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1 Kings Chapter 8
The Ark Brought into the Temple
- 1Kings 8:1 Then
Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the
tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto
king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of
the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is
Zion.
- 2 And all the men of
Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in
the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
The month of Ethanim was the feast of
tabernacles which would be around our October. They must have waited
until the time of the feast to have this great feast and dedication.
This occured also when the tabernacle in the wilderness was
dedicated. It is also called the feast of booths. Here is one place
where the Lord speaks to Moses about this feast.
- Levitcus 23:33
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
- 34 Speak unto
the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this
seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days
unto the LORD.
- 35 On the first
day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work
therein.
- 36 Seven days ye
shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the
eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall
offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn
assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
- 37 These are the
feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy
convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a
burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink
offerings, every thing upon his day:
There are Messianic Jewish
congregations that celebrate the feasts every year. Lest we think
this is just a commandment they had to keep, we must see that this
was a gift from God also. It was a time of refreshing, feasting,
rejoicing in the Lord. This was a time of inviting His presence into
their midst. It was a time of remembrance of all the Lord had
provided them. It was a time of worship, rejoicing, bringing offerings to the Lord,
resting their physical bodies from labor and much more.
- 1 Kings Chapter 3
And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the
ark.
- 4 And they brought
up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation,
and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those
did the priests and the Levites bring up.
Everything is done and it was time to
honor and worship God as they dedicate this temple to the Lord and
bring the Ark of the Covenant to it's rightful place in the temple
they built. God honors this. This is a time or rest from war, it's a
time of peace. It is awesome. This time is for everyone to rejoice.
- 1Kings 8:5 And king
Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled
unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and
oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
- 6 And the priests
brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place,
into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under
the wings of the cherubims.
- 7 For the cherubims
spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the
cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
- 8 And they drew out
the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the
holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without:
and there they are unto this day.
- 9 There was nothing
in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there
at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of
Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
- 10 And it came to
pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the
cloud filled the house of the LORD,
- 11 So that the
priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for
the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
Oh how we should desire the presence of
the Lord. It is an awesome time. Because of the sacrifice and
resurrection of Jesus this rejoicing in God's presence is available
today for all who believe no matter what ethnic background, age or
country one lives in if they receive Jesus into their lives and are
born again by his Holy Spirit. To those that reject Jesus, they do
not know the joy and peace they are missing. It is so wonderful to
be in the presence of the Lord. My words cannot describe it. What
joy, what gladness it will be when we meet Him face to face.
Solomon Blesses the Lord
- 1Kings 8:12 Then
spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick
darkness.
- 13 I have surely
built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to
abide in for ever.
- 14 And the king
turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of
Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
- 15 And he said,
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth
unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it,
saying,
- 16 Since the day
that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no
city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my
name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people
Israel.
- 17 And it was in the
heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the
LORD God of Israel.
- 18 And the LORD said
unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an
house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
- 19 Nevertheless thou
shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out
of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
This was a double prophecy. Solomon was
to build the house then at that time, but the Lord had a deeper
meaning to fulfill. His own Son we now know as Jesus, (Yeshua in
Hebrew), was to build the temple in the latter days when He sets up
His throne and rules the earth. First though He had to make
the final sacrifice for sin and usher in the plan of salvation for
all who believe including Gentile nations. Here is a conversation
about the son of David in the book of Matthew.
- Matthew 22:41
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
- 42 Saying, What
think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son
of David.
- 43 He saith unto
them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
- 44 The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine
enemies thy footstool?
- 45 If David then
call him Lord, how is he his son?
Through Mary He is the Son of David
through Nathan (another son of David) and Joseph was from the line
of Solomon which made Jesus in the line of the kings even though He
was sort of adopted through Joseph, and also the first born of Mary.
Whether Solomon knew this at this time, I don't know but I believe
David knew it when He wrote the Psalms.
-
1Kings 8:20 And the LORD
hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the
room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the
LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD
God of Israel.
So we have the promise of an earthly
kingdom and an eternal kingdom.
-
1Kings 8:21 And I have set
there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD,
which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the
land of Egypt.
What a day that was to them. This was a
type and preview of the everlasting time when God would dwell with
us in person as we see at the end of the book of Revelation. It was
an honor for God to allow Solomon to build this as a visable sign of
what was to come. We know now that more is to come in the future.
