Last Tuesday, as I expect most of you remember, we commenced on the First Book of Kings and Chapter 8, where we have the account of the glorious time when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple, having been away for quite some time. And we read then in that chapter from verse 1 to verse 10. And this evening we'll read from verse 11 to verse 21. It is a long chapter, but again, it fits into quite a nice little sequence. So the first book of Kings, chapter 8, and reading from verse 11 to 21.

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

Then spake Solomon, The Lord said, he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever. And the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, blessed be the Lord God of Israel. which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be therein.

But I chose David to be over my people Israel, and it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said unto David my father, whereas it was in thine heart to build a house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. Nevertheless, thou shalt not build a house But thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. And the Lord hath performed his word that he speak.

And I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord promised, and have built a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And I have set there a place for the ark wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

We'll leave the reading there just to remind ourselves that, of course, last week we spoke about the time when the ark did come after many years and they brought it. and they placed it in the Holy of Holies that was a place built very carefully in the temple and it was a place which really resembled heaven because it was a perfect cube and it was all covered in gold and the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the center of that room and you may remember that of course In the early days of the Ark, there was the pot of manna and Aaron's rod, and that had now been removed.

And so the pot of manna, there was no need for it now, like also the staves, which were in the ark to carry it which had never been taken out. Now it was in a settled place and therefore there was no need for the slaves and they were in this permanent place and therefore there was no need for the pot of manna or the rod of Aaron that budded. So we see that God had brought this to pass and it's interesting to know that it was almost 500 years since the tabernacle had been built and the Ark had been in existence and it was made very carefully and very wonderfully. And of course the Ark itself had very great significance because it really represented none less than the Lord Jesus Christ. You think of those words, Jesus in the midst. And this Ark was in the midst. And there, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest went in, not without blood, which he sprinkled onto the mercy seat. What a wonderful picture that was of redemption.

And the Ark itself was a very simple thing. It was rectangle really, or a cube, not square but rectangular, and it was made of what was then known as shitting wood, which we believe is the wood that we know today as acacia, and it's a very long-lasting wood. And it showed really in that wood the Lord Jesus Christ as he came as a man on into this earth and then the whole of it was covered in pure gold which showed again his kingship and his lordship and it was enclosed with just one solid piece of gold and that was known as the mercy seat and that's where God came down it's quite amazing that almighty God came down there was no candle no candlestick in the holy of holies there was in the other places but not in the holy of holies because the lord himself was the light of that place.

And as we know, the light of Almighty God was very, very powerful and very, very strong. So it's wonderful to think that after so many years, God himself ordained that this should be placed in the temple that God had allowed Solomon to build. It was a wonderful privilege and a wonderful blessing

And so Solomon, as we read together in those few verses, when he describes in those few verses what in actual fact they had done. And as we shall, God willing, read on, we will then find that he then, after this, he begins a very wonderful and glorious prayer to God. in the midst of the temple and brings so many wonderful things before Almighty God.

So what a blessing for us today to realise that God has given us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He indeed is in the midst. He was made sin for us, He bore the curse for us. And as the only way of access was through the sprinkled blood of an animal onto the mercy seat, so we know that the only way into the Holy of Holies is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To think how wonderful it was that Almighty God was willing to give his life that we might have life and that he suffered in that amazing way to show his great love for his church. And it's a great blessing for you and me today as we look back now and we can see there was no need for the temple because the Lord Jesus came into this earth himself. and died that sinatonian death.

There is no need anymore for those annual occasions of the Day of Atonement, because by His grace, you and I can enter in by faith to the holy place through the merits of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to pray for His intercession and to pray for His blessing. So we should be very humbled and thankful that we have these Old Testament pictures to really clarify our view of things.

Because now the Lord Jesus is not into a building which is made as perfectly as possible to look like heaven, but he is actually in heaven himself. in that glorious place and what a wonderful favour it will be when by his grace again we come to that time when we must leave this earth and then it will be to go and to be with Christ which is far better and we shall see him then as he is. no veil between, see him as he is and we shall be with him not only for a period of time but for eternity. It's a wonderful consideration therefore we should thank God that we have these pictures shown to us in the Old Testament which just give us a little inkling of the future which God has planned for his people and as he tells us I go to repair a place for you and if I go to repair a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also.

It's very humbling isn't it to think that Almighty God takes notice of such unworthy sinners and to think that he's gone to prepare a place for us. We don't deserve it, do we? We don't deserve it. How often we've turned our back upon God, how often we've pleased ourself, but did we not have to come and say, what a saviour. that one who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was so willing to die that we might receive that blessing of eternal life, indeed that gift of eternal life.

Well may we ponder these things and realise how kind and gracious our God is and pray that he will be with us tonight and be with us each throughout our life and at last indeed receive us unto himself in glory.

Well, may God just bless these few remarks. There's plenty that you can go home and read about in this eighth chapter in the first book of Kings. It's very instructive and may indeed prove a blessing to us.