God's temple

(When I first started this blog, I warned that I am not a theologian. I repeat that warning here, because material in this post touches upon deep theological issues. I apologize in advance if I get something wrong, or if I include material that is already obvious.)

David conceived the idea of building a temple in God's honor, but David didn't finish the construction. That responsibility fell to his son, Solomon. In 1 Chronicles 28:6 (NLT), Gods says to David,

Your son Solomon will build my Temple ... for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father.

As with many Old Testament prophesies, this one seems to predict two things. The first is literal and immediate: Solomon, David's son, will finish the temple. But the second is shadowy and distant, and would only become clear centuries later. Specifically, David's "son" -- his descendant Jesus -- would finish the most important temple of all!

To see this, consider Solomon's dedication of the temple upon its completion. In 1 Kings 8:33-34 (NLT), Solomon says to God,

If your people ... have sinned against you, and if they turn to you and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people.

Note that forgiveness of sin came from praying toward/in the temple. Now, turning to John 4, a Samaritan woman asks Jesus for clarification on this point. Why, she asks, do Jews stress that prayer must occur toward/in the temple in Jerusalem? Jesus responds (John 4:21-24, NLT),

The time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem ... For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

The implication is that the importance of the physical temple was soon to end, and it would be replaced by something far more important. Jesus further emphasizes this point when he remarks (John 2:19, NLT),

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

This theme reaches its climax in Revelation 21:22 (NLT), when John describes Heaven,

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

So there we have it! No longer must we pray toward/in the physical temple. Jesus is that temple! Forgiveness of sin comes from directing our prayers toward/in him!