TD Jakes - Understanding the Generational Wealth of God's Glory
Solomon built the temple, the walls went up, the steeples were constructed, and it was absolutely amazing. However, in my text, it is not the opulence of the building, nor the architectural design of the temple, nor the gold materials used in its construction, nor the granite floors or marble columns that caused them to be in awe. No, all of that was wonderful until God’s glory descended upon the building. When God’s glory hit man’s work, all they could see was the glory of God. When God sat down on their efforts, that’s what I want God to do. I want Him to anoint what I’m working on. I want Him to bless what I’m doing. I want Him to descend upon what I’m trying to build. I don’t want to build it if He’s not going to be present.
When God’s glory fell upon the temple, all religious order ceased; the priests stopped what they were doing, and all the Levites stood in awe. They were ready to play the instruments that David had created. David was so creative; not only did he play instruments, he made instruments, and those instruments had now outlived him. We are now seeing the second generation of Levites continuing the legacy of the music of David, who has gone on, yet his songs are still filling the air. When the glory of the Lord fell, it descended upon them because they were praising and worshiping God. It didn’t fall upon them because they had gold; it didn’t fall on them because they had columns; it didn’t fall on them because they had granite.
It fell because they had praise, and when the praises went up, the glory came down. The glory came down so strongly that the priests had to be still and the Levites had to stop because God had taken over the room. His glory had filled the temple, and every room, every cul-de-sac, every avenue, every closet, every corner was filled with this glow. I pray that right now the glory of God would enter your house. I pray it would fill your living room. I pray it would overflow into your dining room. I pray it would stand up in your kitchen. I pray it would extend into your bedroom and touch all your clothes. I pray that the glory would rest on your house so strongly that COVID couldn’t get near it because the house was filled—yes, the house was filled with glory. Throw your hands up and say, «Fill it with glory!»
God’s going to fill it with glory; He’s going to fill your business with glory. He’s going to fill your family with glory. He’s going to fill your pockets with glory! Throw your hands up and say, «Fill it with glory!» The glory of the Lord sat down on the house, and it filled the entire house. God always fills whatever He forms. He formed the earth and filled it with vegetation. He formed the sea and filled it with fish. He formed the air and filled it with birds. He formed the tabernacle and filled it with furniture. He formed the Holy of Holies and filled it with glory. He formed man and filled him with breath. Whenever you see God form a thing, He will always fill whatever He forms.
What we are looking at in this text is that opulent moment, that crystallized, stellar, significant, unforgettable moment when the divine touches the human, when the celestial touches the terrestrial, when that which is above comes down and dwells among us—when grace and truth meet together, when mercy and peace come together, when the holy and the human collide, an exodus of praise so powerful that it crescendos throughout the chapter. It was so strong that Solomon got scared he might lose it. I want to talk to some blessed people who are blessed but scared you’re going to lose it. He came to God and said, «This is so amazing! What happens if I lose it? What happens if You shut up the heavens and there is no more rain? What happens if it doesn’t work anymore?»
I want to address some people who are anxious because the enemy’s been telling you that you’re going to lose everything. But the devil is a liar! Solomon said, «What happens if You shut up the heavens, and there is no more rain, and the crops stop, and the glory doesn’t flow? What happens if it all breaks down?» And God gave him a key: «If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways"—slap your neighbor and say, «Then, then will I hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.»
Heal our land, God! Heal our land! Heal our land! Oh God, heal our land! When the glory came in, the priests prostrated, the worshipers collapsed, and the people all over Israel stood in amazement, gazing up in the presence of God, almost in a daze, experiencing the power of God emanating from His presence. But what they did not see—yes, they saw the glory, the labor, the altar, the building, the pillars, the foundations; they even saw the Wailing Wall that I stood in front of, rocking back and forth. They saw all that, but they did not know that Solomon’s temple was built right where Ornan’s threshing floor was. Ornan’s threshing floor symbolizes what happened in the previous generation.
You remember when David counted the people and God judged him for his sins? God allowed a plague to come upon His people, and disaster, pestilence, and disease spread everywhere. David sought to break the curse upon the land, so he came to the threshing floor of Ornan. The threshing floor, you see, is the place where wheat is separated from chaff. It was a threshing floor, a place of separation. David said, «I need this place to offer up a sacrifice to God,» and he wanted to know what it would cost. Ornan offered him whatever he wanted, but David said, «No, I will pay the full price.»
That’s the difference between greatness and weakness. Everybody wants it, but not many people want to pay the full price. Everybody wants recognition, but they don’t want to pay the full price. Everybody wants an opportunity, but they don’t want to pay the full price. Everybody wants to do something meaningful, but they won’t pay the full price for it. They don’t get it. They don’t understand the cost. David paid the full price. Are you willing to pay the full price of faith, or are you just going to talk the talk, play the game, and go through the religious motions? When it comes down to it, are you willing to pay the full price?