1 Kings 8:1 – 21 “Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”
While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’
“My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’
“The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”
The work on the temple is done, and now Solomon and all the elders and heads of tribes and chiefs and priests are bringing the ark up from the tabernacle where it has sat since David returned it to Jerusalem. Now Solomon is giving the introduction for the ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony, Solomon and the others sacrifice so many animals that they cannot possibly be counted. The smoke of these sacrifices fills the entire temple compound.
When the priests carry the ark into the Most Holy Place and set it down, the glory of the Lord fills the temple so completely that the priests can only withdraw, unable to perform their duties. Solomon then gives a small account of David’s desire to build a temple and God’s assurances that David’s son would accomplish that. Solomon reminds all the people that the ark contains the stone tablets with the covenant of the Lord written upon them.
APPLICATION: The dedication of the temple is one of the high points of Solomon’s reign. This magnificent structure is now complete, and Solomon is acting as a kind of priest by offering sacrifices and then admonishing the people. If only the rest of Solomon’s reign would be as wonderful! After the offering of sacrifices and the arrival of the ark, God’s glory fills the temple, overwhelming the priests. Solomon reminds the people of God’s covenant. All the focus is on glorifying God, and all Jerusalem must feel the presence of the Lord God of Israel.
There are times in our lives when God enters in a very special way, and all we can do is to worship Him. We should never overlook these times, but we also cannot depend on them to give us the spiritual energy necessary for our daily lives. At one point, Jesus took Peter and John up on a mountain top. Suddenly, Peter and John saw Jesus glowing with heavenly glory and speaking with Moses and Elijah. This experience was definitely amazing; however, once Jesus and the others came down off the mountain, the first problem they encountered was a demon – possessed boy with epileptic fits. There is an important lesion here. Spiritual high points are important because we glimpse the glory of God in new ways. But eventually we must return to the stresses of daily life.
When Solomon dedicated the temple, there was a huge crowd of leaders from Israel who witnessed the dedication. One wonders what happened to these people afterwards. Were these people changed for the rest of their lives, or did the memories gradually fade so that they returned to a low spiritual level?
Holiness may intrude into our lives at any moment. The question is, what do we do after mountaintop experiences? Jesus told his disciples that overcoming demons demanded prayer and fasting. There is nothing particularly attractive or dramatic about either of these practices, and yet they are most necessary. May God help us so that we will celebrate the moments of glory but continue to move steadily towards heaven.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You daily and consistently. Help us not to try to depend on occasional moments of inspiration for our walk with You. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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