The Temple in Jerusalem

   I have been reading some chapters in the book, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, by Alfred Edersheim.  Dr. Edersheim, a Jewish man born in Austria in the 1800’s, turned to Jesus as a young man.  After further education, he served as a pastor, and he had a gift for preaching.  He also developed into a biblical scholar.

   In the first chapter, addressing the second temple period from around the time of the Messiah, Dr. Edersheim gave a detailed and academic description of the vast compound of the temple, including walls, gates, towers, the palace of the high priest, and the specific temple area.  In the second chapter, he gave a detailed and academic description of the specific temple complex, illustrating its magnificence.

   The thesis which flowed naturally from his writing for those first two chapters: A person coming to Jerusalem 2,000 years ago would have had a reason to be in awe of the city of Jerusalem.  As Dr. Edersheim said, “As the pilgrim bands ‘came up’ from all parts of the country to the great feasts, they must have stood enthralled when its beauty first burst upon their gaze.” (1)

   Dr. Edersheim went on to state: “…isolated in its grandeur, stood the Temple Mount….the Temple itself stood out a mass of snowy marble and of gold, glittering in the sunlight against the half-encircling green background of Olivet.  In all his wanderings the [Jewish person] had not seen a city like his own Jerusalem.  Not Antioch in Asia, not even imperial Rome herself, excelled it in architectural spendour.” (2)

   The original temple built by Solomon was simple.  The temple and the temple grounds built under the reign of King Herod were elaborate.  The work took 46 years!  But the tragedy was that the simple purpose of the temple ended up being distorted.  Did some religious leaders work to protect their mode of power and control over their grandiose institution, rather than submitting to God?  Was there a shift for some religious leaders from heartfelt sacrifice to grandiose ritual?

   Only God truly knew and knows the motivation of everyone’s heart.  Now Jesus at one point did expose the motivation of some Pharisees: “Has not Moses given you the law?  Yet not one of you keeps the law.  Why are you trying to kill me?” (John 7:19 NIV).

   The tragic irony is that if those leaders would have submitted to Him, their blessings would have infinitely exceeded their power and money as religious leaders.

   A follower of Jesus no longer needs the temple in Jerusalem or its services.  Jesus fulfilled the core purpose of the temple: “…[the Father] loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:10).

   And it was only about 40 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman leaders in 70 A.D.  May we take to heart a revelation from Scripture about the new temples God has for the world today.  Paul was speaking to followers of Jesus when he said: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16).

Hunter Irvine

Scripture Love Blog

(1) Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services (1874; repr., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 4-5.

(2) Ibid., 5-6.

Searching for a pastor?

   A unique question which I have never asked here before: Is your church searching for a pastor?  I am unemployed and intensely searching for a loving church.

   Being a reader of Scripture Love Blog, you might enjoy my preaching and church pastoring.  I am willing to relocate if it is a genuine fit.

If you have such an interest, you can watch a sermon I gave at this link:

https://site56.wixsite.com/scripturelove

(Note that my statement about memorizing Bible verses was poorly stated.  In 35 years as a Christian, I have memorized a number of verses.  I was trying to say that the way my mind works is to go for the concept.  What is the message?)

   Or instead of clicking on the link, you can click on my face on this blog, and then click on “My Web Page.”  Thank you for your consideration.

   Being unemployed has been rough, thus I ask you all for one prayer.  God bless you!   Hunter

In what manner should you study the Bible?

   In a manner which is best for you.

   On a hot summer day, I was hiking in the foothills of the Denver metropolitan area.  As I was on the last stretch of my hike down a trail, I talked with a young man who was headed up the trail.  I quickly learned he is a college student, and that he is a Christian.  He told me about a commitment he made to read the Bible in one year, even though that endeavor was in addition to all of his college course work.  That summer he was near the conclusion of that compressed reading ordeal.  However, he expressed that, sadly, his Bible reading had become a “chore.”

   We continued to talk, and I told of my common practice of pondering a passage.  It is common for me to ponder one particular passage for several days or even a week.  I have given intense thought for several days at a time to many passages over the years.  To illustrate my study method, I told about my study of the book of Matthew.  It started in the fall of 2020, and was completed in the early winter of 2024.  And that was at least the third time I have carefully studied Matthew since I turned to Christ.

   I concluded by giving my personal advice: “Read it as slow as you want.”

   That young man seemed relieved.  And that young man seemed blessed by my personal advice.  Encouraging him made my week.

   In learning from the Bible, there are two dynamics to start off with:  First, each individual person is unique.  Thus we people have different learning styles.  I for one am an interactive learner and an intense thinker.

   Second, the various authors of the sixty-six books of the Bible had different writing styles and used different literary forms.  Thus individual books of the Bible need to be read with a mode of discernment.

   When it comes to Bible study, some people like to read page after page from their favorite commentaries.  Others like to journal their thoughts.  Others like to stand in silence and ponder what they have read.  Regarding myself, I love to ponder.  Yet there was a season in my life where journaling was a standard practice within my study.  And there have been certain books of Scripture where I needed the aid of a commentary.  I was blessed in 2002 to have a special commentary which enabled me to successfully study the book of Zechariah.

   You will even have different needs in different seasons during your Christian journey.  Learning from the Bible is a personal venture.

   Now community efforts can support Bible study, yet it needs to be a fitting community for you.  Likewise, books can support Bible study, yet it needs to be a book which fits your mode.  My top five Christian books of the past 35 years might be completely different than your top five.

   Keep striving to learn from God.  And even though there will be consistent challenges, overall our learning should be an enjoyable experience.  We are talking about Scripture, the loving revelations to us from our great God!  Time with God in Bible study and prayer can be cherished.

   Whatever your manner of learning, when reading a Bible passage, we must listen for the message God has for us.  Thus we all need help from the Holy Spirit to hear Him through those words on a page.  Thus prayer is needed to help us get focused on hearing from our living God.

Hunter Irvine

Scripture Love Blog