He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred
pomegranates and placed them on the chains
(2
Chronicles 3:16)
Almost anyone, from any walk of life, marvels at the
intricate pattern of colors at the creation of an intricately detailed and
beautiful butterfly from a caterpillar, or the rugged majesty of a bald eagle
in flight. Both creatures emanate from the unfathomable mind and creative
powers of Almighty God. He has made everything in its season, according to the
purposes of His Will, according to His Love, Grace and Mercy.
Words are not enough to describe or define the Mind and
Methods of the Great God of Heaven Who is Eternal, not created and has always
lived forever. There is no way to wrap our puny little minds around just Who He
is; How Powerful He is and How Majestic He is.
He is to be feared.
He is to be revered.
He is to be loved.
He is to be worshipped.
He is loved.
He is to be obeyed.
He is to fully sold out and committed to
-willingly.
He is God.
(To read just a brief glimpse of behind the scenes with
God @ Creation” – (CLICK HERE AND READ JOB CHAPTERS 38-41)
This God of Heaven never leaves His created children
guessing as to how we should conduct ourselves (see: All of the Bible). He is
also very meticulous about how He wants certain things done, made and the
instruction is ALWAYS down to the last details. The popular (to the world) cliché
of the "devil behind in the details" could not be MORE wrong. GOD
is in the details. He is very specific in how we should live - from the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 to how we
can keep our thoughts clear, clean and culture-enhancing, in
Philippians 4:8. When Moses spoke with God about the desert
Tabernacle, Moses was told: "Make
this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show
you" (Exodus 25:9). Then in the chapters that follow, the pattern details were filled in.
Here in 2 Chronicles 3, the great king Solomon is putting the final touches
on the most magnificent temple or church ever built in human history and they
are the epitome of artistic creation and beauty. If you read the entire
chapter (here), you will notice the full attention paid to measurements,
the appropriate color to use as well as the items, which comprise the detailing
of each portion of the construction. It is like the best contractor one can
think of who builds your dream house, then uses the most exquisite trim to set
off the room, which he or she has just put up for you.
The choice of pomegranates is particularly interesting. This fruit is full
of many healing qualities which will be studied in detail at another time, but
for now, we see the pomegranate mention several times in the Bible. It is one
of two Biblical fruit which have special significance. We read in Exodus
28:33-34 that the images of
pomegranates should be woven into the hem of the "me'il" (or 'the robe of ephod'), a
robe worn by the Jewish High Priest. It is said, in ancient Judaism (where half
of our faith comes from, as Judeo-Christian believers), that the pomegranate
represents fruitfulness, knowledge, learning, and wisdom.
This is what we expect when we go into our modern temples or churches. But more
importantly, these are the qualities which God expects from all this children.
We are to be fruitful not just in building our families and homes, but in our outreach to others. We do so with the same grace, love and compassion which Christ showed us, when He first saved us.
We are to be knowledgeable in all the Ways of the Lord by learning about Him. God Himself says that His people suffer due to a lack of knowledge. In modern terms, this means Christians are more illiterate about the Word of God – the Bible. This is not for a lack of Bibles in the wealthy western world. It is due to wanton neglect and the unintentional consequences of the last two generations of church leaders who promoted the idea that carrying a bible to church was not cool, and all the church-goer had to do was to read the verses on the TV screen above the preacher on Sunday morning. All kinds of recent surveys, from Barna to the Pew Research Center, confirm that only around 9% of Christians have a Biblical Worldview. That means the Knowledge of the Lord, His Ways and His Marvelous Attributes are unknown by those who call themselves by His Name.
This Knowledge is key to being the “beautiful trim” in the Kingdom God is building for those whom He calls. The desire to know Him comes with being born-again. Knowledge of the Holy is what leads to being fruitful for the King. It is critical that we attempt to influence those around us who have access to 100 bibles a piece, to open them and comprehend. Even if most folks do not read these days, dramatized audio bibles make the Living Word come alive. Let us not give up or grow weary in the Learning about our great God and Savior. In this lifetime, we will never learn enough about Him. But we can have wisdom to process the little we know.
This brings us to the third thing which the Pomegranate represents in Old Testament times, which is and could be a huge benefit to us, today in the church age. This is Wisdom. The dictionary definition of wisdom is, to paraphrase, a combination of good judgment and making sound decisions guided by experience….in so many words. Biblical Wisdom is a different kettle of fish. The Christian who seeks Biblical Wisdom has a big qualifier right off the bat and it begins and ends with one thing. This one thing is the Fear of the Lord.
We are not talking just about fearing what God can do – this is natural, even to the unbeliever or pagan. The Fear of the Lord is a holy, reverent respect for the Almighty, Who He is and What He has done. This qualifies the believer to then seek and attain Godly wisdom which leads to understanding His calling.
We are called to walk in Wisdom, as in here: "Ephesians 5:15-16 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil".
We are called to talk with Wisdom, as the Scripture says here: "Proverbs 16:23 "The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips."
Finally, we are called to attain to the Wisdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who speaks fearlessly, throughout the entire Bible. What does any of this have to do with 2 Chronicles 3:16? As Solomon laid out the beautiful pomegranates as trim to bring out the beauty of the temple walls, so must we, in righteousness, knowledge and wisdom live our lives as fruitful and full of passion for the Lord as possible. Amen.
This Knowledge is key to being the “beautiful trim” in the Kingdom God is building for those whom He calls. The desire to know Him comes with being born-again. Knowledge of the Holy is what leads to being fruitful for the King. It is critical that we attempt to influence those around us who have access to 100 bibles a piece, to open them and comprehend. Even if most folks do not read these days, dramatized audio bibles make the Living Word come alive. Let us not give up or grow weary in the Learning about our great God and Savior. In this lifetime, we will never learn enough about Him. But we can have wisdom to process the little we know.
This brings us to the third thing which the Pomegranate represents in Old Testament times, which is and could be a huge benefit to us, today in the church age. This is Wisdom. The dictionary definition of wisdom is, to paraphrase, a combination of good judgment and making sound decisions guided by experience….in so many words. Biblical Wisdom is a different kettle of fish. The Christian who seeks Biblical Wisdom has a big qualifier right off the bat and it begins and ends with one thing. This one thing is the Fear of the Lord.
We are not talking just about fearing what God can do – this is natural, even to the unbeliever or pagan. The Fear of the Lord is a holy, reverent respect for the Almighty, Who He is and What He has done. This qualifies the believer to then seek and attain Godly wisdom which leads to understanding His calling.
We are called to walk in Wisdom, as in here: "Ephesians 5:15-16 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil".
We are called to talk with Wisdom, as the Scripture says here: "Proverbs 16:23 "The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips."
Finally, we are called to attain to the Wisdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who speaks fearlessly, throughout the entire Bible. What does any of this have to do with 2 Chronicles 3:16? As Solomon laid out the beautiful pomegranates as trim to bring out the beauty of the temple walls, so must we, in righteousness, knowledge and wisdom live our lives as fruitful and full of passion for the Lord as possible. Amen.
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