I am visiting Israel here in May of 2022 with family and friends.

While here I’ve felt led to read Jeremiah and Hebrews.

One thing that has perplexed me for some time before this trip is the general ignorance about the tabernacle of Moses and David and their connection to the Temple of Solomon. When I ask my Israeli friends about these Temples they seem a bit perplexed and don’t know many details about either in comparison to the Temples.

I was quite ignorant of the connection between the tabernacle of Moses and all subsequent “houses of God” until someone taught me (Frank Viola) and I read a great book called The Tabernacle by M.R. DeHaan.

Our guide here is a devout Jew, educated as archeologist, and he essentially said that Solomon got the plans for the temple from his contractor Hiram who “was known for building houses of god.”

Details about this can be found in 1Kings 6,7

I am sure this is true to some degree but the connection between Moses’ tabernacle and Solomons temple is clear. Turning the portable wooden and fabric tabernacle into a stone temple no doubt took much planning, substitutions and thought. Also the dimensions are quite different.

David (Solomon’s father) brought the ark of God to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, see 2 Sam 6. Where he set up his own “tent” and is believed to have written many of the Psalms based on his experience with God there.

The Ark of covenant, the mercy seat, the table of showbread, the holy of holies, the candlestick, the outer court, the brazen altar, the single entrance gate. Extreme detail and dimensions and instructions from God to Moses about the house can be seen beginning in Exodus 25.

There is a direct reference to David’s city of Zion, to the Ark of the Covenant, and to Moses in 1 Kings 8 about when Solomon was building the Temple.

Fast forward to the time of the Christians. Stephen one of the seven Christians chosen by the apostles referred to Solomon getting the pattern for the house of God (temple) from Moses. Right before he was stoned to death. The final point Stephen made about God not dwelling in houses of stone enraged them to murder him by stoning, See Acts 7:44-50.

There seems to be an overemphasis on the Temple. As marvelous and massive as this temple must have been.

A trip to Israel has historical and religious value by default.

But in order to get spiritual value out of it one must comprehend the meaning of Israel from God’s perspective…what he was accomplishing with Israel. That requires we accept the meaning of Jesus Christ to God.

Jesus Christ was the whole purpose of Israel, many would doubt that, many others would resent that but it is true. The fascination with the history and religion of it all is one thing, but getting SPIRITUAL VALUE from it requires an understanding of Jesus Christ. And if we cannot do that then its just history, its just religion, just a cool place to visit.

This brings us to what I think is a very important general principle for life. To get the spiritual value of every and anything, good or bad, we must comprehend the spiritual meaning of things as they relate to God’s purposes concentrated on Jesus Christ.

This means that Israel, the temples, and everything related to them. Past, present and future find there meaning and purpose and value in Jesus Christ. He defines them, he gives them purpose and meaning.

What it means to Gather in his name: https://adamcollier.com/what-does-it-mean-to-gather-around-jesus-christ/?preview=true&preview_id=3914&preview_nonce=9f27f9180f&frame-nonce=b3800848f9