Chapter 8

1 The feast of the dedication of the temple. 12, 54 Solomon’s blessing. 22 Solomon’s prayer. 62 His sacrifice of peace offerings.

1. Solomon assembled. The account of the rites connected with the dedication of the Temple constitutes one of the outstanding chapters of the Bible. The narrative is one of great beauty and deep spiritual significance. In it leaders of the church have found words of inspiration and encouragement throughout the centuries for the consecration of houses of worship. This chapter stands in remarkable contrast with the preceding one. There we find the formal and technical details having to do with the material things of the Temple. Here we enter into the deeper significance of the things having to do with the house of God—we come into contact with God Himself. Both chapters have their part in giving us a true and complete picture of the Temple and its significance, and neither would be complete without the other.

Solomon is the important personage leading out in the various activities connected with the dedication of the Temple. His kingly majesty is conspicuous. But he seems to be more than a mere king, engaged only in the secular affairs of state. He is engaged now in a distinctly religious service for God. Such a service would not at all serve to lessen his royal dignity but to enhance it. He performs the functions that as king we would expect of him, and more. He calls together the leaders of the nation and directs in the arrangements made. But having done that, it might be expected that the priests would take over and lead out in the distinctly religious functions. But that is not the case. It is the king who consecrates the sanctuary, who offers the dedicatory prayer, who admonishes the people to be faithful to God, and who pronounces upon them the divine blessing.

Solomon provided exactly the type of spiritual leadership that God asks from those who are appointed to act as leaders in His work. Unfortunately this leadership continued but for a brief period. The one upon whose head rested such unequaled concentration of temporal and spiritual dignity before long fell victim to the temptation of self-idolatry. In a short time humility, devotion, and obedience gave way to pride, ambition, and indulgence, and gifts once employed for the glory of God were perverted to selfish purposes and worldly ambition, with the result that he who had been so highly honored with tokens of divine favor degenerated into an oppressive tyrant whose kingdom broke apart at his death. Israel, following his example, lost the secret of finding peace and riches on earth, and the once flourishing theocracy became a corrupt and desolate ruin.

Heads of the tribes. In the bringing up of the ark to Mt. Moriah, all the leaders of Israel were to have a part. There must have been a great concourse of people, elders, heads of tribes, and chiefs of the fathers, for at the time that David brought forth the ark of God “that dwelleth between the cherubims,” out of the house of Abinadab, to bring it to the City of David, the “chosen men of Israel” employed numbered 30,000 (2 Sam. 6:1–5).

The ark. Foremost among the services of dedication was the bringing up of the ark from the City of David to its new home in the most holy place of the Temple. The transfer of the ark by David from the house of Obed-edom to the tabernacle that he had made for it in his own city, was an occasion of great joy as well as solemnity (2 Sam. 6:12–19). The ark containing the two tables of the law was the most important item in the sanctuary.

2. The month Ethanim. The month is given but not the year. Many believe that it was the year after the completion of the Temple. Since the Temple was completed in the month Bul, the 8th month (ch. 6:38), and since the dedication took place in Ethanim, the 7th month, this would be 11 months after the Temple was finished. Others hold that the dedication did not take place till some years later, perhaps a year of jubilee, or the 24th year of King Solomon’s reign—13 years after the completion of the Temple (1 Kings 7:1).

After the Exile the 7th month was called Tishri, from the Akkadian or early Babylonian Tashritu, “beginning.” The name implies a calendar beginning with this month. The civil year of the united monarchy and the kingdom of Judah began with Tishri. The first of that month was a day of holy convocation (Num. 29:1), the beginning of the new year. On the 10th day of that month was the solemn Day of Atonement when the cleansing of the sanctuary took place (Num. 29:7; Lev. 16:29, 30; 23:27), and on the 15th day began the Feast of Tabernacles (Num. 29:12; Lev. 23:34; Deut. 16:13; Neh. 8:14–18; Eze. 45:25). The beginning of this month corresponded approximately with the new moon of September or October.

