Day 78: Mobile Temples, Living Stones (SoS 1:17)

 “The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.”

Song of Songs 1:17

In this verse, the Bride describes her place of rest and satisfaction. First, she mentioned the bed in the previous verse and now the house is made with cedar and fir.

When we look through the scriptures we'll see that Isaiah 9:10 says cedars are strong and reliable. In Psalm 80:10 they were compared to the righteous because they are stately, tall, and flourish beautifully. And in Song of Songs 4:11 are said to be fragrant. They do not rot easily and are not often attacked by insects.

The word translated as fir also means cypress. So it's used interchangeably in many Bible versions. Cypress is said to be stronger than cedar so it can bear more weight. It is also more expensive because it grows more slowly. It's strong and durable, does not decay easily, and is water resistant. It was used in the Bible for not just construction but also to make musical instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5.

Cypress is said to give off a sour odor when it is freshly cut but gets more soothing after. It's often associated with mourning and death in different parts of the world and is often grown in graveyards.

Both the Cypress and Cedar were very valuable resources for building. They were used in many construction projects in the Bible. The most significant one though is that Solomon used both to construct the temple. 1 Kings 6:15 says:

“...he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress.”

Jesus in John 2:19-21 referring to His death and resurrection called His body the temple of God that would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days. Bible scholars say wood in the temple is a picture of humanity as gold is a picture of divinity.

Because the cypress is associated with mourning and death, its use in the temple signifies the death of Jesus. He bore the weight of sin for the whole world and did not crumble under it.

Cedar is a symbol of greatness because it grows very tall. They also symbolize nobility and the ability to withstand corruption. Jesus though was human was not like every other. He was born with no nature of sin. In deeds and words, He dwarfed every man that walked and will ever walk the face of the earth.

But when we look at our text, the Bride says houses indicated it's not just one. Just as Jesus on earth was the temple of God, Paul says to us in 1 Corinthians 3:16:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

And in Ephesians 2:19-22:

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Jesus was the first of many. The first mobile temple and living stone. When Jesus died and was resurrected, because of His union and identification with us, Paul says in Romans 6:6 that our body of sin (which could not contain the Holy God) was crucified with Christ. He also said in Romans 6:3-4 that we died and rose with Him. He recreated our spirits and cleansed our bodies so we may be mobile temples and living stones like He was on earth.

As the temple was made from the finest materials, we were made into God's Holy habitation by Jesus' sinless body that was broken for us. His blood cleansed and sanctified us just like the articles of the temple in the Old Testament were sanctified by the blood of animals. He took our bodies battered by the sin nature and in exchange gave us an unblemished one that can carry all of God.

We are His house. Every believer collectively and individually is God's house. We carry Him everywhere. We must live consecrated not to become holy but because we carry the holy God who has sanctified us with His very blood.

PRAY WITH ME:

Father God, what honor and privilege it is to carry Your Spirit within me. I consecrate myself again today to live a life worthy of this honor. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

• Do you actually move and act with the confidence that you carry the eternal, holy, and boundless God within you?
• Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 in the Message Translation:

“Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”