Bible Study

“And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” (1 Kings 6:7 NKJV)

 

Every stone used in building the magnificent temple built by King Solomon for God was finished at the quarry. Each stone was hewed, shaped, and prepared to fit perfectly in the temple.

Consequently, there was no noise from the hammer, chisel, or iron tool while the temple was built.

1 Kings 6:7 – NKJV

 7 And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.

When Solomon’s temple, which was built of hewed, shaped, prepared, or finished stones from the quarry, was completed, the fire of the LORD came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices on the altar. The glory of the LORD filled the temple to the extent that the priests could not continue ministering in the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

2 Chronicles 7:1-2 – NKJV

 1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

God no longer seeks a physical temple built of physical stones hewed, shaped, prepared, and finished from any quarry to inhabit or fill with His glory.

Today, God desires to inhabit and fill with His incredible presence and glory a spiritual temple built of “living stones” hewed, shaped, prepared, and finished from His quarry.

What are the living stones used to build God’s spiritual temple today?

Where is God’s quarry today?

How does God prepare and make the living stones finished at His quarry to fit perfectly into their designed positions in His temple without any noise or force?

It is wisdom to find out!

The born-again believers are the living stones built together as a spiritual house or temple for God to inhabit and fill with His awesome presence and glory today.

Apostle Peter reveals this truth.

1 Peter 2:4-5 – NKJV

 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The Church is God’s quarry where born-again believers are to be hewed, hammered, beaten, and shaped by God’s Word after the image or likeness of “the Modelled Living Stone,” Christ Jesus, through the sound teachings of men and women appointed by God.

Apostle Paul aptly presents and explains this truth.

Ephesians 2:19-22 – NKJV

 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Our churches are supposed to be God’s quarries where chosen, trained, and tested servants of God employ God’s Word as a spiritual hammer for “pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:4-5 NKJV).

Going to a church service or fellowship should be like going to a spiritual bathroom to have your soul (mind) washed, sanctified, and cleansed from every filthiness and pollution by washing the water of God’s Word (Eph. 5:26).

Church services should be when our carnal minds are exposed to God’s Word’s consuming and purifying fire to consume evil desires, lusts, selfish ambitions, or passions in us.

Sadly, the reverse is the case in many of our churches today!

Today, many churches and worship centers have become like amusement parks and recreational centers where people go or gather regularly to relax or hang out with friends and be entertained, excited, or amused by “comedians or artistes in white collars” whom they must pay before or after each show.

Behold what sensual, greedy, and ambitious men have turned God’s quarry to!

God’s servants are supposed to be co-laborers with the Holy Spirit at God’s quarry to shape and mold the believers through sound teachings and proper applications of God’s Word into the image of Christ, the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20, Isa. 28:16).

Unfortunately, many of God’s servants at God’s quarry are not seeking, above anything else, to beat, shape, or mold men into the image of Christ by their teaching and preaching.

Unlike Solomon’s temple, where no noise was heard while the stones were being set upon one another, for they were already prepared and finished at the quarry, we hear strange and loud noises of anger, jealousy, conspiracy, envy, rebellion, division, hatred, lust and immorality from the spiritual temple we are building for God today.

One of the primary causes of the confusing noises from the Church today is the gross failure of many of God’s servants stationed at God’s quarry to handle and employ God’s Word effectively as a divine hammer to beat and shape the believers until they are fully conformed into the image of Christ in their conduct or character.

The Scripture reveals that the ultimate responsibility of God’s servants at God’s quarry is to mold God’s children after the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Paul aptly explains the responsibilities of Church leaders in his epistle.

Ephesians 4:11-15 – NKJV

 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

How we have failed woefully in our responsibilities!

Are you one of God’s chosen men at His quarry entrusted with the massive responsibility of beating, shaping, trimming, or molding His children through His Word into the image of His Son, Christ Jesus?

It is time to wake out of your spiritual slumber and laziness. It is time to diligently labor in the Word of God so that your speech, preaching, or teaching will not be mere persuasive words of human wisdom, void of life and spirit (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

Dear man of God at God’s quarry, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.” (Acts 6:2 RSV).

What does God expect from you?

Give yourself continually to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4)!

Not to shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God to His children (Acts 20:27)!

Paul admonishes you to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” (2 Tim. 2:15-16 NKJV).

 

Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, I submit today to your chastening, trimming, and molding after the likeness of Jesus Christ through the instrumentality of your chosen servants appointed at Your quarry for this purpose, in Jesus’ name. Amen.