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Texts -- 1 Kings 8:1-41 (NET)

Context
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 ). 8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month Ethanim (the seventh month ). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived , the priests lifted the ark . 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord , the tent of meeting , and all the holy items in the tent . 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 . 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 . 8:7 The cherubs ’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat ; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles . 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 . 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 . 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place , a cloud filled the Lord’s temple . 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud ; the Lord’s glory filled his temple . 8:12 Then Solomon said , “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness . 8:13 O Lord, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently .” 8:14 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 8:15 He said , “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled what he promised my father David . 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 .’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel . 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. 8:19 But you will not build the temple ; your very own son will build the temple for my honor .’ 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 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 .”
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 . 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 . 8:24 You have kept your word to your servant , my father David ; this very day you have fulfilled what you promised . 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 .’ 8:26 Now , O God of Israel , may the promise you made to your servant , my father David , be realized . 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 ! 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 8:41 “Foreigners , who do not belong to your people Israel , will come from a distant land because of your reputation .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [isbe] PRAYER - prar (deesis, proseuche, (enteuxis; for an excellent discussion of the meaning of these see Thayer's Lexicon, p. 126, under the word deesis; the chief verbs are euchomai, proseuchomai, and deomai, especially in Luke...
    [smith] The object of this article will be to touch briefly on -- The doctrine of Scripture as to the nature and efficacy of prayer; Its directions as to time, place and manner of prayer; Its types and examples of prayer. Scripture ...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Intercession

    [isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...
    [nave] INTERCESSION. Of One Person with Another 1 Sam. 2:25 Instances of: Reuben for Joseph, Gen. 37:21, 22. Judah for Joseph, Gen. 37:26, 27. Pharaoh's chief baker for Joseph, Gen. 41:9-13, with Gen. 40:14. Jonathan for David...

  • TEMPLE, A1

    [isbe] TEMPLE, A1 - tem'-p'l (hekhal, "palace"; sometimes, as in 1 Ki 6:3,5, etc.; Ezek 41:1,15 ff, used for "the holy place" only; bayith, "house," thus always in the Revised Version (British and American); hieron, naos): A. STRUC...

  • Temple, Solomon's

    [ebd] Before his death David had "with all his might" provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the city, on the spot where ...

  • STAVES

    [isbe] STAVES - stavz (baddim): Ten or eleven Hebrew words are used in the Old Testament to describe various staffs, bars, and wooden rods used by the Hebrews (compare STAFF; ROD; SCEPTER). One word only is used to describe the sta...

  • Church and State

    [nave] CHURCH AND STATE (Identical in the theocratic period. No particular Scripture can be cited, but the student is directed to the legislative, judicial, and administrative functions of Moses, Joshua, the Judges, and Samuel as s...

  • Dedication

    [nave] DEDICATION Law concerning dedicated things, Lev. 27; Num. 18:14; 1 Chr. 26:26, 27. Must be without blemish, Lev. 22:18-23; Mal. 1:14. Not redeemable, Lev. 27:28, 29. Offering must be voluntary, Lev. 1:3; 22:19. See: Offe...

  • Temple

    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • BARUCH, BOOK OF

    [isbe] BARUCH, BOOK OF - One of the Apocryphal or Deutero-canonical books, standing between Jeremiah and Lamentations in the Septuagint, but in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) after these two books. I. Name. See un...

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • OMNIPRESENCE

    [isbe] OMNIPRESENCE - om-ni-prez'-ens: 1. Non-Occurrence of the Term in Scripture: Neither the noun "omnipresence" nor adjective "omnipresent" occurs in Scripture, but the idea that God is everywhere present is throughout presuppos...

  • Ark

    [ebd] Noah's ark, a building of gopher-wood, and covered with pitch, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high (Gen. 6:14-16); an oblong floating house of three stories, with a door in the side and a window in the roof....
    [nave] ARK 1. Noah's. Directions for building of, Gen. 6:14-16. Noah and family preserved in, Gen. 6:18; 7:8; Matt. 24:38; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20. Animals saved in, Gen. 6:19, 20; 7:1-16. 2. Of Bulrushes, Ex. 2:3. 3. In the Tab...

