Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv. The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:1, 2, 7
But the Lord is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence. Habakkuk 2:20
My words…
Praise
It amazes me to think that a coo of a dove could be heard throughout the construction site of the temple. A mother, walking by with her children, could whisper to them her anticipation of worshiping in such grandeur. The chiseling, hammering and yelling happened in the quarry. The fitting together of perfect stones happened in stillness. I believe Solomon ordered such a process out of reverence for You. He would not allow the common, noisy prefabrication work to interfere with the formation of Your holy dwelling.
We humans are a noisy bunch. We’re living in the quarry. We like the sound of our own voices. If we aren’t talking about something, we’re listening to someone else’s rhetoric. Talking, debating, preaching, arguing. Have You grown weary of it after all of these centuries? What if every human sat in silence at the same time and offered a thought of praise to You? What a comfort to Your ears. What a comfort for nature. It’s a very unrealistic idea…for now. But it will happen one day.
Adoration of You doesn’t have to involve speaking. It doesn’t have to involve music. Perhaps the most appropriate form of worship happens in complete silence. It makes perfect sense, for how could I, a sinful, selfish child, have anything worthy to say to the One who assigned the dawn its place, who knows the source of the east wind, who can loosen the belt of Orion, who has the wisdom to number the clouds, and who can tilt the water jars of heaven? So I offer You a gift of silence wrapped in awe and tied with my love.
