Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Kings 6 and Psalm 106

Through the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus under Moses, the settling of the Promised Land under Joshua, the great wickedness of the tribes under the Judges, the establishment of the kingdom under Saul, and the strengthening of that kingdom under David, the true worship of Yahweh had happened in the tabernacle. This tented place of sacrifice and worship, and the furnishings that it contained, had been built on the basis of the measurements and instructions God gave Moses. Now Solomon set out to build a permanent copy of that structure – the Temple in Jerusalem. He built it to the same design, but made it twice as large as the tabernacle. In addition, he built vast outer courts which became meeting places for the large crowds of worshippers who would come.

It was a brilliant feat of stonemasonry. Verse 7 says, “In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.” Each great stone was meticulously prepared at the quarry site and then carried to the building site and slotted into place perfectly. This sent a very powerful message about the sacredness of the project. The builders worked with a holy hush on site, and even their work was a sign of their awe and reverence for God. They poured a spirit of worship into their craftsmanship. Those on site did so through silence, while those at the quarry did so through the perfectionism of their preparation.

It strikes me that God often works in me most deeply in silence and stillness. God’s voice seems to whisper to me most often when I have deliberately quietened the noise of the world around me through contemplation or solitude. Of course, God speaks through audible words of prophecy, preaching and teaching. God speaks through the written words of the Bible. But, in stillness, even those words seem to strike more deeply into our hearts.

Lord, grant me the grace today to find moments of stillness and silence. And, as I still my heart and the voices of the world around me, please speak to me and do Your work in me. Amen.