  • ARK OF THE COVENANT

    [isbe] ARK OF THE COVENANT - kuv'-e-nant ('aron ha-berith): I. The Statements of the Old Testament Concerning the Ark of the Covenant. 1. Pentateuch: In Ex 25:10 ff, Moses receives the command to build an ark of acacia wood. Within...
    [smith] The first piece of the tabernacle?s furniture, for which precise directions were delivered. Exod 25. I. Description. -- It appears to have been an oblong chest of shittim (acacia) wood, 2 1/2 cubits long by 1 1/2 broad and de...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • Repentance

    [nave] REPENTANCE Attributed to God, Gen. 6:6, 7; Ex. 32:14; Deut. 32:36; Judg. 2:18; 1 Sam. 15:11, 29, 35; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chr. 21:15; Psa. 106:45; 110:4; 135:14; Jer. 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3; 42:10; Joel 2:13; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9...

  • Worship

    [nave] WORSHIP, to be rendered to God only, Ex. 20:3; Deut. 5:7; 6:13; Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8; Acts 10:26; 14:15; Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:8. See: Homage. Of Jesus, See: Jesus, Worship of. Acceptable to God, Gen. 4:4; 8:21. Of th...

  • Blessing

    [nave] BLESSING For blessing before eating, See: Prayer, Thanksgiving Before Taking Food. See also Benedictions. Responsive Blessings of the Law Deut. 28:1-14 For the responsive Curses of the law, See: Curse. Divine, Contingent...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...
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Hymns

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  • Tuhan Allah Hadir [KJ.17]
  • [1Ki 8:23] O Thou, Who Gav’st Thy Servant Grace
  • [1Ki 8:30] Holy Spirit, Hear Us

Questions

  • The Ark of the Covenant was definitely real and was a part of the tabernacle, being placed in the Holy of Holies behind the curtain. I will include articles below from three Bible Dictionaries that will give you some informat...
  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...
  • In Jerusalem, the Jews always turned their faces toward the "holy hill" of the temple while praying (see Dan. 6:10; II Chron. 6:34). The Samaritans, on the contrary, faced Mt. Gerizim. In the court of the temple, the Jews in ...
  • It was preserved in the tabernacle and, according to Paul (see Heb. 9:4), it was kept in the Ark, beside the two tablets of stone and the pot of manna. There is no mention of any other receptacle. The statement in I Kings 8:9...

