Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Good News: Your Body is a Temple | Historical Books | 1 Kings 6:1-13

Episode Date: August 4, 2025

What does it mean that my body is a temple? Why is the temple important for us today? Is God with us? In today's episode, Keith shares how 1 Kings 6:1-13 reminds us that God is always with his people. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yourself and where you're listening from! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Kings 6:1-13

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. You might have heard someone say that you need to treat your body well because it is a temple, or they might have even said the temple of the Holy Spirit. That's often said as a motivation to take care of your health, like don't smoke or eat too much sugar, exercise regularly. Why?

Well, your body is a temple. But where does that idea that your body is a temple come from? And why is it a big deal? Welcome to 1 Kings chapter 6. Here's verse 1. In the 480th year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord. Now, understand the importance of the temple in Israel's history.

We have to understand a little bit more about the biblical story. God had promised Abraham that he would give his people a land of their own. But when they were captive in Egypt, it didn't seem like God. God was going to keep his promise. Eventually, though, God raised up Moses to relay his message to Pharaoh. Moses told Pharaoh, let my people go. And after the plagues, Pharaoh did let them go free. And eventually centuries later, they end up in the promised land. But there was more to the message than just let my people go. God had a purpose for his people beyond freedom from slavery. God's full message was, let my people go so they may worship me. Once they were free from Egypt, they were called

to worship God, but where do they worship him? God instructed them to build a tabernacle, and that served as a portable earthly place that God dwelt and the people could worship him. The tabernacle served them well, but now that they were in the promised land, and they didn't need a portable tabernacle anymore. And that's when God called Solomon to build a permanent structure in Jerusalem. Moses had looked forward to that day. And back after the Exodus, Moses said, sacrifice and as the Passover to the Lord your God, an animal from your flock, or heard at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his name. So Moses was saying God will dwell in Jerusalem, but more specifically in the temple, in a special way. God makes a similar promise to us. He is promised that

he will dwell in us. John 1423, Jesus says, all who love me will do what I say. My father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. This is the promise for everyone who believes the gospel and follows Jesus. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will make their home in your life. God will come into your life with all of His goodness and comfort, all His grace and truth. But back to 1st King 6. The chapter goes on to describe the physical dimensions of Solomon's Temple. It was about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, 45 feet high,

or it was about the size of an auditorium today that seats about 250 people. But this building was exceptionally tall and narrow. The temple wasn't large or impressive by today's standards, but neither were other buildings at the time that was originally built. One interesting thing we find is that the temple was made with stones. Here's verse 7. The stones used in the construction of the temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, axe, or any other iron tool at the building.

building site. Now compare that to what 1 Peter chapter 2 says. You are living stones that God is building into a spiritual temple. You hear that? Believers are the stones that God is using to build a spiritual temple or church in this world. This isn't referring to a building but a people. God now dwells inside of each Christian and inside of each Christian community. In the middle of this description of Solomon's Temple, there's an important break. When you're reading the chapter, it almost sounds like breaking news. We interrupt regularly scheduled programming

with this special news report. Verse 11. The word of the Lord came to Solomon. As for this temple, you're a building. If you follow my decrees, observe my laws, and keep all of my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father,

and I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel. So God tells Solomon to build the temple so he can dwell with his people, but then God says that there are conditions for his presence. It's as if God is saying, look, Solomon, your heart matters more than the building. Don't misunderstand. Worshiping together at the temple was very, very important. But God doesn't want Solomon or any of us to get confused.

The temple was a tool. It was the place God met with them. God didn't want them to forget that. He didn't just want their outward obedience. He wanted their heart. The conditions God established. have everything to do with the king's spiritual life. It says that if Solomon obeys and walks with God, then God will. First, establish David's throne, which he'd promised to do already. And second,

always be present with them. The best thing that God can give you is himself. And that's what he promised if Solomon remained faithful. Leviticus 26, I will live among you and I will not despise you. I will walk among you. I will be your God and you will be my people. So how did Solomon do? Did he keep God's commands? Well, not exactly. As we go through First Kings, we will see that the king didn't walk in the ways of God. Solomon trusted in idols. He married many wives. He accumulated obscene amounts of wealth. He relied on his military instead of the Lord. And as a result, God's presence didn't remain with the people. At the end of the book of kings, we read, The Lord said, I will banish Judah from my presence. just as I have banished Israel, and I'll reject my chosen city of Jerusalem in the temple where my name was to be honored.

King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem. He destroyed the temple. He carried the people back to Babylon. These were the consequences of Solomon's failure to obey God. But were King Solomon failed, Jesus succeeded. Jesus walked in the ways of God. He fully obeyed the law of God. He always did His father's will. Jesus is the king who sits on David's throne forever. He has promised us that he will never leave us or forsake us. Christians can have confidence that God dwells with them, not because of what they have done for God, because of what Jesus did for us.

Father, I thank you that you are with us. That every meeting we walk into, every conversation, every new place we go, you go before us, you go behind us, for you are in. us. You have promised that you will never leave us or forsake us. I pray that that would fill us with hope and joy and courage to know that the God who loves us is with us. Amen.