More is to be fulfilled. This is what we would call types and
shadows. God gives hope. For now though there is a big (If) to those
that want to be part of this. That (If) is written in the book of
Deuteronomy as in other places. To believe in the one He sends to
save us from sin and usher in the everlasting kingdom.
- Deuteronomy 18:15
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the
midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall
hearken;
- 16 According to
all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day
of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the
LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I
die not.
- 17 And the LORD
said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have
spoken.
- 18 I will raise
them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and
will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all
that I shall command him.
- 19 And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words
which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
There have been a few that claimed to
be this prophet but Jesus is the only one that could fulfill that
scripture. He first had to come as a suffering sacrifice for sin.
Israel 53 describes it in detail. There are scriptures in the book
of Psalms and in Jeremiah also.
- Jeremiah 31:31
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
- 32 Not according
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD:
- 33 But this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people.
- 34 And they
shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for
I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more.
There is only one that fulfills the
promise of eternal life. That is Jesus.
Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
- 1Kings 8:22 And
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of
all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands
toward heaven:
- 23 And he said, LORD
God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on
earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants
that walk before thee with all their heart:
This is so true and awesome to think
about. God will keep His covenant and mercy to those that walk
before Him with all their heart. Thanks to Jesus, this includes
Gentiles who put their trust in Him as well. Lifting up hands in
prayer is mentioned in the letter of Paul to Timothy.
I grew up around people that lifted up
their hands in prayer. It was normal to see that. Many times
bowing our heads is good too as well as kneeling. I even walk the
floor as I pray. God sees our motives and what is within us when we
pray. Lifting up hands shows surrender and honor to our God and
savior.
- 1 Kings 8:24 Who
hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst
him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it
with thine hand, as it is this day.
- 25 Therefore now,
LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that
thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in
my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children
take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast
walked before me.
The kingdom would not have been broken
and split in haft later, if they would have stayed faithful to God
and kept His commandments. However, this will be restored in the
latter days. Temporary restorations did occur later after the return
from Babylonian captivity but they soon fail away again by the time
of the first coming of Jesus to be a sacrifice for sin.
- 1 Kings 8:26 And
now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified,
which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
- 27 But will God
indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I
have builded?
So we see that Solomon knew that this
was not a permanent place and that when the work of God was
finished, the gospel of the kingdom has been spread upon the earth,
the final judgment comes; then God will have something better
and everlasting for all that stay faithful to Him after turning from sin
and being covered with the righteousness Jesus the Christ. God our Father
will provide for all who will receive the good way to come. We now
know this will be through Jesus, the Son of the everlasting God.
- 1Kings 8:28 Yet have
thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his
supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the
prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
- 29 That thine eyes
may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the
place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou
mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make
toward this place.
- 30 And hearken thou
to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel,
when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven
thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.
- 31 If any man
trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to
cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this
house:
- 32 Then hear thou in
heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked,
to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to
give him according to his righteousness.
- 33 When thy people
Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have
sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess
thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this
house:
- 34 Then hear thou in
heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them
again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
- 35 When heaven is
shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against
thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and
turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
- 36 Then hear thou in
heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people
Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should
walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy
people for an inheritance.
- 37 If there be in
the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew,
locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them
in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever
sickness there be;
- 38 What prayer and
supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people
Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart,
and spread forth his hands toward this house:
- 39 Then hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to
every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for
thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of
men;)
- 40 That they may
fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou
gavest unto our fathers.
The wisdom of Solomon truly was great.
He knew that people would fall away but he also knew the way to fix
it and get right with God. Genuine repentance would restore that
relationship.
- 1Kings 8:41 Moreover
concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but
cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake;
- 42 (For they shall
hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy
stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this
house;
- 43 Hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the
stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may
know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that
they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called
by thy name.
There was provision made for those that
were not of Israel to find the Lord even before Jesus came. We see
that in the story of Ruth and Rahab the harlot as well as others.
This became even greater after the coming of Jesus and the spread of
the gospel.
- 1Kings 8:44 If thy
people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou
shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city
which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built
for thy name:
- 45 Then hear thou in
heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their
cause.