Sermon Illustrations

Who Will Be There?; Trinity Explained

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 1:24-25 "Cattle"probably refers to animals that man could tame and "beasts"to wild animals.What happened to the dinosaurs? Conservative Bible interpreters generally believe they existed but became extinct before the Flood or ...
  • "The way of the land of the Philistines"refers to the most northern of three routes travelers took from Egypt to Canaan (v. 17). The others lay farther south. The Egyptians had heavily fortified this caravan route, also calle...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Nob stood one and one-half miles northeast of Jerusalem and two and one-half miles southeast of Gibeah. There Ahimelech served as high priest. Priestly activity and evidently the tabernacle were now there (cf. 17:54). It is s...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • The Israelites regarded the ark as the throne of Yahweh. It was the place where He manifested His presence in a localized way and where He received the blood that atoned for the Israelites' sins on the day of Atonement. The a...
  • God previously said He would dwell in the cloudy pillar (Lev. 16:2). Solomon hoped God would now dwell in the temple forever (i.e., from then on).Solomon emphasized the desire of David's heart to build the temple (vv. 17-18)....
  • This great prayer centers on the Mosaic Covenant. That is its heart. Solomon introduced seven petitions with a backward look emphasizing God's faithfulness (vv. 23-26). He concluded with a forward look stressing God's mercy (...
  • God responded to Solomon's dedication of himself and his nation as He had responded to David (2 Sam. 7) and to Solomon earlier (ch. 3). He offered Solomon continued blessing for continued dedication.First, God promised He wou...
  • The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (v. 41; cf. 14:19, 29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these.120It is no longer extant.Solomon's long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Hezekiah's response to this crisis was to turn to Yahweh in prayer and to His prophet for an answer. He sensed his position under Yahweh's authority, humbled himself, and sought God's help (cf. 2 Sam. 7; 1 Kings 8). God rewar...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • Solomon dedicated the temple during the feast of Tabernacles (v. 3). The priests brought the ark and the other utensils that had been in the tent David had pitched for the ark into the temple. The temple site was north of and...
  • Isaiah next tried to move Ahaz to faith (vv. 10-12), then denounced the king for his failure to trust Yahweh (vv. 13-15), and finally forecast a calamity worse than the division of Israel's united kingdom (vv. 16-17).7:10 Evi...
  • This transitional pericope introduces the problem that the previous sections of the book posed, which I have tried to explain just above. It also begins the explanation of the solution by placing in stark contrast two opposin...
  • This section introduces judgment into the mood of hope that pervades this section describing Israel's glorious future (65:17-66:24). Oppressors of the godly remnant will not prosper nor will those who depend on externals for ...
  • This group of prophecies begins and ends with oracles concerning the kings' duties (21:11-12; 22:1-9). In the middle is an oracle against Jerusalem (21:13-14).21:11-12 Jeremiah was to tell the king of Judah and his administra...
  • This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies.33:14 Future days would come, the Lord promised, when He would fulfill His promises concerning the restoration of all Israel."The predicted restoration (the ...
  • 10:1 Ezekiel next saw in his vision the cherubim that he had seen by the river Chebar (1:22, 26).163Over their heads he again saw the throne-chariot that resembled a sapphire in its color and beauty.16410:2 Ezekiel saw the Lo...
  • 43:1-2 Ezekiel's guide next led him to the east gate in the outer wall. This was the wall of the millennial temple that he had been seeing and continued to see, not the wall of the Solomonic temple. There the prophet saw the ...
  • 43:6 The prophet heard someone speaking to him from the temple, and there was a man, probably Ezekiel's guide, standing beside him (cf. 1:16).43:7-8 The one speaking from the temple, undoubtedly the Lord, told Ezekiel that th...
  • 7:13 Daniel again saw something happening in heaven. One like a son of man was brought before the Ancient of Days. The angelic attendants in heaven's court probably ushered Him forward. This description glorifies the Ancient ...
  • 4:6 The Lord had brought famine throughout the land to warn His people about their disobedience and His displeasure, but this judgment did not move them to repent (cf. 1 Kings 8:37). Famine was one of the curses that God said...
  • 2:1 The Lord revealed another message to Haggai almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, modern October 17) of the same year, 520 B.C. This was the last day of the feast of Tabernacles (Bo...
  • 2:20 The Lord gave Haggai a second message on the same day as the previous message (v. 10), the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev 24, December 18).2:21 Haggai was to tell Zerubbabel that Yahweh was going to shake t...
  • John's return to the Word in verse 14 from verse 1 introduces new revelation about Him. Though still part of the prologue, the present section focuses on the Incarnation of the Word.1:14 The Word, who existed equal with God b...
  • John included another summary of Jesus' activities (cf. v. 12). It enables the reader to gain a more balanced picture of popular reaction to Jesus than the preceding incident might suggest.2:23 Jesus did many signs (significa...
  • Stephen effectively refuted the general charges that he blasphemed God and Moses (6:11; cf vv. 2-16) and spoke against the Law (6:13; cf. vv. 17-43). He next addressed the charge that he spoke against the temple (6:13). The c...
  • 9:1 The apostle opened his discussion of God's relations with Israel very personally by sharing his heart for his own people. Some might have thought that Paul hated the Jews since he had departed from Judaism and now preache...
  • "In this paragraph Paul continues his instructions on prayers' begun in verse 1. But now the concern is for proper demeanor on the part of the pray-ers.' But whythese concerns, and why in this way? And why the inordinate amou...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the superiority of the New Covenant by comparing it with the Old Covenant using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion.12:18-21 These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. ...
  • 2:19 James refuted the argument of the objector stated in verse 18. Genuine faith does not alwaysresult in good works. The demons believe that what God has revealed about Himself is true. The Shema(Deut. 6:4) was and is the p...
  • 9:1 Again John saw a "star"(cf. 6:13; 8:10), but this time the "star"was an intelligent being. If "fallen"(Gr. peptokota) has theological connotations, the "star"may refer to Satan (vv. 2, 11; cf. 1:20; Job. 38:7; Luke 10:18)...
  • 15:5 "After these things I looked"(Gr. meta tauta eidon) indicates a transition to a new vision and a new subject: the bowl judgments. These are in a category of their own. John saw the heavenly temple opened. This gave the s...
  • 21:11 This city obviously appeared extremely impressive to John. The first and most important characteristic that John noted was its radiant glow. It shone with the splendor of God Himself because He was in it (cf. Exod. 40:3...
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