1Ki 6:13-22 “I Will Dwell Among the Children of Israel, and Will not Forsake my People Israel”

[Study Aired October 14, 2021]

1Ki 6:13  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
1Ki 6:14  So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
1Ki 6:15  And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
1Ki 6:16  And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
1Ki 6:17  And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
1Ki 6:18  And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
1Ki 6:19  And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
1Ki 6:20  And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
1Ki 6:21  So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
1Ki 6:22  And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

God’s faithfulness was witnessed to Israel and pronounced with this verse: “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel“.

The spiritual fulfillment of this statement for God’s elect today, who are the Israel of God (Gal 6:16), is realized through the faith of Christ which is a gift of God (Eph 2:8). It is the faithfulness of Christ within us doing the work of God both to will and to do (Php 2:12-13) that Christ’s body, which is the church (Col 1:24), comes to learn of “at that day”, as we become persuaded of His faithfulness to finish what He has started in us and that nothing can prevail against His purpose for God’s elect (Joh 14:20-22, Mat 16:18, Rom 8:38-39).

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

1Ki 6:13  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

Notice in John 14:21 and our first verse of 1Kings 6:13 where the same pattern arises telling us that keeping God’s commandments is the reason why God and Christ abide with us and make their abode with us, or manifest themselves to us.

Israel’s relationship with God and their obedience or lack of obedience was for our sakes and was never meant to bring about conversion, only to be a type (1Pe 1:12) of the relationship God’s elect would now have with our Father and Christ where we worship them in spirit and in truth (Joh 17:3, Joh 4:23).

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him [possible with Christ].

1Ki 6:12  Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father [not possible without Christ]:

1Ki 6:13  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

As we look further into these verses in the book of Kings which speak about the various parts of the temple representing the body of Christ (1Co 3:16), we will see, Lord willing, how this temple was all fitly framed, with the exact measurements and materials needed, along with the exact design, all to give us hope that we are a many-membered body of Christ. As such we are able to grow in our care and love for one another because of the workmanship we have become in His hands being fitted to do the works He has set before us “prepared unto every good work” (2Ti 2:21). We are knit together in this relationship through our Father and Christ so that “whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1Co 12:12-26).

This relationship we share is being accomplished “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” that makes it possible for us to help each other come into the same unity of faith (Eph 4:13-16, 1Jn 5:4). That gift gives us the ability to overcome the world by bearing each other’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Eph 2:8-10, Gal 6:2-10).

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Gal 6:4  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another [Joh 21:22].
Gal 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden [“every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”].

With the mind of Christ which we have been given, a direct correlation can be drawn from all of the workmanship that is found in Solomon’s temple of what we are becoming through Christ as we’re given to remember that “he that is spiritual judgeth all things” (1Co 2:15-16). Judging all things means comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1Co 2:13-15) by using the physical creation, and especially the temple of God that tells us so much about Our Father and Christ and each of us who make up that temple.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

In this study we will look further into those correlations and connections throughout the physical temple that reveals who we are in Christ (1Co 3:16), bearing in mind that it is only possible for us to know what we know because of the mercy God has extended to us by giving us eyes to see and ears to hear (Mat 13:11-13) that make it possible for us to know our first verse tonight which says “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel” and is a reminder to God’s elect that He is faithful who has begun this good work in you and will accomplish it (Php 1:10-11, Php 1:6, Rom 8:9).

Php 1:10  That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Php 1:11  Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,  which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform^G2005 [G5692 = future tense] it until the day of Jesus Christ.

perform: ep-ee-tel-eh’-o – Strong’s: From G1909 and G5055; to fulfill further (or completely) that is execute; by implication to terminate undergo: – accomplish do finish (make) (perfect) perform (X -ance).

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

1Ki 6:13  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
1Ki 6:14  So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

God is dwelling among us right now in this earnest relationship we have in these marred vessels of clay (Eph 1:14) in which He tells us He is going to finish a work, through our hope of glory Jesus Christ who is working within each joint that is supplying that love of God, as is shown in these verses in 1Corinthians 12:12-14. These verses explain what it means to be one body with the same spirit).

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.

