The glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 5-6:11  from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

 Thus all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver and the gold and all the utensils, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

² Then Solomon assembled to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. ³ All the men of Israel assembled themselves to the king at the feast, that is in the seventh month. ⁴ Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. ⁵ They brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁷ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles. ⁹ The poles were so long that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and they are there to this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

The Glory of God Fills the Temple

¹¹ When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions), ¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets ¹³ in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Dedication

6 Then Solomon said,

“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
² “I have built You a lofty house,
And a place for Your dwelling forever.”

³ Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ⁴ He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hands, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a leader over My people Israel; ⁶ but I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ ⁷ Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he shall build the house for My name.’ ¹⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in the place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹ There I have set the ark in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with the sons of Israel.”

… then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God….6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
² “I have built You a lofty house, And a place for Your dwelling forever.”

There are three structures that we are told about in the Old Testament which were built as a habitation for the Lord’s presence among the people. There was this magnificent building we read about in this text, a building which took years to complete, made from timbers and stone, built to the exact specification God had given. This temple had an open court where all the people could gather. There was the Holy place, where the priests carried out the ministry of the temple worship and sacrifices. Then there was the Holy of Holies, the place where God Himself dwelled, a place that only the high priest would enter once a year to make atoning sacrifice for the nation of Israel.

The Mosaic tabernacle was a portable copy of this temple. It too was made to very specific dimensions and had ornate designs woven into the fabric. It too had the areas of division to separate the Holiness of God from men.

The third dwelling or tabernacle we are told about is the tabernacle of David. This is where David brought the ark of the covenant when he established Jerusalem as the city from which he would rule.   In 1 Chronicles 16, it says:      And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ He distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

⁴ He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, ⁶ and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

This tabernacle, set up by David was different than the other two. It was a tent with open sides. David appointed the Levites to minister, to praise and worship before the ark of the covenant of God, continually. David wanted all the people to see and experience the worship of God. There was nothing to separate the people from the ministry and worship of God.   The psalmist says: You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.(Psalm 22:3) God’s presence, His habitation was there in the midst of the people, in the midst of their continual worship and praise.

Though none of these three temples or tabernacles exist today, Amos 9 speaks prophetically of God rebuilding the tabernacle. Amos 9:11  “On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins,   This is also the scripture that was referenced when the first non-Jewish believers were accepted into the fellowship. Acts 15:15-17 says:    "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,'…

The tabernacle that God wants to restore is the tabernacle of David. It is a place where there is constant praise, worship and ministry going on. This praise and worship, this ministry is not concealed behind the walls and doors of a building, but rather it is done in the open so that “the rest of mankind may seek the Lord”

In 1 Corinthians 3:16, there is mention of another temple of God. It says:    Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?   This agrees with what Jesus says in John 14:16-20:

  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;   that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you…."After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

So then, if we are the temple, the dwelling place of God, and God wants to restore the tabernacle of David. A place that openly worships and praises God, a place where ministry, praise and worship go on continually, openly before the people, should that not be the temple that we build for the Lord.

  Romans 12:1 says: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship.   

Jesus says: an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.(John 4:23-24)

True and proper worship, worship in spirit and truth, continual worship and praise openly lived out for all to see.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, restore within me the tabernacle of David, a place of continual open worship, praise and ministry, so that all mankind may seek the Lord. To You be the glory and honor forever.   Amen.