Solomon's Temple (3)

The Ark Returns

Standing before the altar, the king spread out his arms towards heaven, and prayed to God to be with his people when they worshipped in His House, and to bless them. Then the people praised God, shouting and singing and rejoicing that they had been able to help in building the beautiful church to be God’s dwelling place.           

1 Kings 8: 1-22
King James Version (KJV)

8 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

8:23 heaven, shamaylim (shah-my-yeem). The word shamayim is plural in form, because the Hebrews knew the great expanse above the Earth (the heavens) to be immeasurably vast, and its stars to be uncountable (Jer. 33:22). In the heavens, the dwelling place of God is located.  However, even such an expanses does not hold God in, for Solomon stated.  "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!” (2 Chr. 6:18). Since God spoke "from heaven" (Ex.20: 22), and is "in heaven" (Eccl. 5:2), Jews naturally came to say "heaven" as a euphemism for "God."  Thus, "the kingdom of heaven" in Matt. Is called "the kingdom of God" in other Gospels.

KINGDOM DYNAMIC

After the completion of the Temple it was dedicated by King Solomon in 953 BC. Solomon's speech to the people and his marvelous prayers were followed by an enormous offering of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. A great public feast followed:

8:2 The dedication of the temple coincided with the Feast of Tabernacles, about 11 months after its completion (6:38).

8:9 The rod of Aaron and the pot of manna, which had been kept in the ark (Heb. 9:4), were no longer there.  They were lost or stolen (1 Sam. 6:19).

8:10, 11 The cloud that filled the house of the Lord (v.10), the glory of the Lord (v. 11), is taken by some as a reference to 2 Chr. 5:13, 14 in Introduction to 2 Chronicles: The Holy Spirit at Work.  The priests could not stand to minister (v.11): Evidently they were in some way incapacitated because of the presence of the Lord.

When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts, the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love endures for ever whenever David offered praises by their ministry, opposite them the priests sounded trumpets; and all Israel stood. (2 Chronicles 7:1-6)

8:12 –21 Solomon explained to the people why the cloud filled the temple (v. 10): and why he had built it for the Lord.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/President/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performance Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org