Temple. The Jewish writers who chronicled the time of Solomon talked of the Temple filled with the glory of God. It was also affiliated with a king who ruled over a not-insignificant empire.
But the lineage of Jewish kings was weak. They strrayed from their God. The nation was defeated by the Babylonians and the Temple was destroyed. The people went into exile
We’ve read about Ezra and Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the Temple under the Persians. But writers never referred to that Temple as filled with the glory of God. And it also never signified the seat of a powerful King.
I am 40% through book one (out of two) of N.T. Wright’s, “Paul and the Faithfulness of God.” Three chapters. Almost 300 pages. So far we’ve gone through the background scholarship and worldview of the times. Already I’ve learned a lot.
By the 200s BC, there was a tremendous longing in the Jewish people for return from exile, a Temple filled with the glory of God and a strong political leader–just like the times of Solomon. Several men claiming to be the Messiah of God appeared. They all failed and died.
Then comes Paul who reinterpreted the entire scenario in light of Jesus.
That was from Wright. Now I’m contemplating what is to come. The Temple is no longer a building where God lives. Our bodies are the Temple where the glory of God lives.We are in exile through sin and find a Messiah who reveals God’s grace
And Paul went back to all the many Scriptures that pointed out that salvation was not only for the Jews. But that they were to be the light to the world. The guides toward God’s salvation of the world.
With that legacy, why do we not try to re-connect with that God. To seek his indwelling Spirit through reading His Word and prayer?
Faith Venture 
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