Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple
8:1 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion).
The elders were the political leaders. The leaders were the tribal leaders. They all came to Jerusalem to celebrate the transfer of the tabernacle into the new temple.
8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month Ethanim (the seventh month).
Solomon finished building the temple in the eighth month of the previous year, so this celebration did not take place until eleven months later.
8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark.
Solomon scheduled the dedication of the temple to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. This was also the Year of Jubilee, meaning that this would be quite a celebration.
8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items in the tent.
When David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, Uzzah was killed for touching the ark. Solomon made sure that the Levites transported the ark as to the stipulations of the Mosaic Law.
8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.
All of the sacrifices pointed to Christ.
8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs.
The priests carried the ark of the covenant with poles into the Holy of Holies.
8:7 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles.
The cherubs represented the four cherubim who surround the throne of God the Father in heaven.
8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They have remained there to this very day.
The poles were left in the temple so that priests could be guided by them when they entered into the dark temple. Since the poles remained there “to this very day,” then the author wrote before the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C.
8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
At this time, the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod were no longer in the ark. They may have been removed by the Philistines or some other enemy. Only the two tablets of the Ten Commandments remained.
8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple.
The Shechinah Glory entered into the temple.
8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple.
The priests were not able to stand in the presence of the Shechinah Glory.
8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness.
Solomon declared that he built the temple so that Jehovah could live in the thick darkness of the temple.
8:13 O Lord, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.”
Solomon built the temple for Jehovah. The Hebrew word for “permanently” is עוֹלָם (olam), meaning either eternity or a very long time, depending upon the context. In this context, Solomon meant a very long time. Solomon hoped that Jehovah would live inside of the temple, just as th Shechinah Glory had lived inside of the tabernacle during the days of the Exodus.
8:14 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there.
Solomon pronounced a blessing on the assembly and gave a speech. The rest of this chapter recorded his speech and his prayer which he spoke in front of his assembly.
8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled what he promised my father David.
In verses 15-19, Solomon reviewed the Davidic Covenant with the assembly of Israel. Jehovah is worthy of praise, because He fulfilled one of the promises of the Davidic Covenant.
8:16 He told David, ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’
Jehovah chose David to become the anointed king of Israel.
8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel.
David wanted to build the temple.
8:18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me.
Jehovah was pleased that David wanted to build the temple.
8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’
David’s hands were too bloody to build the temple, so God chose Solomon to build the temple instead.
8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel
On the day of this assembly, Jehovah fulfilled this prophecy which was given to David.
8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
The ark of the covenant was placed inside of the the temple.
Solomon Prays for Israel
8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky.
The remainder of the chapter records Solomon’s prayer. The spreading of open hands toward heaven was a normal posture of individual prayer.
8:23 He prayed: “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity.
Solomon praised Jehovah for keeping His promises of the Davidic Covenant.
8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; this very day you have fulfilled what you promised.
Jehovah fulfilled the promise which was made to David.
8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’
Solomon asked God to keep His promise about an eternal Davidic dynasty.
8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant, my father David, be realized.
Solomon prayed that everyone would realize that this promise had been fulfilled upon this very day.
8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!
Most pagans thought that their gods would live in the temples that they constructed for them. Others believed that their gods lived in certain regions, such as the sky, the ocean, the underworld, the mountains, or even a lake or river. Solomon confirmed that God was omnipresent. He was everywhere at one time. He could live in the temple, but still be everywhere else in the universe. Jehovah was not shut up in a temple like a jack-in-the-box. The temple was not to be a “container” for God but a place for his Name to dwell.
The phrase “heaven of heavens” is most likely “the third heaven.” The first heaven is the atmosphere. The second heaven is outer space. Above outer space is the heaven of heavens, projecting infinitely beyond all of the stars. This is where God now has His throne. After His resurrection, Christ “ascended up far above all heavens” to the right hand of God.
8:28 But respond favorably to your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you today.
Solomon asked God to answer his prayer.
8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place.
Solomon asked God to watch over and protect the temple.
8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably.
Solomon asked God to hear his prayer and respond favorably.
8:31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve.
In Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Moses predicted that Israel would rebel against Jehovah and the nation would be afflicted with seven different curses. Solomon addressed each of these seven curses in his prayer.
First, Solomon prayed that the Lord would listen from heaven and judge between the wicked and the righteous. In court cases, Jehovah was asked to declare who was guilty and who was innocent.
8:33 “The time will come when your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for your help in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
Second, Israel would sin, meaning that Jehovah would cause them to lose in battle. When the people repent and return to Jehovah, Solomon asked that Jehovah would hear their prayers and return Israel back to her land.
8:35 “The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because you punish them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.
Third, Israel would sin against Jehovah, so Jehovah would judge them with drought. When Israel repents and returns to Jehovah, then Solomon asked that Jehovah would hear and answer their prayers and remove the drought.
8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, as they acknowledge their pain and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 8:40 Then they will obey you throughout their lifetimes as they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
Fourth, Israel would sin, so Jehovah would plague them with disease, famine, and locust plagues. When Israel repents and returns to Jehovah, then Solomon asked Jehovah to listen to and answer their prayers.
Since God knows the hearts of all men, then He is omniscient. He knows all things, including the past, present, and future.
8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you.
Fifth, there will be a time when Gentiles hear about the greatness of Jehovah. They will want to come to Israel and become Jewish proselytes. Solomon asked Jehovah to listen to their prayers and accept them into the Jewish commonwealth. Solomon clearly recognized that all people on the earth may call on the one true God.
8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they direct their prayers to the Lord toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor,8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them.
Sixth, whenever Israel marches out to battle and turns to Jehovah in prayer, then Solomon asked that Jehovah would give victory in battle.
8:46 “The time will come when your people will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help and vindicate them. 8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 8:51 After all, they are your people and your special possession whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. 8:52 “May you be attentive to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 8:53 After all, you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
Seventh, there will come a time when Israel sins and God will allow them to go into captivity to foreign nations. When this happens, then Solomon asked Jehovah to hear their prayer and bring them back into the land of Israel. Solomon was very well aware that the Deuteronomy 28 prophecy meant that Israel would be taken captive into several foreign nations, such as Assyria and Babylon. This prayer was answered. Daniel turned towards the temple in Jerusalem and asked God to deliver Israel from Babylon. Babylon was conquered by the Persians. The Persians allowed Israel to return to her land and rebuild the temple.
8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, so we can follow all his instructions and obey the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, so that he might vindicate his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are presently doing.”
Solomon lifted up his hands to heaven and pronounced a benediction on the people. He praised Jehovah for choosing and protecting Israel. He praised Jehovah for fulfilling prophecies that were made to Moses. He asked Jehovah to remain with Israel and never to abandon them. He asked Jehovah to make Israel submissive to the Mosaic Law. He asked Jehovah to remember the prayers of Solomon. He asked Jehovah to forgive Israel when they fall into theses sins that were predicted in Deuteronomy 28. He asked that all of the Gentiles recognize that Jehovah is the one true God. He asked the people of Israel to devote themselves to God by keeping the Mosaic Law.
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple.
Israel had to be extremely wealthy in order to offer this kind of sacrifice to Jehovah. One must remember that thousands of priests sacrificed on many auxiliary altars, and the celebration lasted for two weeks.
8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings.
Solomon had to use the middle courtyard to accommodate all of these sacrifices. Temporary altars were erected to handle the large number of animals which were sacrificed at this time. These altars could have been spread out all of the way up north to Hamath and all the way up south to the river of Egypt. After these animals were offered, then they were taken off of the altars and divided among the people. It was a time of great celebration and barbecue.
8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south.
Lebo Hamath was the northern boundary of Israel. The Brook of Egypt was the southern boundary of Israel. People from all over Israel attended this three-in-one celebration. The people celebrated Pentecost, the Year of Jubilee, and the temple dedication ceremony for two full weeks. All of the friends and families were able to come together and celebrate with Jehovah.
8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king and then went to their homes, happy and content because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
Solomon dismissed the people. The people asked God to empower their king. Everyone went home, happy and content that the temple prophecy had been fulfilled in their lifetime. A celebration of believers will occur similar to this at least two more times in the future. This type of celebration will occur at the Rapture and at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.