1 Kings 5:17
At the king’s command, they quarried out great, costly stones in
order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.
King James Version (KJV)
17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly
stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
New Living Translation (NLT)
17 At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality
stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple.
The Message Bible (MSG)
17 Following the king's orders, they quarried huge blocks of the
best stone - dressed stone for the foundation of The Temple.
American Standard Version (ASV)
17 And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones,
costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
17 The king commanded them to quarry large, expensive blocks
of stone in order to provide a foundation of cut stone for the temple.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Throughout this bible
study, great emphasis was given to the right foundation. And this stage is not built at the
temple site—which is your end destination but shaped at the quarry.
Each of the underlined words in 1 Kings 5:17 has a specific meaning that indicates the qualifying features of the stones.
The moment that you
agree to follow, the shape process begins. The moment you say, not my will but
your will, God strips you of all humanistic emotions and beliefs. You
will become one stone that will be put into the foundation, fearing
nothing, overcoming every trail and temptation thrown your way, and ready to be
used. A perfect stage.
You cannot be effective before this stage is done in your life. Here you learn the necessity to listen, read and study the scriptures, be obedient to God’s Word and know who you are in Christ.
It's called the quarry
stage.
This is not the moonshine-and-roses
stage.
This is the blood,
spit and tears stage.
This is the reason
Jesus says often throughout the Bible, “Do
not be afraid.” Because He wants
you to grow in faith and stature.
And when you become
tired and weak, you will hear the words, “My
grace is sufficient for you,” to
sustain you through the journey.
Another word you will also
hear to the point of irritation and annoyance is “Wait”. More
than you would like, but this one-word instruction will keep you on guard the
entire narrow path towards the temple.
Why? Because God knows what you need to guide you to the overcoming part of your walk. The quicker you listen, the quicker you will be placed into the temple’s structure. Ready to be used for His kingdom.
1 KINGS 6:7
And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished
at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the
temple while it was being built. (NKJ)
At the quarry, you will
be cut into shape. This is a painful experience; nothing will be left for later.
It will be dealt with; whether you like it or not. Remember; you are not meant to stay
here. So, get it done quickly.
This experience must
be done outside the temple area. Here, you must be aligned with the right people
(string line) to get healed. Here, God will appoint a set man (who
follows Christ) over you to be shaped. And through the father-son wineskin connection,
you will to be used as a perfect stone within the Kingdom. Here, you will get to
know your weaknesses and your strong points. Here, your blind spots will be
exposed, and all schisms removed. Everything will be smoothed away for you to
fit in perfectly.
Let’s look at the
features again.
· Hewed: hew something (out of something) (formal)
to make or shape something large by cutting
· Expensive blocks: you have been bought with a
price; a precious price.
· Costly stones: only one person paid the price
because it was so costly. You cannot pay that price no matter how good a person you think you are.
· Dressed stones: no cuddling will take place
here. You will be pinched, struck, pulled and measured.
· High-quality stones: you will be unearthed,
washed, burned, even chiselled some more until Christ’s image is revealed in
you.
· Best stones: you must be the best stone this
quarry produces.
2 Timothy 2:19
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord
knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord
depart from iniquity.”
We must bear the
seal of God to qualify.
This qualifying test
involves:
· You will
be weighed.
· Make sure
your balance is correct
· Your
intellect will be tested
· Your ears
will be pierced.
· Your
tongue restraint.
· Your eyes
washed.
· Your dress
code changed
· Your life
examined
· Your
speech polished
· Lies
exposed
· Mindsets
challenged
Here, you must learn to
overcome. This is not a suggestion either. You will go through these tests
until you learn to reign amid your enemies. Until you are dressed, polished and
hewed like David’s smooth stones.
A word that has come
several times in the last couple of the weeks and has to do with this stage is not to use God’s Word as a COMMON
THING.
Sometimes we get to blaze
with the Word, and we become dispassionate with God’s presence that the word
begins to fall at the wayside. Lukewarmness is one of our biggest enemies there. You must make sure that God’s Word is always fresh every day. We must be aware of it every day. We should examine our hearts regularly to not
fall into this trap of apathy. Especially when we think God is taking too long or
when you question God’s timing.
We must endure with
the finishing line in our sight. We must not try to rush things or even to
sidestep it. We must be provoked to really test ourselves to the full extend of
God’s Word. That is our Source.
I pray that as you
examine yourself during this time that you will truly fall in love with God,
once again. That your eyes will be open and that you will act quickly to every
instruction you receive.
May your chiselling be
swift.
Grace and peace to
you.
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