We Are the Temple of God - 1 Kings 5-9

 1 Kings 8:52-53 (ESV)

Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

Solomon has just built the Temple and they have brought in some 120,000 sheep and 22,00 oxen to sacrifice for the celebration. Solomon, in the above verses is finishing his prayer blessing over the Temple.  Here he acknowledges the reason for the magnificence of the Temple and for Israel’s existence.   Israel was here to proclaim to the world the mercy of God.   Israel was here to demonstrate to the surrounding nations God’s marvelous grace.   That was true for Israel then and it is true for us today.  Note Peter’s words in the first letter he wrote to the first century Church:

1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

We are to have our conduct pure before the world because we are the new Temple of God.  We are the building.  We are the structure.

1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV)

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

God used Israel and Solomon’s Temple to proclaim the majesty of who He is.  Now God uses us, His temple, to proclaim the excellencies of His mercy and grace.  This is why we are to turn from the sins of the world and live holy before them.  We are God’s light to the world.