Throne Room
Fear God for each of us were made by God to praise God. Follow Him and live freely by forgiving fully for the measure you use will be used for you on judgment day.
“It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—the silver and gold and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.” 1 Kings 7:1-51
Solomon took nearly twice as long building his own home as the temple. With great attention to detail and craftsmanship, he had a palace built that was second to none. The inside reflected the beauty of the world around with lilies, lions, large palm trees. Sounds like what you might find at Hobby Lobby. How much time do you spend on interior decorating? We need to have our inside right if our outside is going to be fruitful. How much thought did you spend creating the environment you dwell in? It matters.
Solomon made a throne hall. A place of judgment. As king this was part of his royal responsibilities and he had a room built just for administering justice. People would come stand before the king and their actions judged. We are told that one day we will do the same. One day we will stand before our King Jesus and we will judged for how we lived. How will the coming day of judgment affect how you will live today?
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.” Psalms 148:1-14
God made the heavens his dwelling place and earth ours. Like Solomon, God was intentional and is attentive in how He made all things. God does not make mistakes. Each person, each animal, each angel, each area was made to praise God. One of the biggest lies of the enemy is the one that tells people they are not perfectly and wonderfully made. The enemy wants to undermine your identity. God wants you to know you were made and are loved by Him. How would you describe yourself to others? How does God describe you?
David said praise the name of the Lord. A person’s name says everything about who they are. It is for that reason that Solomon said a good name is better than gold. What does the name of the Lord tell us about our Lord? Yahweh, the name used here, tells us about His character, His faithfulness, His authority, His power, His glory. God wants to be known by you and for you to know you are known by Him. He is not taking someone else’s word for who you are, He is speaking His word over you that you might use your life to worship Him. How do you describe God? What does His name mean to you? How will you praise it today?
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the strong men stoop, and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it…here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:1-14
Solomon offered a simple reminder. No matter how strong you feel, one day your senses will fade, your body will age, and your spirit will one day return to the God who gave it. Solomon said remember but he means something very different than to wistfully thinking about times gone by. Solomon is calling us to active engagement where we acknowledge and honor God. He was saying let your life reflect a heart that responds to God and lives rightly before Him because you will one day stand before Him.
What is the opposite of the approach to remember? Forgetting and being unfaithful. We live in a world where God can be pushed to the backburner and we can be busy not following Jesus. Have you forgotten God? Are you actively following or passively forgetting? How could you be more intentional about how you spend the time you have? Solomon said the end of the matter is we are to fear God and be faithful.
“Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne…Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; Our Redeemer the Lord Almighty is his name…Sit in silence…no more will you be called queen of kingdoms. I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. You said, ‘I am forever— the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day” Isaiah 47:1-15
Babylon symbolizes far more than a historical empire. It represents every person that exalts themself against God, trusting in their own power, pursuing luxury without humility. God called out the people whose time was spent on pride, pleasure, and lack of mercy for other people. History is littered with rulers who came and went. Empires that have come and gone. And the lives of billions of people whose names have been forgotten.
Isaiah said there the name of our God is Redeemer. There is one name above all names who redeems and it is Jesus. He ushered in the new covenant with the cross and stands for us on the day of judgment. The question is whether we will be like the fools and unfaithful people of Babylon or whether we will remember our Redeemer before it is too late. If today was your last day on earth, what would God say to you? Well done or why didn’t you follow fully?
“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves…My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations…you have made it ‘a den of robbers. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:12-25
From beginning to end, these passages point us in the same direction. Judgment is coming. Solomon built a throne because king judge. David called every living thing to praise because how we praise will be part of our evaluation. Ecclesiastes reminded us to remember and revere God for a day of judgment will come. Isaiah warned against what happens to those who do not follow.
In this chapter, Jesus walked into the temple, looking not for appearances but for genuine fruit. Jesus said true faith produces fruit, prayer has power, and forgiveness prepares our hearts to stand before Him. Every passage asks the same question: are you prepared for the day of judgment?
The good news is that our Judge is also our Redeemer. Jesus did not call us to fear Him, but so we could be free. The person who fears God does not fear mankind. The one who fears God does not fear the uncertainty of tomorrow, nor the day of judgment, because they have committed their life to Christ who paid the price on the cross. As we remember Him, trust Him, forgive as we have been forgiven,, and praise His name, our lives will bear the fruit of the faithful.
So what will God and others see when they look at your life? Leaves or fruit? Is there someone you need to forgive before you stand before God? Have you been building your own kingdom, or investing in God’s? Today is the day to remember your Creator, humble yourself before your Redeemer, and praise in response to your freedom. Celebrate Jesus for He is the One who gladly forgives, rightly restores, and completely fills His people with worthy praise.