Better isn't neccessarily better...

I am currently studying I Kings. It was a few chapters ago that I read about something totally amazing to me. It wasn't really a new concept for me, but some reason, it just really struck me that day. It was the description of the Temple of Solomon. In essence and purpose it was similar to the Tabernacle but it was much more ornate and complicated. It wasn't much bigger than the tabernacle and not very big at all really, but every inch of it there was, was grandiose in the extreme. One could argue that such splendor would be nothing compared to the glory of the presence of God, and that would be true. Part of that argument may imply that God is deserved and worthy of such splendor and infinitely more so. Again they would be correct. The conflict arises however when we start to so overdo things that the things become the focus and we lose our focus on God. The Tabernacle had no windows, it depended solely upon the light of God for its illumination. The temple had windows. Such a subtle difference and yet, it was so significant. Baby step though it was, it was still a baby step in a direction away from reliance upon God to reliance on man's ingenuity. It was a baby step down the path that seems right to a man but is not God's path for the man. Of course this was not the only "improvement" Solomon added. Teh list is very long. In all of the temple's splendor, complexity, beauty, luxury and refinement, it was not an improvement on the tabernacle, which for all intents and purposes was really just a tent. The temple in fact was a downgrade. As the temple got more complicated the people became more focused on ritual, ceremony, and all the accoutrements that go along with them. It is so interesting to ponder this in light of our current culture. We are constantly seeking to improve, upgrade, or refurbish, to expand or add-on to our homes, churches, buildings, schools, social lives, bank accounts, and to our lives in general. But, I ask, is better always better? One of my family's favorite shows is Extreme Makeover Home Edition, but maybe we are need of a different kind of extreme makeover though...