The scriptures read are 2 Chronicles 23-25, Psalm 128 and 1 Corinthians 3.
2 Chronicles 23, 24. The story of the boy king Joash is really well told. Being hid in the temple, the intrigue surrounding his crowning and presentation to the people: just great. He refurbishes the temple. Then the high priest who was his mentor dies--at 130!--and the story turns tragic.
2 Chronicles 25. King Amaziah follows a similar arc as his dad: starts out good and goes bad. He even gets assassinated. But before that the king of Israel tears down 600 feet of Jerusalem's protective wall and loots the temple.
Psalm 128. This one is similar to the previous psalm. It links the fear of the Lord to a good life and the prosperity of Jerusalem to the prosperity of the person addressed.
1 Corinthians 3. Rapid fire metaphors: infants, farmers, builders, temple. Paul keeps the focus on who is essential--God, not clergy. Don't worship the servant. Everybody's got a job. Your salvation isn't on the line but your work for the kingdom is.
Paul is tossing off these very profound thoughts and then moving on. You are the temple of God and his Spirit lives in you. It's not a playground or a lego house that can be torn apart at a whim. God lives in you as his presence filled the temple. You could meditate for quite a while on the ramifications of that.
And how about this one: All things are yours--your favorite priest or preacher, the world, life, death, the present, the future--all of it is yours, and you are Christ's and Christ is God's. Why isn't that verse quoted more often?
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