Jottings

by John Millar | Category: Jottings | Oct 1968

The house of God and the temple of God refer to the same thing, but house is a common noun which may apply to any kind of house or dwelling, while temple relates to that which is the dwelling-place of God or to an idol's temple. The Tabernacle is called both the house of God and the temple of God. In 1 Samuel 1.1-3 we read of Elkanah, who was a Levite, coming with his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah, to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of Hosts in Shiloh, and we read, "Now Eli the priest sat upon his seat by the door post of the temple of the LORD" (verse 9). This door post of the temple was undoubtedly that of the Tabernacle that Moses made. Then we read in verse 15 that Samuel "opened the doors of the house of the Lord". Thus we see that the Tabernacle was both the temple and the house of God.

Not long after this, war broke out between the Philistines and Israel. The ark was taken out of the house of God to the field of battle. Trusting in the ark and not in the God of the ark, the Israelite army went to the battle-field with the words upon their lips, "Let us fetch [Heb., take unto us, A.V. marg.] the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies" (4.3). Though the ark which held the tables of the law was an important vessel in the service of God, yet that which was made by human hands could never take the place of the almighty and eternal God. It was the spirit of idolatry to think so. The result of that day's fighting was that Israel was defeated, and there was a great slaughter. The wicked sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. When Eli, the 98-year-old priest, heard the news of the disaster he fell backward from his seat and broke his neck and died. And the wife of Phinehas, who gave birth to a son, when she heard that her husband and father-in-law were dead and that the ark was taken by the Philistines, as she was dying, called her son Ichabod, saying, "The glory is departed from Israel". Then, amongst the sad words of Psalm 78 we read these words of this sorrowful day and the days that went before it:

"For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,

And moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.

When God heard this, He was wroth,

And greatly abhorred Israel:

So He forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh,

The tent which He placed among men;

And delivered His strength into captivity,

And His glory into the adversary's hand" (verses 58-61).

This psalm (78) was written by Asaph in a day of revival in the early days of the reign of David. God suffered much dishonour in the times of Eli and during the sad days of the Judges, and this led to two things: (I) the forsaking of Shiloh, and (2) His rejection of Ephraim as the firstborn and premier tribe of Israel.

"Moreover He refused the tent of Joseph,

And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;

But chose the tribe of Judah,

The mount Zion which He loved.

And He built His sanctuary like the heights,

Like the earth which He hath established for ever.

He chose David also His servant,

And took him from the sheepfolds" (verses 67-70).

John Millar | Oct 1968
Jottings