Take this article with you in your thoughts the next time you read your Bible. The Jewish Temple is mentioned many many times in the Old Testament and well over 100 times in the New Testament. One central location for the worship of God has been in the hearts and minds of the Jewish community from its earliest times. It began with the Lord instructing Moses, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8. Detailed instructions were given for building a portable temple that could easily be taken down and moved as the people traveled from place to place. Also, instructions were laid out about the duties of the priests and how religious services were to be conducted. It was through the sanctuary and its priests that God ruled the people.

Eventually, by about the year 1000 B.C., a permanent sanctuary, or temple was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem. It was the focal point of the nation---the only official place of worship and one of the wonders-of- the- world for its day. Other Jewish temples were build (they seem to have been few in number), but they were considered unauthorized counterfeits of the original. Jerusalem was the political capital of the nation and the Temple was its religious heart. There was no separation of church and state that we so highly prize here in the United States. Church and state were one---the Lord directed the affairs of the nation through His priests, prophets and kings.

However, around the year 600 B.C. the Jewish nation fell prey to its stronger neighbors, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Most of the people were taken captive leaving the city and the Temple in ruins. But, after about 70 years, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild their temple. Although it seems to have been a mere shadow of the former temple, it established again a center of worship for the Jews. This later temple remained intact until 70 A.D. when it was destroyed by the Romans according to a prophecy spoken by Jesus. In Matthew 24:1,2 we read, "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Today, in modern Jerusalem, the only remains of that ancient temple are some stones in a retaining wall that shored up a hillside of the temple area. The Jews call it the "West Wall" others refer to it as the "Wailing Wall." What was once the world center of Jewish worship is now the site of a Moslem mosque.

When they were functioning, Jerusalem and the Temple were the heart and soul of the nation . For instance, Exodus 23:17 states, "Three times in a year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God." A Bible commentary adds, "Considering the fact that Palestine is a small country, less than 145 miles long and 75 miles wide, attendance at these feasts was not a burden. Furthermore, such festive occasions appealed to the people, for they were an important means of spreading information and offered almost the only opportunity for relatives and friends to see one another. The Israelites looked forward to these occasions with joyous anticipation. They exerted an important unifying influence and were thus a vitally important part of national life, tending as they did to weld the people together in the knowledge and service of God. While "all thy males" were required to attend, other members of the family were free to do so if they wished (1 Samuel 1:1-23 and Luke 2:41-45)."

As you read your Bible, especially in the New Testament, may I suggest you note how often the Temple and Jerusalem are mentioned, remembering just how important they were to the people of that time.

Blessings in your study of God's Word!

Marvin Hunt

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