“Now arise, LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. – 2 Chronicles 6:41

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 6, 2013): 2 Chronicles 6

When Steve Nash decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of 2012-13 season, most of his fans understood the move even if they didn’t like it.  The two time MVP and eight time All Star seemed to need at least a chance to win the championship, but the reality was that it was unlikely that that would be happening soon enough in Phoenix. So Nash made the move, but the result was not what anyone expected. Nash himself had a subpar season, but that could be said for almost all of the 2012-13 Lakers. The style of play of the Lakers did not seem to match the talents of Nash. And one more time Nash found himself on the outside looking in.

This year, at 39, Nash is the oldest player in the league and he is hoping to have a comeback year. It is not a distinction that Nash has chased after, but he is glad that he is still healthy enough to play – and he still thinks that he has something to contribute. And He still hopes to find that elusive championship; he still hopes that the Los Angeles Lakers are the strength that he needs to gain what he has never attained.

Solomon has finished his Temple. The temple itself is made of stone and precious metals and jewels – everything that is stable and valuable in this world. And it is into this building that Solomon now brings the Ark of the Covenant – the very seat of God.  Up until this point, the Ark had resided in the Tabernacle – a temporary tent-like structure. But now the temporary structure was being replaced by a more permanent and glorious structure. And the hope seemed to be that from that place of strength God would be able to do amazing things.

What Solomon missed was that God could never be contained. He had never been contained in the Tabernacle, and he would not be contained in the temple. His strength was in who he was, not in the building in which he lived.  

Solomon believed that because the Temple was made of stone and immovable, it would be a suitable resting place for God. But the reality is that God inhabits the praises of his people – his resting place is on us. And our trust in God was never in the stability of the temple, but rather in his character. God remains a god of the clouds and of fire, unconfined by the constructions of men. His power is there – and nowhere else. We are created in the image of that God. We are to be a people that find our strength in that character – and in the sure knowledge that each of us has a strength that God has placed there.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 7