3. The priests. In 2 Chron. 5:4 we are told that “the Levites took up the ark.” All priests were Levites (Joshua 3:3), but not all the descendants of Levi were priests. The bearing of the ark on its journeys was properly the responsibility of the Levites of the family of Kohath (Num. 3:31; 4:15; 1 Chron. 15:2–15). But the Kohathites could bear the ark only after it had been prepared for its journey by Aaron and his sons (Num. 4:5, 15). At the passage of the Jordan and the circuit of Jericho it was the priests who bore the ark (Joshua 3:6–17; 6:6). On the occasion of the transfer of the ark to its permanent home in the holy of holies in Solomon’s Temple, this important responsibility was probably committed to certain leaders among the priests (see 1 Chron. 15:11, 12).

4. The tabernacle. The tabernacle at this time was at Gibeon (1 Chron. 16:39, 40:; 2 Chron. 1:3), but the ark was in Jerusalem, in a tent that David had pitched for it in “the city of David” (2 Sam. 6:2, 16, 17; 1 Chron. 15:1; 2 Chron. 1:4). Henceforth there was to be a single national center of worship, so the holy things from both the tabernacle at Gibeon and the tent from the City of David were brought to the Temple on Mt. Moriah, either to be used or deposited within its precincts (see PK 38). Probably each section of the priests and Levites now brought up in solemn procession the sacred things entrusted to it. According to the law of Moses, the Kohathites had charge of the ark, the table of shewbread, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary; the Gershonites, of the tabernacle itself and its hangings; and the Merarites, of the boards and pillars of the tabernacle and its court (Num. 3:25–37).

5. Sacrificing sheep. This inaugural sacrifice corresponded on a grand scale to the ceremonial on the occasion of David’s transfer of the ark from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David (2 Sam. 6:13; 1 Chron. 15:26).

6. Into the oracle. The ark was brought into the most holy place, where, between the cherubim, was to be manifested the presence of God. This showed the sacredness of the law of God. The law is a transcript of the character of God. As God is holy, so are His commandments holy, just, and pure.

7. Covered the ark. Representing the reverence with which the heavenly host regard the law of God.

8. Drew out the staves. According to Ex. 25:15 the staves were not to be withdrawn from their rings in the ark. But now they appear to have been drawn forward in such a way that their ends could be seen from the holy place. The ark seems to have been placed crosswise of the Temple, that is, north and south in the most holy place, with not only the ark itself but also its staves overshadowed by the wings of the cherubim. In the tabernacle a veil made the partition between the holy and the most holy place (Ex. 26:31–33), and prevented the ark from being seen by those in the holy place. In the Temple there was apparently a separating wall (see on 1 Kings 6:16); there seems also to have been a veil (2 Chron. 3:14). It is known that Herod’s Temple had a veil which, at the crucifixion, was rent in twain (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The staves could have been placed in such a way as to be visible in part beyond the end of the veil, through the open door, to those within the holy place. See on ch. 6:31.

Unto this day. This is an indication that these words were written before the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar. When the compilation of the books of Kings was finally completed, the Temple had been destroyed and its furnishings carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 14:13, 14; 25:9, 13–17). Many items as now found in the records of Kings evidently were written before the Exile, and were allowed to stand in their original form when the compilation was completed.

9. Nothing in the ark. This statement, repeated in 2 Chron. 5:10, seems clearly to indicate that there was nothing in the ark itself except the two tables of stone. The items referred to in Heb. 9:4, the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod, were originally commanded to be placed “before the Testimony” (Ex. 16:33, 34; Num. 17:2–10). Some have understood these words to refer to a position in front of the ark. However, the words may mean, before the tables of testimony in the ark (see EW 32). There need be no conflict between these statements for the treasures may have been removed during the troubled history of Israel, and not have been in the ark at this time.

There is something singularly impressive in this special hallowing of the two tables of the law. By being thus placed within the ark, directly above which God was to meet with His people (Ex. 25:22), the law is indissolubly bound together with God Himself. The most sacred place in the Temple was the holy of holies, and its most sacred item was the ark containing the law of God. As God by His very nature is holy and eternal, so likewise is His law. Everything that could possibly be done to impress upon His children the eternal sanctity of His law was done by God in the appointments of His holy Temple. This law, under the old covenant, was written upon two tables of stone; under the new covenant it is written upon the hearts of the righteous (Jer. 31:31–33).

