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1 KINGS 5:1-6:38 | ACTS 7:1-29 | PSALM 127:1-5 | PROVERBS 16:28-30
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It is a massive undertaking: the building of the Temple. It takes Solomon seven years and the work of several tens of thousands of people to complete it. With cedars from Lebanon and quarry blocks from the hill country, the design of the Temple was elaborate as it was intricate in its details. This is where the Ark of the Covenant that had been built some 400 years ago was to be housed.
Turning now to our reading in the book of Acts, we see Stephen in front of the Sanhedrin. This religious body of elders have questions for him, and Stephen has answers for them. In fact, Stephen wishes to offer them a history of their own people, he being one among them. Starting with the covenant that God made with Abraham, an unknown man living in Mesopotamia, to Abraham’s descendants—all of them from Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses—Stephen begins to tell the Sanhedrin what they already know. Perhaps they will take kindly to this history lesson? That is yet to be seen…
Turning now to our psalm for the day, we find a well known one in Psalm 127. Some verses worthy of record and rumination are:
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
3 Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs that may serve as food for thought:
28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
I can’t imagine many devotional writers make use of foreshadowing as consistently as you do. The Sandhedrin-Stephen reference is perfect: “Perhaps they will take kindly to this history lesson? That is yet to be seen…” Nice. TFS!
Thank you for your keen observations, as always. You are generous with your positive feedback. The fact is that I often seek to cloak sarcasm, indignation, and incredulity under the guise of curiosity. 🙂