- 46 If they sin
against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou
be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they
carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or
near;
- 47 Yet if they shall
bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried
captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the
land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned,
and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
- 48 And so return
unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the
land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray
unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their
fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I
have built for thy name:
- 49 Then hear thou
their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling
place, and maintain their cause,
- 50 And forgive thy
people that have sinned against thee, and all their
transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and
give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that
they may have compassion on them:
- 51 For they be thy
people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out
of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
- 52 That thine eyes
may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the
supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all
that they call for unto thee.
This prayer of Solomon actually
contains prophetic words. It is if he knew what would happen in the
days after the kings when Israel went into Babylonian captivity but
was restored after 70 years then after the rejection of Jesus in 70
AD, they were destroyed as a nation. Yet in 1948 they were restored
again. As of early in May 2025 they have not yet received
Jesus as their Messiah but they will in the future. Some individual
Jews have come to Christ, but as a nation they have not yet
recognized that the one their ancestors rejected is truly the Messiah of
Israel as well as Gentiles who believe.
-
1Kings 8:53 For thou didst
separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be
thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy
servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord
GOD.
This we must remember always. God has
not cast away His people. His promise to Abraham still stands: "I
will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee."
Solomon's Benediction
- 1Kings 8:54 And it
was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this
prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the
altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands
spread up to heaven.
- 55 And he stood, and
blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice,
saying,
- 56 Blessed be the
LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to
all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his
good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his
servant.
- 57 The LORD our God
be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us,
nor forsake us:
- 58 That he may
incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to
keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments,
which he commanded our fathers.
- 59 And let these my
words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be
nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the
cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all
times, as the matter shall require:
- 60 That all the
people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that
there is none else.
- 61 Let your heart
therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his
statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
Whatever nation or nations of the world
that would really stay faithful to the Lord and teach the people the
ways of God and extend it to their children, would truly be the most
powerful, greatest nation ever to exist. No weapon formed against
them would prosper. They would be strong, disease would be non
existant. When we fail to teach our children, by the 4th generation,
this would deteriorate. We then would be vulnerable to stronger
nations if God's hand of protection is withdrawn because of sin. The
Supreme Court back in the 1960s did not realize what they were doing
when they declared the teaching of God and the study of His word
unconstitutional. The nation went downhill ever since.
We use to be the example of freedom and
fairness to the whole world, no nation could defeat us. This will
change if we do not repent and return to God. How do I know? By reading
the Old Testament victories and defeat of Israel. That is how I
know. God will bless those that honor Him and keep His word but we
as a nation have not done that. The only thing keeping us going are
those that live among us that still honor the Lord and have not
forsaken Him.
This is what has to be done:
-
2Chronicles 7:14 If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land.
Although that referred to Israel,
through faith in Christ all those that receive Him become His people
also by faith in Jesus. We too can pray for our nation and pray for
the mercy of God to forgive and the power of God to draw us back to
Him that our nation can be that light and example God uses to reach
the rest of the world.
This cannot be done by the use of
force. God's presence dwells among those that believe and come to
Him willingly from their innermost being. It is not something that
can be mandated or forced by laws of the land. In saying that
though, the laws of the land most not ever rule against those that
believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ. No law should ever forbid
the spread of this good way to people so they can be given that
choice to make. That is what the Supreme Court did wrong.
Solomon's Sacrifices
- 1Kings 8:62 And the
king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the
LORD.
- 63 And Solomon
offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto
the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and
twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of
Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
- 64 The same day did
the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the
house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and
meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the
brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive
the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the
peace offerings.
- 65 And at that time
Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great
congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of
Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even
fourteen days.
- 66 On the eighth day
he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went
unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness
that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his
people.
If only they would have stayed in their
first love for the Lord. How glorious this was at the time. Our
flesh is weak though and we need to jealously guard against Satan's
attempt to steal, kill and destroy our first love and fellowship
with the Lord. One of the letters to the church in the book of
Revelation speaks to us about losing that first love. It doesn't
have to be that way.
- Revelation 2:1
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things
saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
- 2 I know thy
works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not
bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
- 3 And hast
borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted.
- 4 Nevertheless I
have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love.
- 5 Remember
therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Repentance, prayer and faithfulness
will keep us from falling away. We must resist evil and cleave to
the Lord our God. He has a better way for us to live. Jesus said to
watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. When we do fail,
we must repent and restore our fellowship with the Lord immediately
but this must be geninue not a rote meaningless prayer with our
mouth when our heart is not in it. DC
1 Kings Chapter 9
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