2 Chronicles 3-4

“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.” (2 Chronicles 3:17, NKJV)

The time had come for building the temple. It was to be magnificent. If ever the phrase “spare no expense” could apply to anything, it applied here. Just the gold covering the walls and ceiling of the Most Holy Place weighed 23 tons! David, Solomon, and the people of Israel gave their best to honor the LORD, and now they put it all together. There is a time to prepare and a time to build.

As a person approached the sanctuary, he would see two tall columns 27 feet high with a capital on top of each extending upward another 7 ½ feet. Solomon named the one on the right “Jachin” (He shall establish) and the one on the left “Boaz” (in it is strength).

Today we do not have a temple made with hands. Instead, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit both individually (1 Corinthians 6:9) and collectively (1 Corinthians 3:16). As Solomon built the physical temple in Jerusalem, so we are building this spiritual temple to be a house of God. This is a house of supernatural strength. As the physical temple had two large pillars, so our spiritual temple has two pillars of faith.

The pillar on the right is Jachin, meaning “He shall establish”. We know that what the Lord builds He brings to completion (Philippians 1:6). We can rest knowing that the Lord is building His work in us, and He will protect us from harm.

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3, ESV)

The pillar on the left is Boaz, meaning “in it is strength”. We know that we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10), and we can always take refuge in Him.

“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26, NKJV)

Let us lean on these two pillars of our faith today. God is building us and establishing us to be a spiritual house to bring Him praise, honor and glory! And He is our mighty refuge who will protect us from all the power of the evil one!