If you’ve ever been involved with a church building program, you know that the journey from concept to concrete to consecration service is not an overnight affair.
It often takes a couple of years and sometimes bucketfuls of blood, sweat and tears.
Oh yeah, and a bunch of money.
It’s hard to imagine a church construction project lasting 20 years, involving many thousands of men and costing more money than the annual gross national product of many nations. I guess that’s why God took the imagining part away and simply showed us in Scripture the fact that it happened.
Today’s reading in the One-Year Bible from 2 Chronicles 6-8 describe the dedication services for the Jerusalem temple after it was completed by King Solomon’s construction crew. I can’t comprehend actually just how magnificent the temple was, even though the Bible tells me — in effect — that $180 billion was spent on its construction during the 20-year project.
The temple itself was no larger than a very small, six-story apartment building. Yet it took that long and that much money to build, along with the temple grounds, walls, etc.
More than 150,000 men were involved in various phases of its construction.
Over 23 tons of pure gold were hammered into sheets and used to overlay the interior of the small building. We’re talking $736 million just for what was essentially gold paneling on the inside of the building.
Amazing.
It’s a good thing that the construction money was already in the bank before the project began, I’ll tell you that.
So how does the temple-construction cost and timeline relate to your life and mine?
Simply this — your soul and mine are worth more to God than any earthly building, whether it be the Jerusalem temple or the church building you sit in each Sunday.
How can I say that? Because Jesus didn’t hang on the cross so that any building can have eternal life, that’s how.
He did hang on the cross for your soul and mine, however.
It’s hard to fathom the idea that my soul is worth more to God than a $180 billion church building that took 150,000 men and 20 years to complete.
But it is.
That’s why Jesus endured all sorts of hardships without sinning, even on the cross — to provide the opportunity for my salvation through trust in His atoning blood.
That blood is worth a whole lot more than the $180 billion spent on the Jerusalem temple. For you can’t put a monetary price on the only thing that can take away the sins of the world.
It’s good that we understand how incredible Solomon’s temple really was. For this helps us to appreciate even more the unfathomable value of the human soul belonging to our unsaved family member or neighbor or co-worker or person visiting our congregation.
If building another, $180 billion temple would have provided the ultimate remedy for man’s sin, then God would have done that in the 1st Century rather than sending Jesus.
It wouldn’t then. And it doesn’t now.
There’s only one way for your sin problem to be solved.
A way that cost the Father a whole lot more than $180 billion.
It cost Him His only Son.
And He willingly paid it for the rescue of my sinful, sometimes rebellious soul and for yours.
Let’s panel our lives with Golden Rule living so that God sees a good return on His priceless investment into our salvation.
For the more people who see our gleaming lives sanctified and dedicated for His sake, the more people will realize how much God gave for their souls and that they, too, can have a remade life headed for glory.
As always, I love you
Martin
