"I have chosen this Temple..." - 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (NCV)

The latter portion of this verse almost always seems to be missing when people tend to quote it; there is much more to the covenant promise here than God just forgiving sin and healing the land. 

Praying and seeking the Lord is only the beginning of what makes this covenant promise so unique. God is saying that if you first pursue me, then "..I will see them, and will listen to the prayers prayed in this place." 

To what place was God referring? As the passage continues, it becomes clear that God is not referring to a 'temple building' of any sort because the temple was a tabernacle or tent, a temporary structure that could be moved if necessary.  The temple (or tabernacle) represented the transitory nature of man that could be moved as God moved upon man to direct Him to go where God desired Him to go.

What God was referring to is the Temple of the mind, where choices and decisions are made to humble one's self, by turning away from sinful and evil practices. God was continually making it known that it was the people He loved, not the practices they devise or things created with their hands.

It is as if God is saying in today's verses that He can truly see us and will listen to the prayers we pray when our Temple (our minds) are adequately prepared out of a desire to pursue Him, and seek out His heart for us.

"I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings." 

Hosea 6:6 (NCV)

God is always after the devotion of His people, not religious practices. Religion tends to separate people from their God by characterizing God by His acts and creating a barrier that keeps us at arm's length, which is in the form of ritualistic acts of devotion rather than just expressing our relational faith alone. 

Seeking God is seeking relational interaction with Him, not a pre-determined form or practice which was created by man, but rather an innate desire to connect with Him and personally know and experience His heart of love for us. 

That is the reason that Jesus came to earth, which was to die for our sins; which demonstrates how far God would go to let us know of the depths of His love for us. The true question is, are we willing to receive His love directly?

"I have chosen this Temple and made it holy," God has seen His dwelling place within us (our minds) and made it His own, by making us holy as He is holy. Being holy is being separate from everything else, not common, but uncommon.

But you are God's "chosen generation," his "royal priesthood," his "holy nation," his "peculiar people"—all the old titles of God's people now belong to you. It is for you now to demonstrate the goodness of him who has called you out of darkness into his amazing light. 

1 Peter 2:9 (PHILLIPS)

So God says, "So I will be worshiped there forever." There is no way He could have been speaking about a physical building, for as we know, buildings don't last forever, and Solomon's Temple is a prime example of that fact. God is talking about the Temple of the body (the mind), which is the home of His choosing. God's resting place within His people.

"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity." 

Romans 12:1-2 (PHILLIPS)

When King David captured Zion from the Jebusites, he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became known as "the city of David." Zion is the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. It appears to be a pre-Israelite Canaanite name of the mount upon which Jerusalem was built. 

The name "Zion" actually means "a sunny place or a sunny mountain," it is also where we get the analogy of "a city on a hill." Jesus referenced this after He gave the sermon on the mount:

“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” 

Matthew 5:14 (GNT)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, God considers us to be a city in which He dwells and abides.

  

Lord, you have chosen Zion as your dwelling place, for your pleasure is fulfilled in making it your home. I hear you say, "I will make this place my eternal dwelling, for I have loved and desired it as my very own! I will make Zion prosper and satisfy her poor with my provision. I will cover my priests with salvation's power, and all my godly lovers will shout for joy!" 

Psalm 132:13-16 (TPT)

Again, it is God's desire not for a place (meaning a piece of ground), but for a people, He calls "Zion," which is the place He chooses to live eternally (meaning generationally), among His people. The connection (or covenant) God has with Zion is relational and is passed on to our children and grandchildren.

This is My covenant promise to them: "My Spirit, which rests on and moves in you, and My words, which I have placed within you, will continue to be spoken among you and move you to action. And not only you but so it will be for your children and their children too. And so on through the generations for all time." 

Isaiah 59:21 (VOICE)

God promises have stated that Zion would be a people who would have the Spirit of the Lord move in them, and His words would be spoken to families in successive generations to come. That is the heritage of the Lord.

Our responsibility (or role) in this divine story is to receive a daily briefing (or instruction) from the Lord, which lets us know of His desires, and to act on those desires as he allows us to do so. That will bring healing to our land, which is our government, and also to our physical bodies, as we submit to the direction of the Lord and His leading.

Be Blessed;

    Stephen Barnett