Daily Devotional

“Behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name’ ” (1 Kings 5:5). 

The official London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom was originally called Buckingham House. The first building was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. King George III purchased it in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and it became known as “The Queen’s House.” In the nineteenth century, enlarged to three wings around a central courtyard, it became Buckingham Palace. 

If this luxurious palace were for sale today, it would fetch a whopping $1.5 billion. The property holds 775 rooms, including nineteen state rooms, fifty-two bedrooms, 188 staff rooms, ninety-two offices, and seventy-eight bathrooms. It has a cinema, swimming pool, its own post office, and police station. The building has three hundred clocks, 1,514 doors and 760 windows. The windows are cleaned every six weeks. 

David wanted to build a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, but because the king was a man of war, God directed that his son, Solomon, would build the structure. So, David gathered a large amount of building materials and precious metals during his lifetime and directed Solomon to construct the glorious edifice, also known as the First Temple. 

Over a period of seven years, the most beautiful temple in history was made to honour the God of Israel. Solomon spared no pains in creating a large building to be the centre of worship for the nation. The bronze altar, for instance, was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and fifteen feet high 

(2 Chronicles 4:1). The laver in which the priests were to wash was a large metal bowl that measured fifteen feet from rim to rim, seven and a half feet high, and forty-seven feet around. It rested on the backs of twelve bulls. 

Most important of all, Solomon’s Temple became hallowed by the presence of God, the same presence that can live in your heart. 

Dear Jesus, please beautify my life by the indwelling of Your Spirit. Come into my heart to stay.