Pillars

2 Chronicles 3:17
Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.

Have you ever heard anyone say that the Bible is God’s instruction manual for us on how to live a good and holy life? I know that I have. The Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Come on now, I think there’s more to it than that!

If we understand the Bible as nothing more than an instruction manual for us, a list of rules, regulations, and requirements, then who the heck is Jesus? Seriously here, folks, if the Word [Jesus] (John 1:1) says little more than “do, do, do,” then how on earth is anyone going to have a relationship with that? Yet week after week in church we throw out rules and principles to live by as if to say Jesus came to do one thing, give us more rules to try and live by.

And while I’m on this subject, if the Bible is our instruction manual, then why are there chapters upon chapters of the ornate decorations of the temple? History? Do we really need history in order to follow rules? Who cares what the pillars of the temple were named by the king at the time? This is God’s rule book, right? We don’t need to know about the 100 pomegranates on the top; we only need to know how to live right before the Lord. Really, these books that just tell us about the ornate design of the temple are pointless space fillers in God’s lesson plan for being a good person.

What I’m trying to point out here is that there is more to the Bible than just the rules and regulations. In fact, I am saying that those things (rules and regulations) are secondary points that just happened to show up. The real point of the Bible is the ornateness of the temple, the pomegranates on the pillars, the very names of the pillars themselves!

And so we go, let’s look at the names of these two great pillars that stand before the temple that Solomon built for the NAME of the Lord.

To the right is Jachin, whose name means “he that strengthens and makes steadfast”. To the left, Boaz, meaning “swift and strong”. These two pillars and their names were not put in the Bible as an aside, but as a representation of the Law (Boaz) to the left, and Grace (Jachin) to the right.

During the time in which the Bible was written there were certain traditions. One was the blessing of the children. The first, the best blessing always went to the child at the right hand (typically the oldest, but as evidenced in the Bible there were some changes along the way...save that for another day).

Under the Law, the nation of Israel could not receive the fullness of God’s blessings unless they did all that He required (which they couldn’t). They received what they earned. They functioned in a society under a law that was swift and strong. It was written on stone to show its unwillingness to bend or to assist. It was (and still is) perfect in every way, but was not able to bring about the fullness of God’s blessings on the people because it required and demanded too much: perfection.

Then came grace and truth through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). He didn’t come into the world to demand more, but rather to do what people couldn’t do on their own. He is the one who strengthens and makes steadfast. He is the fullness of perfection, seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19) making continual intercession on our behalf (Romans 8:34) so that we can receive the best of God’s blessings.

I’m here to tell you today that the Bible is not a book of rules. It is not a “how to” manual for life before you die. It is not weapon to be used against people to show them their mistakes; it is a weapon to protect people from the Devil. But most of all, the Bible is the Word of God. It is a miracle book filled with images of Jesus Christ, God’s grace, forgiveness, protection, blessings, honor, glory, and power. It is what it is!