Prof Zebulon No E179

T) Key Passages (Psalm 8:1, 9)

“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens; O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” The beginning and the ending of this Psalm suggest that it is a hymn of praise to the great Creator. The Creator’s divine signature is in all of creation and the heavens demonstrate His omniscient power and infinite wisdom. Between these two similar verses we are confronted with the fact that the Psalm is exposing Jesus’ creative genius. We encounter the phrase “son of man” in verse 4 of the Psalm. When the Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, He used this term for Himself no less than 80 times in the New Testament. So it could be said that this Psalm speaks of the excellence of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught that the scriptures spoke of Him and we read in John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” , this text is just one of many that refer to Him. How illustrious is the name of Jesus throughout the world! His incarnation, birth, humble and obscure life, preaching, miracles, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension are celebrated through the whole world. His wisdom, the gifts and graces of His Spirit, His people, the Christians, his gospel, and the preachers of it, are spoken of everywhere. No name is so universal, no power and influence so generally felt, as those of the Saviour of mankind. How wonderful it is to be called Christian. The association we have with Christ is eternal and unchangeable!! Oh, we may change or deviate from the path of holiness and sanctification from time to time, but He is always ready to accept us just as we are – His bride.

V) The Abode of God (The beginning of the end of Solomon’s Temple)

Solomon with the help of Hiram of Tyre and 183,000 workers built the temple using local limestone, cedar from Lebanon and very large amounts of silver and gold in seven years (1 Kings 5 to 9 and 2 Chronicles 2). Unfortunately, the demise of this magnificent building began when Solomon turned to idolatry and adultery. He would build idolatrous structures for the many foreign wives and concubines that he had “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.” 1 King 11:3. Not long after this, the kingdom of Israel was divided – 10 northern tribes and 2 southern tribes; the temple was located in Jerusalem in the southern kingdom. Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt stole much gold and silver from the temple (1 Kings 14) in 910 BC. In 835 BC Joash king of Judah repaired the temple and brought a period of revival to the southern kingdom. Later, king Ahaz of Judah dismantled the temple and placed Syrian altars in the temple (2 Chron 28). Good king Hezekiah restored the temple in 716 BC and also brought a period of revival in Jerusalem but he later stripped the temple of gold to pay Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:16). King Josiah repaired the temple and brought about a semblance of national religious reform. The real end of Solomon’s temple came when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and plundered and destroyed the temple. He stole the sacred vessels from the temple, he burnt the city and carried a remnant of princes into captivity to Babylon. The sacred vessels were placed in the temple of his god in Babylon (Dan 1:2). The great Jehovah God had blessed Solomon with wisdom and riches more that any other king ever “And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon” (1 Kings 4:34). God has only one standard – HIS. Solomon did not obey this standard and he became a cynical and broken person. He is most likely the author of Ecclesiastes and in this book, we read of the vanity of worldly goods and the futility of pursuing them. He learned his lesson well because at the end of this book he gives one final piece of wisdom – “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Eccl 12: 13,14)