Today's Scripture Reading (December 4, 2025): 2 Chronicles 3
If you visit my house, there
are places where you will be welcome to go, but there are other areas that are
strictly off-limits. I found this out in the early days of our marriage because
I didn't understand this rule at first. I would have shown my friends the whole
house. In fact, when we bought our first house, I showed the entire house to
some friends who stopped by to see our new purchase. I quickly found out that
some areas were definitely outside the tour, at least according to my wife.
Essentially, the out-of-bounds areas are the bedrooms. Those are private
spaces. My office might also be considered a private space. I admit I don't
understand all the rules yet, but after more than forty years, I am learning.
As for why these rules are in
place, that too is something of which I am unsure. Maybe it comes from some
friends who didn't enforce these rules and had some unfortunate rumors creep up
about these private spaces. What followed was tours of the private spaces to
prove the rumors false. It was all done in fun, but if you don't admit people
into these spaces, maybe you can avoid the problem.
The Temple was composed of
public and private spaces, divided into courts and places. The outermost part
of the Temple complex was the Court of the Gentiles. Most of the stories that
we read in the Bible that are described as taking place in the Temple occur
here in the Court of the Gentiles. When the woman who is caught in the act of
adultery is brought before Jesus in the Temple (John 8), the event took place
in the Court of the Gentiles.
As you moved through the
Court of the Gentiles, you would come to the Court of Women. Here, everyone who
is part of Israel was welcome. The Gentiles were not welcomed into this part of
the Temple unless they had converted entirely to Judaism. Next was the Court of
Israel, where the men of Israel were welcomed. Inside the Court of Israel was
the Court of Priests, where the altar stood, and the animals brought to the
Temple were sacrificed.
Then comes what we might call
"The Places of the Temple." These "Places" existed behind
the walls of the Temple Proper. The largest of these "Places," or rooms,
was the "Holy Place." It was where the priests and Levites performed
many of the tasks assigned to them in the Law of Moses. A smaller room, walled
off by a heavy curtain, was called "The Most Holy Place." Here, only
the High Priest could go, and only on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
As Solomon lays the
foundation of the Temple, this would include only the space that would house
the "Places" of the Temple: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
It did not include all the space required to House the various Courts, which
would be added after this portion of the Temple was completed.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
2 Chronicles 4
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