That is what we can take from this encouraging opening verse that uses the life of physical Israel to remind us what God is going to accomplish in the lives of “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16) whom He will not forsake: “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel” (Col 1:27, Heb 12:2-3, Heb 13:5, 2Ti 2:13).

Christ will remain our faithful high priest accomplishing the saving work of grace through faith (Eph 2:8) that will drag us to that altar to which we are bound in this life as the body of Christ (Psa 118:27). He cannot deny Himself in this process of bringing the elect to see that this is a true statement, and therefore, through Christ, we are told we are more than conquerors despite all the tribulations and fiery trials we are promised in this life. In fact it is those fiery trials we go through that glorify God and give witness to the fact that we are more than conquerors through Him (Joh 6:44, Rom 8:34-36).

God does dwell among His people Israel, but not all Israel believed then, and not all of those who claim to be the Israel of God believe now (Heb 4:1-2, Rev 2:9-11). So, in type and shadow, the lives of the ancient Israelites are an admonition for us to be vigilant and sober (1Co 10:2-10) as their actions, or lack of actions, in their walk in the wilderness are written for our sakes upon whom the end of the ages have come (Rom 11:25-26, 1Co 10:11-12).

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

[Where there is a lack of faith there is a lack of fear, but the faith of Christ working in the elect, along with the chastening and scourging by which we are received of God who demonstrates His love through that correction, keeps us and preserves us unto salvation (1Jn 5:4, 1Co 15:57, Heb 12:6, 1Pe 4:12, Rom 2:4)]

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know  the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ [Heb 6:1-6].
1Co 10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness [Mat 22:14]
1Co 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1Co 10:8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand [Heb 4:1].
1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents [Heb 4:1].
1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; (forgetting that God has blinded Israel’s eyes and opened our eyes and ears to His righteousness and (Php 3:9, Luk 12:19, Isa 22:13), that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall [“lest ye should be wise in your own conceits“].

If we are granted to truly seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, the spirit will bear witness that we are sons and daughters of this “household of faith” (Rom 8:14-16, Gal 6:10) who are labouring to enter into His rest by dying today (1Co 15:31), and not tomorrow in the lake of fire where humanity will die to their iniquities then (Mat 6:33-34, Psa 127:1, Heb 10:25).

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching [“and will not forsake my people Israel“].

1Ki 6:15  and he builds the walls of the house within with beams of cedar, from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling; he has overlaid with wood the inside, and covers the floor of the house with ribs of fir. (CLV)

The boards^H6763 of cedar that covered the stone wall  and ceiling were like a plank overlay for this area of the temple.

Boards H6763 tsêlâ‛  tsal‛âh  tsay-law’, tsal-aw’
From H6760; a rib (as curved), literally (of the body) or figuratively (of a door, that is, leaf); hence a side, literally (of a person) or figuratively (of an object or the sky, that is, quarter); architecturally a timber (especially floor or ceiling) or plank (single or collectively, that is, a flooring): – beem, board, chamber, corner, leaf, plank, rib, side (chamber).

The “planks of fir^H1265” that covered the floor along with cedar that we find in this verse was also used in the ships of Tyrus that represent our time in the churches of Babylon in (Eze 27:3-5).

The mast of the first ‘mother ship’ we are called out of as His people (2Co 6:17) has us being driven about by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14) with a mast that is made of cedar. The cedar that covers the ceiling of the temple of God is the positive use of that material representing our new purified minds of Christ that are raised in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) and led by the spirit of God (Rom 8:14).

The floor of the ship like the floor of the temple is made of fir^H1265 telling us that in our original state of walking with the Lord we were not the salt of the earth but rather those who defiled the word of God and said, “Lord, Lord” but did not do the things which He said, being driven about by our own lusts and worshipping Him in vain (Luk 6:46,  Mar 7:7). Christ’s words were not accompanied with God’s spirit, so those words could not be salted within us and became “good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” trodden under foot in the massive ships of Tyrus which represent the false religions of Babylon out of which God blessed us to exit (Mat 5:13).

