the splendor and the glory

So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.

2 Chronicles 3:7

Solomon built the temple of the Lord as richly as he was able. I can’t really imagine what it must have been like to enter a building that had an interior entirely lined with gold, but that is what Solomon achieved. The beams, the doorways, the walls, the entrances... every surface was lined with gold.

And then there were the giant reminders of God’s holiness in an enormous statement... the golden cherubim angels carved into the wall just like the ones on the lid of the ark of the covenant. They dominated the temple interior, with 30 foot wings spread out and touching each other. They symbolized to the worshiper the holiness of God Whose throne is constantly surrounded by His splendid, holy messengers.

But the earthly temple is just a dim symbol of the greater glory of our God. He shines even more brilliantly in Christ! In Jesus, God incarnate, is all the splendor of the majesty of our God on display. We see this when we read the gospels. Angels attended Jesus at His birth, after His temptation, and before His betrayal in the garden. They announced His victory over sin and death at His resurrection! His glory was seen by His disciples on the mount of transfiguration where Jesus outshone the gold of a billion temples! My heart should be drawn to the glory of my Savior even now.