Take Me For Pomegranate…Devotional
Daily Reading: (1 Kings 7:13,14,18,20,42 & Colossians 3:23):
“13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.18 He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 2 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars); 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”
Huram’s name means noble and there isn’t a more noble work than to be a part of building the Kingdom of God. The text says that Huram was filled with 3 specific things…. wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Those appointed to do God’s work are filled with wisdom, understanding and knowledge and that is every believer’s story who has the mission of building the kingdom as we share the Gospel (Exodus 31:2-3, 1 Kings 7:14).
Both 2 Chronicles and 1 Kings say that “he” set up the pillars and “he” named them Jachin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:21) Jachin means “he will establish,” and Boaz signifies “in him is strength.” Taken together, the names were a reminder that God would establish in Jesus strength. The sign would be a pomegranate.
Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because the pomegranate is said to have 613 seeds. I know it is not an exact number of seeds, but that number corresponds with the 613 mitzvot or commandments of the Torah in the Old Testament. So, the pillars are outside on the porch of the temple before you would enter into God’s Holy Temple. The pomegranates were a message that if you are righteous and fulfill all 613 commandments perfectly all the time then go ahead and enter. The pomegranates that Huram constructed each bearing those 613 commandments we failed at- showed that sin separated us from God in the Holy of Holies.
The pomegranates that Huram constructed each bearing those 613 commandments we failed at- showed that sin separated us from God in the Holy of Holies. However, Hebrews 6:20 says: Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek means my king is righteous. Jesus is our righteousness- He was able to enter in past the sign of righteousness, the pomegranates to enter in and offer a sacrifice for our sins, His blood, that cleanses us forever.
This “forever” aspect changes the way we are blessed and how we receive our blessings from God. As our High Priest, Jesus represents us before God. Since His priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek, which is one of righteousness, His righteousness becomes our righteousness forever. This means that we are forever righteous in God’s eyes! Obviously, this is wisdom, understanding, and knowledge from God.
By why did Huram make 400 of these pomegranates? Couldn’t he have got the message across with just a really large one on each pillar? The number 400 represents the covenant God made with Abram in Genesis 15:13 “ Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.” A 400 year period of waiting for God to fulfill His promise to His people from Genesis 12:2-3 seen in the 400 total pomegranates on two pillars.
There was a subtle almost hidden message about our righteousness written by the man who commissioned the building of God’s Temple with the pillars of pomegranates. The message is that blessings are perpetually on your life because the Bible says that blessings are on the head of the righteous (see Proverbs 10:6), and you are righteous forever!
The bride of Christ the church which is us is written about in Song of Solomon 4:3: “Your lips are like a scarlet cord, and your mouth is lovely. Behind your veil, your brow is like a slice of pomegranate.” This sounds strange if you don’t know what the pomegranate is a sign for. Our thoughts, our mind is like a righteous pomegranate because we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Solomon continues in 4:7: “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” God sees the perfection of His Son’s finished work in your life. By one offering of Himself at the cross, Jesus has perfected you forever (see Hebrews 10:14)! You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). And you will never find any spot in this righteousness that Jesus died to give you. So, God wants you to see yourself righteous—all fair and spotless in Christ.