Eze 27:3  And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.
Eze 27:4  Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
Eze 27:5  They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Our nobility in this life comes from knowing God and Jesus Christ, our noble King (1Co 1:26, Joh 17:3) through whom we become part of that nobility through the holy spirit that makes it possible for us to be measured or judged (1Pe 4:17, Rev 11:1, 1Pe 2:9). When we judge ourselves we will not need to be judged in the second resurrection (1Co 11:31). Our walk or our conversation or our way of life is symbolized by those fir planks that covered the floor of the temple which are fitly framed and measured as a result of Christ working in our heavens, a desire both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure which is to sanctify and purify us so that our walk or way of life is pleasing to Him (Php 2:12-13). We only have to look at the entries of the word “noble” to see what our Father in heaven considers to be noble. What we will find is that it is those who fight a good fight of faith, and labour in the word today who God is using to lay the floor of the temple of God with fir planks^H1265. God’s elect must be measured and fitted which is what is happening when we are given to judge ourselves now. That judgment creates the humble and contrite spirit we need to be placed in the body where it pleases God, where we will operate in the measure of faith given to us (1Co 11:31, 1Co 12:18, Rom 12:3).

Fir H1265
– Original: בu1468 רu1493 שu1473
– Transliteration: Barowsh
– Phonetic: ber-osh’
– Definition:
1. cypress, fir, juniper, pine
a. a noble tree (lit.)
b. of stateliness (fig.)
c. material for temple
– Origin: of uncertain derivation
– TWOT entry: 289a
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
– Strong’s: Of uncertain derivation; a cypress tree (perhaps); hence a lance or a musical instrument (as made of that wood): – fir (tree).
Total KJV Occurrences: 20
•fir, 7
2Sa_6:5; 1Ki_5:8; 1Ki_5:10; 1Ki_6:15; 1Ki_6:34; 1Ki_9:11; 2Ch_3:5
• tree, 5
Isa_41:19; Isa_55:13; Isa_60:13; Hos_14:8; Zec_11:2
•trees, 8
2Ki_19:23; 2Ch_2:8; Psa_104:17; Isa_14:8; Isa_37:24; Eze_27:5; Eze_31:8; Nah_2:3

Noble G2104
– Original: εu965 ̓u947 εu769 νu951 ςpar 
– Transliteration: Eugenes
– Phonetic: yoog-en’-ace
– Definition:
1. well born, of a noble family
2. noble minded
– Origin: from G2095 and G1096
– TDNT entry: None
– Part(s) of speech: Adjective
– Strong’s: From G2095 and G1096; well born that is (literally) high in rank or (figuratively) generous: – more noble nobleman.

Total KJV Occurrences: 2
•noble, 2
Act_17:11; 1Co_1:26

Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Rightly dividing those old false doctrines represented by the fir planks that made up the ships of Tyrus which represent our taking God’s word and wrapping it around the idol of our hearts instead of becoming teachable children, which is what brings about the nobility of Christ’s life in us that must increase as we decrease (Mat 18:3)]

1Ki 6:16  And he builds the twenty cubits on the sides of the house with ribs of cedar, from the floor unto the walls; and he builds for it within, for the oracle, for the holy of holies. (CLV)

Now we are speaking about “the sides of the house” where cedar is used “from the floor unto [or to] the walls” (CLV, YLT, LITV) or “from the floor as far as the cross-beams” (Rotherham). KJV is a poor translation using the word ‘both’ in this instance (“both the floor^{H4480 H7172} of the house, and the walls of the ceiling” of verse 15 and “both^H4480 the floor^H7172 and the walls with boards of cedar” of verse 16), contradicting verse 15 where we are specifically told that planks of fir are used for the floor.

Cedar was also used to build the mast, which is the highest part of the ship (Eze 27:5), representing our high and lofty thoughts while we are in Babylon that must be humbled by “the sides of the house“.

Eze 27:5  They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.

The idea of being humbled in the presence of God is a theme that runs throughout God’s word, and the fir flooring reminds us that God resists the proud but gives grace unto the lowly (Jas 4:6-7). When we come to the oracle, or the holy of holies, we learn of the true nature of our Father and Christ which is grounded in humility which is represented by the fir flooring (Joh 10:30-31, Isa 53:7, 1Pe 5:6, 1Jn 4:17). We are truly one with our Father and Christ when we are humbled in this life (Luk 18:19, Joh 10:30). God gives us an experience of evil in Babylon that humbles us, symbolized by the fir planks on the floor of the ships of Tyrus. The planks of fir in the oracle on the floor are the positive use of fir that represents our new conversation or walk in the Lord that has been humbled by the fiery trials of this life which represent the floors that are covered with gold. While ‘walking the planks’ in Babylon’s mother ship we really are dead men burying dead men! Pun intended!

