Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Chronicles 6:18 (New Living Translation)

“But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”

The magnificent Temple in Jerusalem is completed. It is built to honor YHWH God. The builder first admits that it is almost useless as it cannot contain God.

This is a “so what” for us today, but was significant at the time. Gods of that time had homes built by the people who worshiped them. Those gods dwelled in those homes. People went to those places to speak to those gods.

YHWH God was different—vastly different. YHWH was everywhere all the time. YHWH was radically different and more powerful than any other god worshiped by any people.

Sometimes we tend to forget the power and magnificence of God. What a shame.