Command 13: Lay Up Treasures
Study Question
Q: Why did God preserve His holy Scriptures down through the centuries but allow His holy Temple to be robbed of its treasures and destroyed?
A: The Temple that Solomon built for the praise and glory of God was a magnificent treasure in the world. It was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high, and was overlaid with gold that had been gathered by David and others.
The magnificent treasures in the Temple began to be plundered in the reign of Solomon’s son. (See I Kings 14:25–26.) King Asa further plundered the Temple by taking all the silver and gold out of it and using it to form a military league with the king of Syria.
Later, Nebuchadnezzar came and took away to Babylon all the gold and silver vessels, and eventually destroyed the Temple. Why did God allow this to happen? When Solomon dedicated the Temple, God made a conditional covenant with him. “I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice … But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods … Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight” (see II Chronicles 7:12–22).
Israel’s continual straying from the laws and ways of the Lord resulted in not only the destruction of the Temple, but also the scattering of God’s people throughout the world. In God’s eyes, the function of the Temple officially ended when Jesus Christ died. The veil that separated the holy place and the most holy was rent from top to bottom, signifying that there was no longer a division between God and His people. (See Matthew 27:51.) We now have direct access to God’s throne through the finished work of Jesus Christ, Who paid the price for our sins. Each one who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and confesses Him as Savior becomes a “temple” of God. It is through this temple that one is able to build treasures that will stand the test of God’s fires and last throughout eternity. (See I Corinthians 3:9–16.)
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This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 2, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.