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.
Joh 10:31  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

1Ki 6:17  And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

“And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long” describes the part of God’s temple that is before the most holy place and it is “forty cubits long“, twice as long as the most holy place which has a length and breadth of twenty cubits (1Ki 6:20).

The word “before” is Strong’s number H3942 defined as ‘before, to the face of‘ in this verse and helps us unravel what these dimensions symbolize for us. We are to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” while we are in these earthen vessels (Heb 4:16). That grace or favour is found through Jesus Christ who is “the faithful witness” and our Great high priest (Rev 1:5, Heb 4:14-15). The dimensions of the holiest place symbolize that point, twenty cubits length and breadth, pointing to the faithful witness (2) that Christ is, was and will be (2Ch 3:8, Heb 13:8).

2Ch 3:8  And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Our relationship in the flesh, and Christ’s relationship with our Father while he was in the flesh, is also a witness (Rev 11:3) of an earnest relationship (Eph 1:14) which needs to go through much tribulation, symbolized by the forty cubits, in order to go onto perfection (Act 4:26-28, Luk 13:32). The day will come when God’s elect will no longer see through a glass darkly, which is the earnest relationship we are experiencing now with the treasure of Christ’s life hidden in these earthen vessels (2Co 4:7, Col 1:27). “For now we see through a glass, darkly [40 cubits]; but then face to face [20 cubits]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1Co 13:12).

1Ki 6:18  And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

“No stone seen” is another way of saying we are hidden in Christ the rock upon which the temple is built (1Ki 6:7, Col 3:3, Mat 16:18).

1Ki 6:7  And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And “the cedar of the house within was carved with knops^H6497 and open flowers^H6731” tells us that within the hearts and minds of Christ’s bride a new heart is being fashioned by God (Eze 36:26) who is skillfully directing our lives according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11), which Will has been predetermined from the foundation of the world to bring forth fruit as God’s kind of first fruits (Jas 1:18) symbolized by these “knops^H6497” that are accompanied with “open flowers^H6731” which is a symbol of the righteousness of Christ, that has been supernaturally given to us, as was also foreshadowed with Aaron’s rod that budded making it possible by the power of God’s holy spirit typified by Aaron’s rod to see “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Num 17:8, Rom 8:28).

knops H6497 peh’-kah

From an unused root meaning to burst; only used as an architectural term of an ornament similar to H6498, a semi-globe: – knop.
open flowers H6731  tseets, tseets

From H6692; properly glistening, that is, a burnished plate; also a flower (as bright colored); a wing (as gleaming in the air): – blossom, flower, plate, wing.

Num 17:8  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed^H6692  blossoms^H6731, and yielded almonds.

1Ki 6:19  And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 
1Ki 6:20  And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.

The “oracle he prepared in the house within” represents that holiest place of all where Christ went so that we could be redeemed by our high priest (Joh 16:7, Joh 20:17). Redemption is a process that happens when we are judged of God and so “the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof” to symbolize that process of judgment (3) that is being accomplished through Christ (20) who is the true witness accomplishing these works within us (Rev 3:14, Php 2:12-13).

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

As we just read, “to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD“, the holiest place has to be prepared and Christ being our high priest is prepared now to strengthen, settle and establish us in this life (1Pe 5:10). He is preparing His bride unto every good work now having been raised as our high priest for that purpose (2Ti 2:20-21, Joh 14:12, Heb 4:14-16). The “ark of the covenant of the LORD” houses these items spoken of in (Heb 9:4) that represent His power within us, the spiritual word of God that has been purified through the trials of this life that bring “the ark of the covenant” that represents our life in Christ, to be set there in “the oracle“. Said another way “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [“the oracle“] I will build my church [“the ark of the covenant“]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”(Mat 16:18).

