And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, in mount Moria, which had been shewn to David his father, in the place which David had prepared in the thrashingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
וַיָּ֣חֶל שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה לִבְנ֤וֹת אֶת־בֵּית־יְהוָה֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם בְּהַר֙ הַמּ֣וֹרִיָּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִרְאָ֖ה לְדָוִ֣יד אָבִ֑יהוּ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֵכִין֙ בִּמְק֣וֹם דָּוִ֔יד בְּגֹ֖רֶן אָרְנָ֥ן הַיְבוּסִֽי׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The angel, bearing a sword and laying waste to every city of iniquity, established the temple of the Lord in the territory of the king of the Jebusites. This already foreshadowed that the church of Christ would arise not in Israel, but among the Gentiles.
This ancient sanctuary was situated on a hill, elevated amidst the city, at the place where, during the plague in Jerusalem, King David observed the angel of death unsheathing his sword against the city. He ascended there and constructed an altar to the Lord, offering sacrifices that halted the plague (2 Samuel 24:18). This act symbolized a profound spiritual elevation resulting from prayer and a means of atonement. Similarly, we find in our sacred Church, which stands elevated and embodies a celestial and transcendent realm, where a holy, non-bloody, and truly favorable Sacrifice is presented to God for the atonement of the entire world, for the annihilation of death, and for the gift of everlasting life.
The One whose throne is in heaven and whose footstool is the earth, who, as the prophet affirmed, descends to the depths of the abyss with His essence, declares, "If I go down into hell, there you are" (Ps. 138:8) - AV. He envelops, sustains, and upholds all things through the power of His voice (Heb. 1:3), whereby we “in Him live, move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Can we truly confine Him within a limited, mortal dwelling? “What house will you build for Me?” (Isaiah 66:1), He challenges those who think to sanctify a location by His presence rather than realizing they cannot restrain Him by the holiness of a place.
The human heart remains so tethered to the earth, incapable on its own of ascending to heavenly realities, while the mind is so obscured that, even in the bright noon of the Lord’s presence, when “the invisible things of God are clearly seen by the mind” (Rom. 1:20), it is forced to navigate through tangible experiences before arriving at true spiritual insight. Consequently, God Himself extends the heavens to draw the earthly nearer to Him and to guide them in continual communion with Himself. The finite and corporeal nature of humanity tends to reduce His spiritual omnipresence to fleeting earthly symbols and phenomena. In response, to maintain this salvific closeness to God through the strength of faith and both innate desire and influence from the Divine, individuals seek out divine signs, recognize the traces of God’s workings, and dedicate spaces that evoke the sense of His gracious presence entirely for His holy service. Jacob, upon dreaming of the divine mystery of humanity's union with God depicted as a ladder reaching from heaven to earth, designated his resting place as "the house of God" (Gen. 28:19), and thereafter approached it with profound reverence. Similarly, the Tabernacle of Moses was constructed “according to the pattern shown... on the mount” (Ex. 26:30) and was glorified by the remarkable relics of the tablets, manna, and the prophet's rod. Moreover, “the threshing floor of Ornah” (2 Chronicles 3:1), marked by the angelic visitation, became the site of Solomon’s temple. Christian churches, following tradition, often enclose either entire graves or portions of the sacred remains that showcased God's glory in His saints, built as monuments to divine actions where God revealed and magnified Himself in the world, or in honor of those who have gone before us in a blessed union with Him. Thus, in essence, the house of God on earth arises from the condescension of God towards humanity and humanity's approach to the Divine. God imparts the glory of His gracious presence, while humanity responds with the radiance of living faith. The glory of God sanctifies it for man, and the faith of humanity renders it pleasing to God.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS