Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. —1 Kings 3:15
LET’S SEE WHAT King Solomon did right after he received wisdom from God in a dream. David had instituted worship at Mount Zion, not at Mount Gibeon. What were left in the tabernacle of Moses at Mount Gibeon were merely the physical objects, structure and form. It had the lampstand, table of showbread and altar of incense. But the most important furniture in the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, which had the presence of God, was missing.
When you receive God’s wisdom, you will want to receive even more from God’s Word and from the presence of Jesus.
King David had a special revelation of the ark of the covenant and had brought it back to Jerusalem and placed it on Mount Zion. We see that for some reason, Solomon was into tradition before he received wisdom. While he was sincere in seeking the Lord at Mount Gibeon, the Lord’s presence was actually at Mount Zion. The tabernacle of Moses only had the form, but the substance of the presence of the Lord was with the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. But notice this: Once Solomon had received wisdom from the Lord, the first thing that he did when he awoke was to go to Jerusalem where he “stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.”
How can you tell if somebody has received wisdom from the Lord? The first thing that he will do is value the presence of Jesus! Once Solomon was inundated with God’s wisdom, he left the formal structure in the tabernacle of Moses and went to look for the Lord’s presence in Jerusalem. After receiving wisdom and a hearing heart, he valued and treasured the Lord’s presence. In the same way, when you receive God’s wisdom, it will not draw you away from church. Instead, it will cause you to want to receive even more from God’s Word and from the presence of Jesus. “Pastor Prince, what is so significant about the ark of the covenant?” The ark of the covenant is a picture of Jesus. It is made of wood, which speaks of Jesus’ humanity (Isaiah 55:12; Mark 8:24), and it is overlaid with gold, which speaks of Jesus’ divinity (Isaiah 2:20; Song of Solomon 5:11, 14–15). Jesus is 100 percent Man and 100 percent God.
In the ark are three items: The stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, which had budded, and a golden pot of manna. These items represent man’s failure and rebellion against God’s perfect law, His appointed leadership and His provision, respectively.1 Now, look at God’s heart for His people. He gave instructions that these symbols of man’s rebellion be placed inside the ark and covered with the mercy seat! The mercy seat is where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the offering to cover all the failings and rebellion of the children of Israel. The ark of the covenant is but a shadow. Today, we have the substance of the finished work of Jesus at the cross, where the blood of God’s own Son, not the inferior blood of bulls and goats, was shed to blot out all our sins, failings and rebellion once and for all.
It is no wonder that in battles in which the children of Israel appreciated the value of the ark, they emerged victorious. In the same way today, it is a clear indication of God’s wisdom upon your life when you value and appreciate the person of Jesus and what He did for you at the cross. And because the true ark of the covenant is with you all the time, you can’t help but be triumphant, successful and victorious in any battle that you may be in. Solomon realized this and immediately pursued the presence of the Lord after he awoke from his dream. My friend, go after the presence of Jesus in your life. He is your wisdom and victory over every battle today!
Today’s Prayer
Father, Your Word declares that Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me. Therefore, right now, Jesus, I acknowledge and thank You for Your abiding presence. And just as the Israelites were always victorious in battles when Your presence was with them, I expect to see victory today in any challenge that I face because You are with me. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me wisdom, victory, lasting success and peace.
Today’s Thought
When I go after and appreciate the presence of Jesus, I can’t help but be triumphant, successful and victorious in any battle.
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Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.