The oracle that represents the holiest place where Christ  abides was overlaid “with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar” reminding us that Christ was also delivered from His sinful flesh and identifies with His creation (Heb 4:15) as symbolized by the altar made of cedar that was ‘overlaid with pure gold’. Cedar represents the flesh of any and all men, however Cedar that has been covered “with pure gold” represents a life that has suffered and been made ready to rule (Php 2:8-9).

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

1Ki 6:21  So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
1Ki 6:22  And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

The outward adorning of the temple is being positively reflected through stages of growth symbolized by the stone layer then a wood layer and then the gold layer that was overlaid on the wood. The gold is beaten and thinned out so much that it can be worked with in a manner where it can cover or be overlaid with this precious gold (Act 14:22). The symbolism is hard to miss seeing we know gold in the positive use of the word represents the righteousness of Christ with which God’s elect are granted to be arrayed (Rev 19:8). The process that purifies the beaten gold so it can be overlaid, or arrayed, if you will, on Christ’s bride is found in these verses (Rev 3:18-19, 2Ti 2:21).

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent [Heb 12:6].

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Gold that has been purified and used to overlay the various parts of the temple of God represents Christ’s righteousness which is given to us as a gift from God. The bride, as we mentioned earlier, is adorned, and because we know the temple represents the body of Christ which represents the church which is his body and the bride of Christ (Col 1:24), we can therefore say that the adorning of the bride is the adorning of the temple. The temple is adorned with purified gold which represents the righteousness of Christ, as does the linen with which the bride of Christ is covered is the righteousness of the saints (Php 3:9, Rom 5:17, Rev 19:8).

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Rom 5:17  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

With these points in mind, we can now look at what was specifically covered with gold overlay. What we learn is that “Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold; and he overlaid it with gold” and “the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house” and “the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold“.

These were the three major areas that were covered with gold telling us that there is an ongoing process of judgment in this life that is needed in order to bring every thought into subjection to God (2Co 10:5). When we bring our thoughts “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”, those words are purified and become fitly spoken words that are as apples of gold in pictures of silver that cover the temple that we are (Pro 25:11).

This last point regarding the “partition by the chains of gold before the oracle” ties into the title taken from the first verse that reads, “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel“. God promises us that the son of God will set us free (Joh 8:36) and that no one can take us out of His hand (Joh 10:28), and that we are bound to the altar (Psa 118:27). All these powerful promises of overcoming the bonds of sin are why there is “a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold“.

The judgment that comes upon God’s people is what is represented by the first time the word “chain” is used in the bible in Ezekiel 7:23-24.

Eze 7:23  Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
Eze 7:24  Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.

All the violence in the land represents our own sinful nature that cannot be overcome except the Lord delivers us (Psa 127:1). God can always and does delivers us from the bondage of sin through Christ (1Jn 2:1, Gal 2:20), and Satan can always sift us like wheat (Luk 22:31). However, if we are God’s elect in this age, Christ has prayed for us and inspired us to pray for each other that our faith fail not, and that is how we “Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence” and overcome together as the body of Christ (Ecc 4:12, 1Co 12:18-20).

God declares the end from the beginning and speaks of things that are not as though they were (Isa 46:10, Eph 1:11, Rom 4:17), telling us that regarding His kingdom, which is within God’s elect now (Luk 17:20-21), “There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21:27). This “partition by the chains of gold before the oracle” represents that separation from those who know God in the spirit and those who have not been blessed to cross that threshold yet and partake of the altar, which is the cross (Heb 13:10).

God’s elect are blessed to read, hear, and keep the sayings of the prophecy (Rev 1:3), which our first man Adam could not do because of the bondage of sin and our inability to consider ourselves to be dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom 6:11). When we are blessed to have eyes that see and ears that hear, then we can become that son who hears the instruction of our Father, and forsakes not the law of our mother, knowing “they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Pro 1:8-9). Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but Christ, our hope of glory within, is writing our books to the end that we will be used to judge the rest of the books of humanity who have not yet come to know God and Jesus Christ through judgment (Joh 17:3, 1Jn 4:17, 1Pe 4:17, Oba 1:21, Rev 20:12)

Pro 1:8  My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 1:9  For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.