1 Reis 7

1 Reis 7

Guzik points out that "Every time someone came to the house of the LORD in the days of Solomon they said, “Look! There is He Shall Establish. And there is In Him Is Strength.” This set them in the right frame of mind to worship the LORD. When the crowds gathered at the morning and evening sacrifice to worship the LORD, the Levites led the people standing in front of the temple with these two great, bronze pillars behind them. It was always before them: He Shall Establish and In Him Is Strength. One could say that the house of God itself was Jachin and Boaz. That temple was established by God, and built by the strength of God. Every time they looked at that temple, they knew that God liked to establish and strengthen things. The house of God was a place where people experienced what the pillars were all about. At that house, people were established in their relationship with God. At that house, people were given strength from the LORD. From this building, it should go out to the whole community: “Come here and get established. Come here and receive the strength of God.” Os Hillman - TWO PILLARS - In 2003, I took my first trip to Israel. I visited the Wailing Wall, the only portion left of the original Temple built by David's son, Solomon. I took an underground tour of the Temple, which allowed me to see the incredibly huge, square boulders that were used to lay the actual foundation. On top of these enormous stones, pillars were erected to provide the height and strength needed to connect the roof to the lower foundation. What's remarkable is the name of the two pillars that stood at the front of the Temple: Jachin, which means “he establishes,” and Boaz, which means “in him is strength.” Jachin was a priest, while Boaz was a businessman—also known as a “king” in the Scriptures. He was also Ruth's kinsman-redeemer, whose lineage can be traced to Christ (see Matthew 1:5). Worshipers at the Temple had to pass through these soaring columns to enter. Seeing these two pillars, I was struck that today God is using the same combination of priestly leadership (the Jachin pillar) and market leadership (the Boaz pillar) to bring His presence into a place that was formerly forbidden territory: the workplace. It is only when this partnership cooperates in unity, mutual respect and affirmation that we will see God's power released. Together, like the pillars of Jerusalem's Temple, we can support the presence of God and bring it into all spheres of society to transform workplaces, cities and nations. (See TGIF: Today God Is First: Daily Workplace Inspiration) F B