10. Filled the house. This cloud of glory signified the divine presence as did the cloud that appeared on Sinai (Ex. 24:15–18) and again at the dedication of the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–38). Exekiel, in vision, beheld a similar glory over the house of God (Eze. 10:4). It was during a great lifting up of the voices of the assembled priests in an anthem of praise to God that His glory appeared in the form of a cloud (2 Chron. 5:13).

11. Could not stand. So great was the overpowering glory of God’s presence that the officiating priests were forced temporarily to withdraw. So also when the tabernacle was first set up, Moses was not able to enter because of the glory of God which filled the sacred tent (Ex. 40:35). When Isaiah had his vision of God, the train of divine glory filled the Temple, and Isaiah felt himself undone because of having come so near to the presence of the Lord (Isa. 6:1–5). The disciples of Jesus likewise trembled as the cloud of God’s glory overshadowed them on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:34). Why do men experience such reactions when in the presence of God? It is because of the very nature of God, His greatness and His holiness, His grandeur and sublimity, His majesty and might. Even in the presence of the great forces of nature men often stand in awe. But the God of heaven is so infinitely holy that sinful man cannot come into His sublime presence and continue to exist. God is like a consuming fire, which unholy men cannot approach without being destroyed.

The cloud in the Temple was not God, but it was a means by which the Lord veiled His presence to the end that man might not be consumed. So great was the divine glory on the occasion of the dedication of the Temple that in spite of the enveloping cloud, the ministering priests were forced to draw back in holy awe. Perhaps it was a similar consciousness of the divine presence that drew forth from David his words of wonder and praise when the ark was brought into the tent of the Lord (1 Chron. 16:25, 27, 34).

12. Then spake Solomon. Solomon was deeply impressed with the sublime manifestations of the nearness and the greatness of God. His words are broken and abrupt, as coming from a man deeply moved. He speaks with feelings of mingled awe and joy. These are not words that he had earlier carefully prepared, they are words of wonderment and praise that burst forth spontaneously as a result of the spectacle he has just seen.

Thick darkness. Witnessing the combined darkness and glory before him, the mingled shadow and light, Solomon was assured that the Lord was there (Eze. 48:35). His thoughts went out to those previous occasions when like phenomena had been witnessed—when the Lord’s presence had been manifested on Sinai in a thick cloud (Ex. 19:9), and the cloud of glory filled the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 40:34, 35)—and as a result he was able to recognize in the appearance of the cloud the sign that the divine presence had been granted to the Temple he had built. So his first words were in explanation of the phenomenon then being witnessed. This is evidence of the very presence of God; He is with us; we have nothing to fear, but we have everything to be thankful for on this glorious occasion.

13. An house to dwell in. The Temple was built as a house of God. When the tabernacle was first constructed in the wilderness God had said, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). That sanctuary had been constructed, and in it the Lord had manifested His presence and had communicated with His people.

A settled place. Israel had its sanctuary, but the sanctuary had no settled place. The tabernacle was moved from one place to another in the wilderness. Even in the Promised Land it had no settled place. For 300 years it had been at Shiloh, till sin had caused it again to be moved, first to Nob (1 Sam. 21:1–6; PP 656), and later to Gibeon (1 Chron. 16:39, 40; 2 Chron. 1:3). Now at length the Temple had been completed, and at last the ark of God would have a settled place, a place for God to abide throughout the ages. It was God’s purpose to be with His people forever, and had Israel remained true to Him, this glorious building would have stood forever (PK 46). How great must have been the joy of Solomon as he looked back over the years of preparation and building that had cost so much anxiety and thought, to realize that his task had been accomplished and that the house where God was to make His abode with His people, had been completed.

14. Turned his face about. According to the book of Chronicles Solomon had made a brazen scaffold 3 cu. high, which stood in the midst of the court, before the altar (2 Chron. 6:12, 13), and it was from there that he addressed the people. Up till this moment, Solomon had been solemnly looking upon the Temple filled with the glory of the Lord. His thoughts had been primarily of God, and his words were addressed to God. Now he turned from the Temple and addressed the vast concourse of people before him.

Israel stood. The people stood in an attitude of attention and respect, and no doubt shared in the gladness and solemnity of the occasion, and were eager to receive the gracious benediction of the king.

