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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Tuesday, 25 November 2025:
2 Chronicles 3:1 — Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Solomon’s temple wasn’t just built anywhere, it was anchored to a location saturated with redemptive history. Mount Moriah was where Abraham offered Isaac, the mountain where God provided the substitute lamb (Genesis 22:14). It was the place where the angel of the LORD had halted the plague in David’s day (1 Chronicles 21:15). The ground itself testified to sacrifice, mercy, and divine provision. By building here, Solomon wasn’t simply erecting a structure; he was stepping into a storyline God had been writing for centuries. The temple becomes the architectural embodiment of God’s consistent message: “I provide the sacrifice. I dwell among My people.” This location anticipates Christ, the greater Substitute and final Temple (John 2:19-21). God’s work is never random — He builds His purposes on the foundation of His faithful intervention across generations.
Just outside the Temple walls, Jesus would later be crucified. Today, the Islamic Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque also sit on Mount Moriah, possibly fulfilling the prophecy of Revelation 11:1-2 — “I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.”
2 Chronicles 3:2 — He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.
God’s work advances with intentional timing. Solomon didn’t rush the project, nor did he delay. He built when the time was right, four years into the stability of his reign, and in the month traditionally associated with agricultural preparation. While others were sowing seed, Solomon was sowing worship. In leadership, timing is as strategic as effort. Ecclesiastes 3 declares that God has appointed times and seasons; wise leaders align with God’s cadence, not impulse. Solomon’s timing reflects disciplined readiness, patient enough to prepare, decisive enough to act.
2 Chronicles 3:3 — These are Solomon’s measurements for building the house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
The Chronicler emphasizes “the old standard,” a subtle reminder that the temple was rooted in God’s established design, not human innovation. Solomon didn’t freelance the blueprint; he followed the God-given template handed down through David (1 Chronicles 28:19). Worship is not reinvented; it is obeyed. True excellence begins with submission to God’s pattern.
Commentaries suggest that the “old” cubit was a longer cubit (Ezekiel 43:13) which would have meant a bigger building requiring more resources. Solomon did not use lower standards that might have been acceptable to people of the day.
2 Chronicles 3:4 — The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long… and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.
The soaring height and gold-overlaid interior communicate a singular message: God is weighty, glorious, unmatched. The vestibule was the first thing a worshiper encountered, a visual shockwave of transcendence. Entering the temple meant stepping out of the ordinary and into the realm of the holy. This is what Hebrews 12:28 calls “reverence and awe.” Leaders today often aim for accessibility and comfort, but Scripture insists that encountering God begins with majesty, not casual familiarity. Solomon’s vestibule teaches us that worship starts with a recalibration of perspective — God is great, and we are His.
2 Chronicles 3:5 — The nave he lined with cypress and covered with fine gold, and made palms and chains on it.
Palms symbolized life, flourishing, and victory. Chains symbolized order, boundary, and consecration. Together they captured the character of God’s kingdom: abundant life within holy limits. Freedom requires boundaries. For example, a fish has freedom within open waters. A fish has no freedom if it is “free” from water – it only has life within its essential environment. Similarly, God gave people freedom to live the fulness of life within the essential environment of His will (His Kingdom; His garden). Foolish people who seek “freedom” from God’s sovereign authority are seeking their own death, like a fish desiring to escape the confines of water. Freedom and holiness are not competitors; they are partners. Jesus embodies both perfectly — grace and truth intertwined (John 1:14). The ornate design wasn’t artistic excess; it was theological messaging etched into architecture. God’s presence brings flourishing, but never without holy discipline. To live a free, fulfilled life is to abide in His Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Notice love, joy, and peace are inseparable from self-control, discipline, boundaries.
2 Chronicles 3:6 — He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim.
Every detail radiated excellence. The precious stones echoed the High Priest’s breastplate, signaling that the entire building functioned as a corporate priesthood’s dwelling with God. The Parvaim gold, known for its purity, reinforces that God’s house should reflect God’s character. In leadership, this means the work we offer God should be crafted with the same sincerity and purity of heart He requires of His people. Excellence is not extravagance; it’s integrity displayed in visible form.
2 Chronicles 3:7 — So he lined the house with gold… carved cherubim on the walls.
The carved cherubim pointed all the way back to Eden, where cherubim guarded the presence of God after humanity’s fall (Genesis 3:24). The temple reverses the exile story: God makes a way back into His presence. These carvings were a reminder that worship is both invitation and boundary — access is granted, but only through God’s appointed means. Ultimately, Christ tears the veil, not Solomon (Hebrews 10:19-20). The cherubim remind us that holiness is guarded, yet grace opens the gate.
2 Chronicles 3:8-9 — He made the Most Holy Place… he overlaid it with fine gold… the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.
The Chronicler slows down the narrative as Solomon approaches the Holy of Holies, the center of Israel’s worship life. Even the nails were made of gold, communicating that nothing about God’s presence is ordinary. This extreme detail challenges our minimalist instincts. God deserves more than efficiency; He deserves devotion. The Most Holy Place foreshadows Christ our High Priest, who enters not with golden nails but with His own blood (Hebrews 9:12). The gold shines with temporary brilliance; Jesus shines with eternal glory.
2 Chronicles 3:10-13 — He made two cherubim of wood… overlaid them with gold… their wings spanned the width of the house.
These massive cherubim, standing with wings stretched from wall to wall, embodied the unending protection and sovereignty of God. Their size was not ornamental, it was declarative. God covers His people. God watches over His worship. God guards His presence. Psalm 91 calls this “the shadow of the Almighty.” These cherubim point to the God who is both enthroned in holiness and active in protection. Israel worshiped beneath the wings of a God who keeps covenant and keeps watch.
2 Chronicles 3:14 — He made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.
The veil symbolized both separation and invitation — God is near, but access is restricted. The colors echo royalty, sacrifice, and holiness. For centuries, this veil reminded Israel that sin creates distance. But when Christ died, He tore the veil from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Solomon’s veil preached the problem; Jesus’ torn veil reveals the solution. The temple pointed to the need for atonement; Christ provided it.
2 Chronicles 3:15-17 — In front of the temple he made two pillars… he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin… and the pillar on the left he called Boaz.
These pillars were not just structural; they were symbolic. “Jachin” means “He establishes.” “Boaz” means “In Him is strength.” Every worshiper entering the temple walked between two declarations: God establishes you, and God strengthens you. These pillars proclaimed that human stability and human strength are always gifts from God, not traits we muster. This theology is fulfilled in Christ, the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The names of the pillars anticipate the truth Jesus speaks in John 15: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 25 November 2025: Enter your day through the pillars of Jachin and Boaz — God establishes; God strengthens. Approach your work, relationships, responsibilities, and battles with a Mount Moriah mindset: stand on God’s faithfulness, build on God’s terms, and carry a reverence that shapes excellence. Walk in the awe of the temple, but live in the freedom of the torn veil. Let everything you build reflect one truth: God dwells with His people.
Pray: “Lord, You are holy, enthroned in majesty, and faithful across generations. Establish my steps today, strengthen my heart, and anchor me in the awe of Your presence. Help me build my life with the same devotion and excellence Solomon brought to Your house. Guard my worship, purify my motives, and let the beauty of Your holiness shape everything I do. Make me a living temple that reflects Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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