Build It And They Might Come

“Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;” (1Ki 8:41-42 AV)

 

You have to appreciate Solomon’s optimism here.  He assumes the Gentile neighbors of Israel will come to see the wonder of the temple.  He doesn’t say ‘if’.  Rather, in verse 42 he prays the Gentiles shall hear and come.  Solomon is praying to the LORD and asking for His blessing on the temple which he built.  The project was second to none.  Everything but some of the implements was gold-plated.  Including the floor.  The walls, the ceilings, and all the furniture were golden.  The brazen altar was the only exception.  When I read this I couldn’t help but wonder if we do the same.  Do we expect others to come to Christ?  It doesn’t matter if it is many or few.  Do we expect the lost to hear the gospel and some respond?  Why not?  If we think we are defeated before we start, then we will not win anyone.  There must be an expectation of God’s moving.  There must be an expectation that our labor is not in vain.  There must be a vision for success even if it comes slowly.

When I lived in Kentucky, I did a lot of fishing.  I fished the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, Kentucky Lake, and the Mississippi.  There were several private ponds which I also fished.  One, in particular, was really profitable.  No matter the time or weather, you could always expect to catch something.   My son and I went there often.  We would spend hours wetting our lines.  We would catch bass, catfish, and a gar now and again.  There was one pond, however, that was unique.  A church member bought a foreclosed property very close to his business that had a little pond on it.  When looking at it, one would expect to catch the largest bass ever.  This pond was on private property and it would be natural to think this pond was well stocked.  The property had been vacant for a few years.  Even though there were neighbors, there wouldn’t be any reason to believe this pond was fished.  But fished it had been.  And fished out!  We made one cast after another.  There didn’t seem to be anything of any size swimming beneath the ripples.  It didn’t take but a few times when my son gave up on it.  However, when I needed a break this pond wasn’t even a half-mile away.  I knew before I went there wouldn’t be any large bass on the end of my line.  I knew before I went I wouldn’t have three-pound pan fish on my stringer.  But I did expect to catch something no matter how big or small.  I went because I expected results.

There were no guarantees from God that people would flock to the new temple.  Common sense would tell you there would be curiosity.  But there was no guarantee.  That didn’t stop Solomon.  When he prayed concerning the Gentiles it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’.  He knew if God did a work, people would show up.  He knew if the glory of God descended on the temple, the world would take notice.  He knew if the house of worship dedicated to the God of Israel far exceeded anything the pagan nations would build, people would seek it out. It wouldn’t be the masses.  It wouldn’t be the most popular tourist attraction.  But it would garner some attention.  When Solomon built the temple, he did so with the expectation that souls would be affected by it.  We should have the same faith concerning the ministries of the church.  Sure, almost all who answer the door will reject Christ.  But not all.  Sure, the vast majority of kids invited to a VBS have more fun things to do.  But there may be a few who will come.  If we have the same positive mindset and a spirit of expectation as Solomon had, maybe we might see more results.