15. Blessed be the Lord. Solomon is blessing the people, but his first thoughts again are of God, who alone is the source of all blessing. With heart filled with joy and gratitude, and with a spirit of deep emotion, he makes mention of what God had done for his father David, conveying to David His purpose concerning the Temple. It was through the prophet Nathan that God had revealed to David the fact that not he but his son Solomon was to build the house of the Lord (2 Sam. 7:4–13).

16. I chose David. The choice of God is not one of blind preference or prejudice, but of wisdom and love. As God chose Israel from among the nations, as He chose Jerusalem from among the numerous cities of Israel, so He chose David for purposes of blessing and salvation to all people. When God chose David for purposes of blessing and salvation to all people. When God chose David He looked not at outward appearances but at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

17. Heart of David. David’s desire and purpose were the honor and the glory of God. So it was in his heart to build a house for the Lord. What a different world this would be if men were more concerned about building houses for God than for themselves, about building up the kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of men. It was in the heart of David that there should be a house for God, and as a result the Temple was built. Stately temples have humble and modest beginnings in the hearts of men.

18. Thou didst well. David’s purpose was good, even though it was not entirely in accord with the will of God. It was God’s will that a temple be built, but because David had been a man of war, it was not the Lord’s wish that David should be the builder (1 Chron. 22:7, 8; 1 Chron. 28:3).

19. Thou shalt not build. God expressed His approval of David’s purpose, but nevertheless He directed that the work David desired to do should be done by another. Occasions frequently arise in which men have in their hearts a worthy purpose to do some work for God, but because of certain reasons not always clearly understood, perhaps because of inadequacies in experience, capabilities, or training, the Lord in His wisdom directs that the work be done by others. David’s submission to the divine will demonstrated both his wisdom and the depth of his religious experience.

20. Performed his word. It was God’s will that Solomon rather than David should build the house of the Lord, and His purpose was carried out. Man can make his own lot and that of others unpleasant by stubbornly setting himself against the will of God. It is cooperation with God that brings the greatest progress in the work of God. Solomon, in building the Temple in harmony with the divine will, was placing himself in the channel of heavenly blessing. It was then that the Lord performed His word. Solomon was the instrument, but God was the moving power.

21. The covenant. The Ten Commandments are here called “the covenant,” because they formed the basis of the covenant between God and His people. The covenant was the plan whereby the holy principles revealed in the law were to be reproduced in man. Thus by a figure of speech the law is called the covenant. From the earliest days of man it has been God’s desire to write His holy law in human hearts.

22. Solomon stood. The narrative in Chronicles is more complete. It is true that during his dedicatory address Solomon stood (2 Chron. 6:12), but now having completed that address, he “kneeled down upon his knees” (2 Chron. 6:13) for the dedicatory prayer.

24. Hast kept. In beginning his prayer, Solomon gives thanks and praise to God for having fulfilled His promise to David in regard to a successor upon the throne and the building of the Temple and implores Him to continue the promise with regard to an unbroken succession.

27. Will God indeed dwell? The sanctuary was built as the dwelling place of God. David, upon moving the ark, made acknowledgment of the fact that God had chosen Zion and had “desired it for his habitation,” promising that He would make it His “rest for ever,” and that there He would dwell (Ps. 132:13, 14). But when Solomon contemplated the greatness and the grandeur of God, the One who inhabiteth eternity, who had “measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance” (Isa. 40:12), it seemed incomprehensible that such a God would take up His abode on earth, in such a house as Solomon had made. The thought here expressed illustrates a constant contrast that runs through the entire Bible. On the one hand there is a most profound and unvarying conception of the infinity of God, eternal, invisible, incomprehensible, of the Lord high and holy, the great “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). On the other hand, there is an equally vivid conception that the infinite Jehovah is a God who is very near at hand, who is a friend of man and a personal companion to all; one who walks and talks with men and dwells in earthly sanctuaries made for His holy abode. It will never cease to be a source of wonderment that One so mighty and so transcendently great should condescend to take recognition of mortal man and come to dwell in sanctuaries of mere wood and stone, and within the human heart.

