1 Kings 6

Today’s reading in our daily plan is 1 Kings 6. Take a moment to pray, asking God to speak to you from this passage. Then read, using the following notes and questions to help you get everything out of the passage.

SAY WHAT? (What is the passage saying?)

  • Solomon begins the project of building the temple. They considered the main purpose of the temple as less a place to worship God and more a place for God to live.
  • We learn in verse 7 that to honor God all of the hammering and chiseling was done elsewhere, so there could be more of a sacred quietness at the site of the temple.
  • In verses 12-13 God promised Solomon that He would keep his family in power IF Solomon continued to obey Him, and that He would live among the people IF they continued to obey Him.
  • A “covenant” is a sacred agreement made between God and people. The Ten Commandments were called the “words of the covenant” (see Exodus 34:28). The stones they were inscribed on were called the “tablets of the covenant” (see Deuteronomy 9:9). And the holder for those stones was called the “ark of the covenant” (see Deuteronomy 10:8). Here, in verse 19, we see that a spot was prepared for the ark of the covenant.

SO WHAT? (What are the underlying principles?)

  • Can you imagine being part of constructing the place where God was supposed to live? That would be a lot of pressure, and you would want it to be as perfect as possible for Him.
    • 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
    • 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
    • And Ephesians 2:22 says, “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
  • You are the temple of God! If you’ve invited Him in, He promises to live inside you, and asks you to obey Him. That means we need to be incredibly careful about what we do with our bodies and try to make ourselves as perfect a home for Him as we can.

NOW WHAT? (How will you personally apply this passage?)

  • When you think about the fact that God literally lives inside of you, how does that make you feel?
    • Do you feel honored that God wants to live inside you? Why or why not?
    • In what ways do you think God feels honored to live in you and about the kind of home you’re providing for Him?
    • In what ways might God feel uncomfortable because He lives inside you? Are there things that you, in a sense, are forcing God to participate in that are not fitting for God? What changes do you need to make?