2 Chronicles 4

God is the author of the worship system of the Old Testament. He commanded that an altar be built so that His people could bring Him the sacrifices and offerings that He demanded. He also gave them instructions for making the basins and a cast metal “sea” necessary for the cleansing rituals connected to the sacrificial system.

It was God who came up with the plan for golden lampstands for light in His temple. He commanded that tables be made for the bread that would be set before Him. He gave instructions for making many objects that were used in temple worship. He used skilled people to build the temple and all within it.

Imagine the pain of those who loved His Name when all that was holy in Jerusalem was destroyed by invaders or carried off to foreign lands! But then consider their hope at the sudden reversal of the fate of their people. The Lord's servants were able to witness the return of a large number of sacred objects back to Jerusalem after the passage of many years.

Those who loved the God of their fathers, the God of Israel, longed for a restoration of the holy system of worship that the Lord had given to His people in the days of Moses and David. We no longer hope for such a small victory.

The King of kings has come. He did not build an impressive building for Himself. He gave His life as a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to the Father. He cried out to God with loud cries and tears, and He was heard for His reverence.

We have no desire to see bulls and goats offered on a new Jewish altar. We do not want to burn incense or to lay out loaves of ceremonial bread. We do not seek to build golden objects that were part of a system of worship that has already been completed.

The Perfect One has come. We do not ask God to bring us back to the past. While we still wait for a fulfillment of the resurrection world, we have no need to return to the symbols or ceremonies of older days in order to remember the Lord's promises. We simply ask the Lord to give us eyes to see Him and ears to hear His voice.

Jesus is the Light of the world. Our Savior is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the Bread that came down from heaven. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. We trust in Him.