28. Have thou respect. The words flow from a heart deeply stirred with feelings of mingled awe and humility. Man is totally unworthy to have as a companion the Creator of all the universe. A temple on earth does not deserve the presence of the Holy One on high, who “stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isa. 40:22). Unworthy though man may be, unworthy though the Temple may be, Solomon prays that God may still take cognizance of this structure on earth, by night and day, and from heaven, His true dwelling place, give ear to the earnest prayers of men.

30. Forgive. Solomon recognized that every man who sends a prayer heavenward stands in need of forgiveness. This sense of guilt and of the need of Heaven’s forgiveness is found all through the earnest prayer offered by Solomon in behalf of himself and his people (vs. 34, 36, 39, 50). Solomon knew that forgiveness of sin would be the earnest desire of those who prayed. He also knew that man’s hope of receiving an answer to his petitions would rest largely on the sin-pardoning grace of God.

31. Against his neighbour. This is the first of a series of prayers for particular cases, seven in all, in which God’s forgiving mercy is invoked. The first case involves individual trespass of a man against his neighbor.

32. Condemning the wicked. Solomon here appeals to God to allow the works of iniquity and the ways of righteousness to bring forth their just results in the lives of those concerned. More than many realize, both good and evil bear fruit in this world, each according to its kind. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). “Righteousness keepeth him that is upright,” “but wickedness overthroweth the sinner” (Prov. 13:6; see also Prov. 14:34; Prov. 11:5, 19). When Israel fell it could be justly said, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,” “for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity” (Hosea 13:9; Hosea 14:1).

33. Israel be smitten. Before the nation of Israel was established, the Lord foretold exactly what the result of transgression would be. The people would be smitten before their enemies (Lev. 26:14, 17; Deut. 28:15, 25). The protecting grace of Heaven would be withdrawn, and their enemies would be permitted to lay them low.

Turn again. Chastisement often brings repentance, for it is when God’s “judgments are in the earth,” that “the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). Solomon does not pray for the Lord’s forgiving mercies upon those who persist in rebellion and sin, but only upon those who recognize their transgressions and return to Him. To all such, forgiveness is sure (1 John 1:9).

35. Shut up. When God withdraws His protecting hand, the forces of nature often become agents of judgment. Solomon assumed that in the future the judgment of drought threatened by Moses (Lev. 26:19; Deut. 28:23, 24) would become a reality.

37. Famine. The calamities listed were distinctly threatened in the Mosaic code (Lev. 26:16, 20, 25; Deut. 28:22, 35, 38, 42). It is when men forsake the ways of righteousness that such judgments are multiplied, and when they are witnessed through the length and breadth of the land, the world may know that the restraining hand of the Lord is being withdrawn.

38. Plague. For every man to know the “plague of his own heart” is for him to recognize his sinfulness and the part that it has had in bringing about the woes that are making the land desolate. The plague in the land has its origin in the plague of the heart. It is the plague of sin that is the true plague, the basic cause of all other plagues. Unless the evils of sin are recognized, and unless sin is put away, there is no hope of dealing with the many other ills that are plaguing the world and threatening to reduce it to a desolate ruin.

39. Thou knowest. Only God really knows the heart. Many men have little or no understanding of the evils of their own hearts, and the ills they are bringing upon themselves and the world about them as a result of the sin that is lurking there. God knows the heart, and He knows how to change the heart, how to create for man a “clean heart,” and to “renew a right spirit” within him (Ps. 51:10).

41. Concerning a stranger. This section is a striking and happy digression in the series of references to Israel. Men from far and strange countries would come to honor and worship the Lord.

42. They shall hear. Jehovah was the God not only of Israel but of all the world. It was His plan that Israel should make known His name throughout the world, so that men everywhere might hear of His goodness and grace and join themselves with Israel in worship.

43. Do according to all. How different was the spirit of Solomon on this occasion from that which actuated the Hebrew people in succeeding years! God’s covenant was to include, not only one nation, but all. His grace was not for the Hebrews only but for all who were willing to acknowledge Him. When the Temple was first established, Solomon remembered the strangers of other lands, that they too might hear of God’s covenant of grace and come to the Temple to worship Him. Israel was to be a light that was to enlighten the world. Had they been faithful to their divine mission, the nation would not have perished, but would have continued to grow till it embraced all the nations of earth, till Jerusalem would have become the world’s metropolis, and its Temple would have become the source of a river of life to bring health and healing to all (Zech. 14:8).

