Becoming Pillars

And he formed the two bronze pillars; eighteen cubits was the height of each pillar, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed each pillar. And he made two capitals of molten bronze to set upon the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the second capital was five cubits. There were nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals that were at the top of the pillars, seven for the one capital, and seven for the second capital. So he made the pillars; and there were two rows of pomegranates around the one network, to cover the capitals that were at the top of the pillars. And he did the same for the second capital. And the capitals that were at the top of the pillars in the portico were of lily work, four cubits in diameter. So then the capitals that were on the two pillars were above and close to the bulge that was beside the network. And there were two hundred pomegranates, in rows around both capitals. And he erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. When he erected the right pillar, he called its name Jachin; and when he erected the left pillar, he called its name Boaz. And at the top of the pillars was lily work. And the work on the pillars was completed. 1 Kings 7:15-22

Footnote from the Recovery Version on pillars. 

The two large pillars set up by Solomon in front of the temple were a striking feature of the exterior of the temple. In the Scriptures the pillar is a sign, a testimony, of God’s building (Gen. 28:18-19a, 22a; 1 Kings 7:15-22; Gal. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rev. 3:12). That there were two pillars here (two being the number of testimony) indicates that these pillars stood as a testimony, like a signboard, of what God’s building is. The names of the two pillars (v. 21 and notes) testify that the Lord will establish His building (cf. Matt. 16:18) and that genuine strength is in the building (cf. Eph. 3:17-18). In typology, bronze signifies God’s judgment (Exo. 27:1-8; Num. 21:8-9; John 3:14). The temple’s two bronze pillars signify the Christ who was judged by God and who became the supporting strength of God’s dwelling on the earth (cf. Rev. 1:15 and notes 1 and 2). This Christ should be experienced by the believers in the church life and should be wrought into them to constitute them pillars to support God’s building. 

Footnote from the Recovery Version on Eighteen. 

Eighteen cubits (the height of each pillar — v. 15; 2 Kings 25:17) is half of three units of twelve cubits (the circumference of the pillar). The number three signifies the Triune God, and the number twelve signifies the mingling (multiplying) of the Triune God (three) with His creature man (four). It signifies further that this mingling is complete and perfect in God’s eternal administration (cf. note 12 2 in Rev. 21 and note 2 4 in Rev. 22). Thus, if we would be pillars as a testimony of God’s building, we must first judge ourselves under God’s judgment (bronze — Matt. 16:24; Gal. 2:20) and then be filled, saturated, and permeated with the Triune God. That each pillar is a half indicates that no matter how completely we are mingled with the Triune God, we are not complete in ourselves; we need others to match us (cf. note 16 1 in Exo. 26). 1K 7:15 3 each Lit., the one pillar…the second pillar. 

Footnote from the Recovery Version on capitals. 

The two bronze capitals covered the tops of the pillars. The total height of each capital was five cubits (v. 16; 2 Chron. 3:15), divided between the base (three cubits — 2 Kings 25:17) and the two bowls on top of each capital (2 Chron. 4:12). The number three here signifies the process of resurrection; the number two, a testimony (Deut. 17:6); the number five, the bearing of responsibility (see note 2 1 in Matt. 25); and the number ten (the combined height of the two capitals), fullness in bearing responsibility. The bowls were the glory, beauty, decoration, and crown of the capitals. They were covered with nets of checker work (like a trellis) and wreaths of chain work (v. 17). These signify the complicated and intermixed situation in which those who are pillars in God’s building (Gal. 2:9; Rev. 3:12) live and bear responsibility. Lilies were on the nets (v. 19), and two rows of one hundred pomegranates were on the wreaths (v. 18; 2 Kings 25:17; 2 Chron. 3:16; 4:13). Lilies signify a life of faith in God (S.S. 2:1-2; Matt. 6:28, 30; Gal. 2:20), and pomegranates, having many seeds, signify the expression of the riches of the divine life. 

A life of faith that expresses the riches of the divine life is the issue of the experience of Christ’s crucifixion in and through the complicated and intermixed situation (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-18). In spiritual significance, the bowls of the capitals are a testimony (two) indicating that those who place themselves under God’s judgment (bronze), counting themselves as nothing, are able to bear responsibility (five) in full (ten) and express the riches of the divine life (pomegranates) in the midst of a complicated and intermixed situation (the checker work and chain work) out of the process of resurrection (the base of the capitals, three cubits in height) because they do not live by themselves but by God (lilies). A believer who is a pillar as a sign of God’s building must bear the testimony of living by faith to bear responsibility and express the riches of life through the process of resurrection under the crossing out of the checker work and the restriction of the chain work. 

Last week I was freshly impressed by the truth concerning being a pillar in the temple of God. The picture of the two pillars in 1 Kings 7 is marvelous. It is indeed full of spiritual significances. The design is not merely for strength and beauty, much more it has many other minute detail that a believer has to experience in order to be established and strengthened to become a pillar to bear the Lord's testimony.

My burden for the week's prophesying was on being a pillar, for which I also release my burden. The Lord in His sovereignty also arranged many circumstances, to train and perfect us. As man, we were all created out of clay. From the time we believed into the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine life came into us. Since then growth and transformation began and is still going on. In this process of transformation, God allows all the necessary persons, matters, and things to touch our being. All our natural man that needs to be transformed has to to be transformed. For this, we have to be an open vessel, receiving the divine dispensing of the divine life in the midst of all the suffering caused by the circumstances the Lord put us in. Often these circumstances are hard to bear, yet they are needed. For it is only through such that our self, flesh, old man, and natural man will be crossed out and be fully be reconstituted with the divine life.

I very much appreciated the significance of nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work. Without a proper revelation, these complicated situationss may just be a nuisance and can become redundant experiences. But with the proper view, these are precious experiences of the cross for our transformation. In the midst of all the complications, one can turn to the Lord, apply the cross through the Spirit, and come out of the complication victoriously. The chain works also functions as a tool to restrict us in many areas of our lives with the view of gaining Christ and be transformed.

With much burden, I released my burden on the significance of the pillar and encourage all the saints who have been going through complicated situations to look to the Lord for grace and be established and strengthened to become pillars for the Lord's testimony.

Thank God, He is faithful to carry out His intention. Come what may, He will accomplish His will in me as I also open myself to Him, giving Him the full ground to do whatever He wants to do. He is the Alpha, He is also the Omega. What He started, he will complete it.

Lord, gain me fully for Your divine purpose. Gain me to be Your pillar along with other saints. Amen!