Throughout scripture, the heart is spoken of. Physically, it is the heart that maintains life to all the cells of the body through the transportation of blood to every cell. Not only does it transport oxygen, it also removes the byproducts of carbon dioxide. Furthermore it cleanses the cells, destroys the invading cells, destroys cancerous cells before they can spread and maintains the life of the body. Any breakdown of the blood and heart affects every cell in the body. When plaque blocks the circulation to a cell, that cell dies. A healthy heart is very important to our physical well being Since the function of the heart is critical to physical life, it is no wonder God speaks also of the spiritual heart as critical to spiritual life.
We come to I Kings 8 with this in mind. In the life of Solomon, we see the transformation of a life from one of hope, peace, and joy to one of sorrow and despair. How did this happen? It was gradual, but that is the way with heart disease. It is gradual but can be deadly.
Healthy Heart—The Blood that Cleanses
Solomon built God’s temple as commissioned with such attention to every detail. He sought out the greatest craftsmen to build this magnificent structure. Yet, as beautiful as it was Solomon knew that it was nothing without God’s presence. So, then with great care the ark of the covenant was brought in.
All the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were gathered together to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. I Kings 8 (NASB)
This was all being done in the 7th month during the feast. Some believe this was the feast of booths which is the final feast referring to the kingdom. However, it also speaks of the people remaining for at least 14 days which means this may have begun with the feast of trumpets. The priests did begin with the trumpets blowing, include the feast of atonement and progressed on through the feast of tabernacles representing freedom. That would make sense as the sacrifices were presented along the passageway (every few feet) all the way to the temple where the ark was placed.
Healthy Heart- Right Priorities
When caring from one’s physical heart, there are priorities that must be followed. Those include proper diet, rest, and exercise. In the case of the ark that represented God’s presence, this was also true. The ark had to be carried in the manner God commanded. The priests had to be ceremonially cleansed.
6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and it’s carrying poles from above. I kings 8
The grand beauty of the temple meant nothing without God’s presence. All the new furniture, gold, and architecture was meaningless without the solid foundation of God’s word to His people. Without God there was no life in the tabernacle.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: 2 Chronicles 5 KJV
After the atonement came the worship and joyous praise to God for His mercy and grace.
12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) 2 Chronicles 5 KJV
A Healthy Heart is One that Overflows with Joy, Hope and Peace
Gratitude for all that God has done should cause one to overflow with praise, rejoicing for He is Worthy of all honor and praise.
That is when the tabernacle was suddenly filled with the presence of God.
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5 KJV
Healthy Heart—in the Presence of God
When the clouds are so thick you cannot see to move, know this that God is present in that darkness.
the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
12 Then Solomon said,
“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.
13 I have truly built You a lofty house,
A place for Your dwelling forever.” I Kings 8
PRAYER OF PRAISE
Then Solomon prayed the longest prayer in the Bible. He began standing with his arms raised toward heaven and ended on his knees with arms still raised. All the people were present to watch him pray.
He began his prayer, praising God for doing all that He had promised. Were it not for the grace of God, none of this could have been. He was king only because of God’s grace at at this point in his life, King Solomon knew this.
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!
Much like his father’s prayer, “who is man that you are mindful of him” in Psalm 8. But then he begins his plea for the people and himself. He prays for God’s presence and His forgiveness when they fail. If the people were exiled due to their rebellion, King Solomon prayed that God would forgive them when they cried out in repentance.
28 Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today, 29 so that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive! I Kings 8 (NASB)
A Healthy Heart—Humbly Loving God Above All Else
After he finished praying, King Solomon rose from his knees and addressed the people
56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel in accordance with everything that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. I Kings 8 (NASB)
Remember His Promises, first and foremost. He always and forever keeps His promises to His People. Then comes his petition.
57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 so that He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. I Kings 8 (NASB)
If God does not Guide our Hearts, we have no hope
59 And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61 Your hearts therefore shall be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.” I Kings 8 (NASB)
A Healthy Heart that sees God’s Glory—Hope, Peace, and Joy
1When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the [Shekinah] glory and brilliance of the Lord filled the house. 2The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory and brilliance of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. 3When all the people of Israel saw how the fire came down and saw the glory and brilliance of the Lord upon the house, they bowed down on the stone pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.” 2 Chronicles 11 (AMP)
Take Care that You Do Not Fail to Hold Fast to a Healthy Heart
What began so well, went through a dark period in which Solomon failed to love God with all his heart, his mind and his strength.
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations of which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you; they will certainly turn your heart away [c]to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. I Kings 11 NASB
Were it trials that turned him away, or an abundance of comforts? I daresay the later. Pride, power, and possession can turn the heart so quickly. It is the richest of foods that clog the arteries to our physical heart. Over indulgence in appetites can destroy our spiritual heart as well.
3 He had seven hundred wives, who were princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been.
Beware of What You Let Into Your Heart
And once you close your eyes to tolerate a lie; how, quickly one can indulge in the same. King Solomon first married women from areas God had forbidden. Then he allowed them to worship and teach his children to worship other gods. Finally, he too went to worship with them. What began as tolerance turned to King Solomon’s failure to worship God with all his heart.
5 For Solomon became a follower of Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done.
David had not been perfect in his walk, but never did he turn to idolotrous worship.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, on the mountain that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abhorrent idol of the sons of Ammon. 8 He also did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
We Too Must Be Careful to Protect a Healthy Heart
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9 (NASB)
It is God who can cleanse our conscience. But to do so we must allow the blood to flow freely through our arteries. So how do we do that?
First, we recognize His promises
15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9 (NASB)
Remember this
Therefore, there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Therefore, to keep a healthy heart, let us feast on His word, exercise our faith by living out our faith, trusting God in our darkest hours with steadfast faith and let us worship Him in joyous praise. Laughter does help to heal the heart. Let our laughter ring forth from the overflowing gratitude we have in our hearts for Jesus Christ.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2024
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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