46. If they sin. This is Solomon’s closing petition. With almost prophetic insight, his thoughts go out toward some future day when, because of sin, Israel would be forsaken by the Lord and fall into enemy hands, to be carried to an alien land. Such a possibility Moses had clearly foretold (Deut. 28:45, 49–52, 63, 64).

That sinneth not. Knowing the weaknesses of the flesh, knowing that there is no man that sinneth not no nation that sinneth not, there rose before Solomon the grave possibility that Israel might sin so grievously against the Lord that His presence would be withdrawn from them and they would fall into enemy hands. He prayed most earnestly that God would remember His own at such a tragic hour. How short the interval between glory and the grave! The Temple completed, the Temple destroyed! A day of glory, a day of doom! Solomon, raising his voice in earnest petition to God that this house should be the dwelling place of the Lord forever, even at the hour of dedication understood well the tragic results that sin must bring. Accordingly, in his prayer we find this strange mingling of joy and sorrow, of glory and ashes, of honor and shame. Seldom has a prayer been offered for a people with hopes so high, seldom has a prayer gone out for men with spirits so humble, as at this hour of dedication of the Temple of God. It was a prayer of promise and prophecy, of visions of divine glory and the baseness of sinful man.

47. Bethink themselves. In the hour of deepest tragedy there is always hope. No matter how low Israel might be brought as a result of sin, if they would only bethink themselves and acknowledge their error and perversity, and choose the better way, they would yet find grace with God.

48. Toward their land. When Daniel prayed in Babylon, he knelt before his windows open toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10).

50. Forgive thy people. This prayer of Solomon, offered three and a half centuries before the Exile, is very similar to the prayer of Daniel at the time the captivity in Babylon was drawing to its close (Dan. 9:2–19). As the Temple was being dedicated there seemed little need for such a prayer as this. But with inspired foresight, Solomon envisioned an hour when that splendid Temple would lie in ruins, when the Land of Promise would be a land of bitterness and distress, and the children of Israel would be outcasts in an alien land. There is a touching pathos in the fact that at the hour of Israel’s greatest glory, Solomon prayed the same kind of prayer that Daniel prayed at the hour of his nation’s greatest shame. Both prayers were needed and both were heard. The first was not only a prayer, it was also a message of warning that would help to avert the doom that transgression would bring. The other would rise to a God in heaven who waited only for a genuine repentance on the part of His people before permitting their return from captivity.

51. They be thy people. The reason for Israel’s existence as a separate people was that the Lord had chosen them from among the nations and had established them in the Promised Land (Ex. 19:4–6; Deut. 9:29; 2 Sam. 7:23; Ps. 135:4). Since Israel belonged to God, they had the assurance that He would love them and help them, that His right hand would uphold them, and that in the hour of greatest distress they would have no occasion for fear (Deut. 33:26, 27; Isa. 41:8–14; Isa. 43:1–6). Since the happiness and well-being of His children was God’s greatest concern, His children felt that they had the right, in pressing their petitions, to plead with Him not to forsake His own. However, this alone would not guarantee their success. The promises of God are conditional, and those who expect the blessing must meet the conditions.

Out of Egypt. The deliverance from Egypt was history. The fact that God had brought Israel out of the iron furnace of Egypt could never be changed. In that fact Solomon found a powerful argument for another deliverance should Israel again find itself crushed under the heel of a foreign lord. When Jeremiah later compared the deliverance from Babylonian captivity with that from Egypt, he declared that, in view of the greater restoration to come, Israel would no longer say, “The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,” but, “The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north” (Jer. 16:14, 15; 23:7, 8).

The Empire of David and Solomon

53. Thine inheritance. This is the final and strongest reason Solomon finds it possible to present why God should remember His people Israel. They are the Lord’s inheritance on the basis of His own repeated claims and His oft-repeated promises. Through Moses the Lord revealed that He would make Israel His own peculiar people, chosen out of all the peoples ofearth (Ex. 19:5, 6; Deut. 14:2). They were to be known as “a people of inheritance” (Deut. 4:20; cf. 9:26, 29). For the Lord now to reject them would be to place in jeopardy the honor of His holy name (Ex. 32:12, 13; Num. 14:13, 14). Earnest pleas were raised to God at times of extremity that the Lord would deliver Israel for the honor of His name (Ps. 79:9, 10), and for the sake of the city and the people called by His name (Dan. 9:19). At the time of Ezekiel the Lord declared that it was because of His “name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen” (Eze. 20:9, 14; cf. 20:22) that He had wrought so mightily in delivering Israel from Egypt.

