as Saul) in the following passage: “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Acts 9:3-6. What was the most important thing that Saul did? He asked with all of his heart, completely surrendered to the Power that went to find Him: “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And when he was told what to do, he went and did just as he was commanded to do. This is what should happen with the Word of God, with God Himself. Because the Word also reveals this to us: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.’” John 14:23-24. The glory of God, the presence of God, will be revealed in the most intimate part of man when the Word is fulfilled just as it should be, starting with the foundation: loving God. So then, have you made the Word of God the center of your life? Lord bless! John