54. Made an end. Solomon had prayed a most striking and a most touching prayer. It included not only Israel but the strangers afar; it was for the individual as well as the nation, for generations as yet unborn as well as those then in the Temple courts, for the faithful in the cause of the Lord and also for those whose feet might be led astray. Indeed, the most striking feature of the entire prayer is its deep and genuine concern for those who would find themselves standing in the greatest need of divine grace, those who might sin against the Lord and would need to be reclaimed. Such a prayer could come only from a heart of compassion and love, a heart warmed by the pity and mercy of God. There were in these words of Solomon no effort at rhetorical effects, no attempt at display, no desire to set forth words that would receive the acclaim of men but fail to reach the ear of God. This prayer was genuine; it came from the lips of a man of God. When it was ended, the Lord manifested His approval by a second unusual display of power and splendor—fire descending from heaven to consume the sacrifice and fill the Temple with glory (2 Chron. 7:1–3).

55. Blessed all the congregation. The pronouncement of this formal benediction was a distinctly religious act. To Aaron and his sons had been given the special duty and privilege of pronouncing the divine blessing (Num. 6:23–26). The fact that Solomon now pronounced these final words of blessings shows the great importance he placed upon things of the spirit. As king he interested himself not only in the usual affairs of state but in the spiritual welfare of his subjects.

56. Hath not failed. Similar words were spoken by Joshua (Joshua 21:45; 23:14). God never fails. He has made many promises to His people, and He is faithful in carrying them out (Heb. 10:23). If men fail to receive the blessings that the Lord has promised to give them, it is because of failure on the part of man. The Lord had promised to give to Abraham and his seed the land of Palestine for an eternal inheritance (Gen. 12:7; Gen. 13:15; Gen. 17:8), but the descendants of Abraham after the flesh forfeited that inheritance because of their transgressions against the Lord (2 Kings 17:7–23; Jer. 7:3–15; Jer. 25:4–9).

57. God be with us. As a God of love, the Lord desires to be with His people. The Temple was built that He might dwell among them (Ex. 25:8; 1 Kings 6:12, 13). Jesus came to the world as Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23), and when He departed, His promise was that He would be with His people “alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). In the heart of every true child of God there is no higher desire, no deeper longing, than to realize the presence of God (Ps. 42:1, 2; Rev. 22:20, 21).

58. Incline our hearts. The desire to follow in the ways of the Lord and to keep His commandments is a divinely implanted impulse. God’s Holy Spirit is constantly at work, guiding men into pathways of truth and obedience. The closer a man draws to the Lord, the more fully he forsakes the sinful things of earth, and the more ready he is to do all that God requires. The Spirit of God leads men to obey and inclines them to keep the commands of the law, but it does not do this against man’s will. When men are willing to obey they become inclined to obey. The closer a man draws to the Lord, the more fully do God’s thoughts become his thoughts, and God’s ways his ways. When man comes to the Lord with humbleness of spirit and willingness of heart, desirous of learning His ways and of walking therein (Ps. 119:26, 27, 30, 32–36), he begins to find obedience to God to be a matter of pleasure rather than duty and the law of God to be a law of liberty (Ps. 119:45, 47, 97; James 1:25; James 2:12), rather than a yoke.

60. All the people. This is the great purpose of God, and this is the purpose that should be uppermost in the heart of every child of the kingdom, that all the people of earth might come to know the Lord and share fellowship and service.

61. Be perfect. The Scriptures make clear that perfection of character is prerequisite to entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The standard of perfection is found in those principles of righteousness and love set forth in the commandments of God (Matt. 19:16–21; Luke 10:25–28; Deut. 5:2–22, 29–33; 6:3–5). The gospel, revealed in types in the OT and in full clarity in the NT, shows how we may obtain the perfection of which Solomon spoke.

63. Solomon offered. In offering these sacrifices Solomon was not at this time performing the functions of a priest; he made his offering in the same sense as anyone might who brought his sacrifice before the Lord (Lev. 2:1; 3:7, 12). The sacrifices here mentioned are identified as peace offerings. In such offerings only a portion of the sacrifice was burnt upon the altar as a “sweet savour unto the Lord” (Lev. 3:3–5, 14–17). The remaining part was eaten by the offerer and his family or friends (Lev. 7:15–21). This offering was not an atoning sacrifice but an offering of thanksgiving rendered to God in grateful and joyous recognition of blessings received. It was a happy and festive occasion in which large numbers of people might participate (2 Sam. 6:18, 19; 1 Chron. 16:2, 3). The number of animals sacrificed at the dedication of the Temple was extraordinarily large, but it must be remembered that a vast concourse of people were present, having gathered together from “all Israel, … a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt,” and that they were there for a period of 14 days (1 Kings 8:65).

64. The brasen altar. No mention is made in Kings of the construction of this altar, but it is referred to in 2 Chron. 4:1. This altar was very large, being about 34 ft. long, 34 ft. wide, and 17 ft. high. But because of the very large number of offerings, it was inadequate for this occasion. To meet the situation, the priests consecrated the entire “middle of the court,” to serve as a huge altar, on any part of which sacrifices of various kinds might be offered (see 2 Chron. 7:7).

65. A feast. The feast was held for 14 days, and on the 23d day of the 7th month the people were dismissed (2 Chron. 7:10). Thus it began on the 10th day of the 7th month, which was the solemn Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29, 30; 23:27; Num. 29:7). It was in this month that the Feast of Tabernacles was held, beginning on the 15th day of the month and continuing for 7 days (Lev. 23:34, 39). During this time the people were to dwell in booths made of branches of trees (Lev. 23:34, 40–42).

The entering in of Hamath. Hamath marks the extreme northern limit of the Holy Land (see Num. 13:21; Num. 34:8; Joshua 13:5; Judges 3:3; 2 Kings 14:25; 1 Chron. 13:5; Amos 6:14). For the identity of “the entering in of Hamath,” see on Num. 34:8 and Joshua 13:5. The great valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mts., known to the Greeks as Coele-Syria, marks the main entrance to Palestine from the north. Down this valley invading armies entered Palestine from the north.

River of Egypt. The word used here for “river” is not the usual Hebrew word nahar, but nachal. That is, a stream or torrent, which may be dried up in the dry season, as in Job 6:15, where the word is translated “brooks.” The stream was probably the Wadi elРФArйЖsh, at the extreme southern limit of Palestine (Num. 34:5; Joshua 15:4, Joshua 15:47; 2 Kings 24:7; Isa. 27:12), 50 mi. southwest of Gaza (see The Empire of David and Solomon).

66. Tents. A Hebrew expression that came to be used for “home” (Joshua 22:4, 6–8; Judges 7:8; Judges 20:8; 1 Sam. 4:10; 13:2; 2 Sam. 18:17; 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16).

Joyful. True religion is a thing of joy. The man who has made his peace with God has in his heart a spirit of true happiness and quiet contentment that others can never know. The dedicatory services of the Temple had been a source of inspiration and joy to the participants. In fellowship with each other, in singing praises to God and recalling His blessings, in giving to Him the honor and glory due His holy name, they had found a fullness of peace and joy that no pleasures of the world can ever bring. When a man has rendered unto God that which is of God, he can go about his daily labors with peace and gladness of heart. These worshipers were happy, we are told, not only for the goodness that the Lord had shown to them, but for His goodness to David and Solomon also (2 Chron. 7:10). Well for the land where ruler and people wish blessings for each other and rejoice in each other’s prosperity and joy, where they make intercession for each other, and work for each other’s welfare and peace (see Ps. 85:9–12).

Ellen G. White comments

1–66PK 37–50, 65, 66; SR 193, 194

4–7SR 193

10, 11  SR 194

29   PK 66

33, 34  PK 335, 359

42, 43  PK 66

54   SR 194

56   ML 337

59, 60  PK 359

60   PK 66

61   PK 58; 7T 218