Welcome to week seven of Desiring the Kingdom and to 1st Kings chapter 8, where we find Solomon heading up the Dedication of the Temple. Our text begins with the ark being brought into the Temple, continues with Solomon making a brief statement on God’s faithfulness, leading an extended prayer, then pronouncing a blessing on those in attendance, and finishing up by throwing a great feast.
Sounds like your average Sunday worship, doesn’t it? (Okay, maybe not. But there ARE some similar elements, just on a different scale.)
Remember also that our overall premise in this series is that we desire a kingdom led by a perfect king, one that only God can provide. We study the ancient kingdom of Israel and consider the kingdom of God among his people today, but always with an eye looking forward to an eternal kingdom where God reigns personally and directly.
As we do every week, we will read through the chapter, pausing to meditate on contemporary applications of the ancient story, and engage in reflection and prayer. One difference this week is that we’re quoting the primary passage from the New International Version of the Bible instead of the English Standard Version. With a very long chapter from a historical book such as 1st Kings, the modern English phrasing is easier to read. (You’re welcome.)
Prayer Initiative
Beginning on January 13th and continuing for 11 weeks, Rio Women invites you to join them for their latest prayer initiative, based on the classic book “The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life.” They meet via Zoom call on Wednesdays at noon. If you can’t attend the meeting, get the book, find a partner, and follow along. (If you have questions or need assistance, email Beth Hendrikse, our Prayer Coordinator, at bethh@riovistachurch.com.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Making the Connection
1 Kings 8:1-13 NIV
The Ark Brought to the Temple
8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 2 All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Exodus 19:9
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
Leviticus 16:2
2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
Luke 17:20-24
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
John 4:19-24
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 Corinthians 6:15-20
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Consider
In the Old Testament, God would meet with his people in one place on earth at a time. First it was the garden of Eden, then the Tabernacle with Moses, and now the Temple under Solomon. In each case, the people would come there, to that singular place, to meet with the Lord. Today the situation is quite different. Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed. He also tells the Samaritan woman (who is very concerned about where God should be worshiped) that the time is coming and IS NOW HERE when God is worshiped in no specific location, but in spirit and truth. In the kingdom of Israel, the people went to meet God, but God now meets us, right where we are, and lives within his people.
Questions for Reflection
- How does this truth, that God lives within believers, affect your life? Is it something you think about often?
- If God lives within us, where can we hide from him? What could we do in secret without involving him?
Lord, you chose to inhabit the hearts of your people. You put your Spirit within me. I don’t need to go on any journey or be in any special place to encounter you–you are always with me. If I’m honest, it’s a little scary to think about taking you with me everywhere I go, because I often go to places I shouldn’t go and do things I shouldn’t do. Incline my heart toward you, Lord, and make me always mindful of your presence. Thank you for being with me always. Amen.
Day 2
Precisely When He Means To
1 Kings 8:14-21 NIV
14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 15 Then he said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’
17 “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’
20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”
RELATED SCRIPTURES
James 5:7-11
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
2 Peter 3:1-9
The Day of the Lord Will Come
3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Consider
When the Lord makes a promise, he keeps it. And the Bible is a book filled with promises. Clearly, however, some of them have not yet been fulfilled. This has been, and will continue to be, a reality that challenges the faith of believers. We know that deferment is not the same thing as abandonment. We also know that God works in his own way, according to his own timetable, and this does not take away from his faithfulness. We recognize that our knowledge is limited and God’s is without boundaries, so we must learn to trust him when the answer is “Wait…”
Questions for Reflection
- How do you process God’s delay in fulfilling his promises?
- Which of his promises are you most longing for God to fulfill?
Heavenly Father, of all the rooms I spend time in, the hardest by far is your waiting room. I know that you are good all the time and therefore, by definition, when you make me wait it is a good thing. And yet, I am flesh and my strength can fail. Forgive my impatience and lack of trust. Comfort my anxious heart by your Holy Spirit and let me learn to trust you, so I may see your power displayed in my weakness. Amen.
Day 3
Hear Us When We Pray
1 Kings 8:22-53 NIV
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.
25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.
27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
31 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.
33 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
37 “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
41 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
44 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; 48 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; 51 for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.
52 “May your eyes be open to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Nope, not this time. That passage was long enough. Well done, if you read it all!
Questions for Reflection
- Solomon’s prayer said the people of Israel would pray “toward the land that God gave them as an inheritance, toward the city of David, and toward this house that bears the name of the Lord.” How do you feel about that level of ritual in prayer? Are there things you do or items you have with you when you set aside time to pray? What benefit do you gain from those habits and practices?
- Almost every believer has at one time or another experienced the heartbreak of God not answering a prayer, or answering it in a manner other than requested. How do you feel when that happens? What are your thoughts? Why do you believe God sometimes doesn’t answer, or answers in a way contrary to what you asked?
Lord, now we come down to it! This is where I struggle most. At times I am afraid to ask for things, because I fear you won’t answer, and then I won’t know how to take your silence. Do you disapprove? Did I ask for the wrong thing? What is it about me, or my request, that failed to move you? These people in Ancient Israel feared the same thing, but they found comfort in your presence among them. I don’t have to visit a Temple, or pray toward some specific land or city, the Bible says that I AM a temple for your Holy Spirit. Lord, let that certain knowledge encourage me to pray, for you tell me to pray, and that prayer is a sweet aroma that pleases you. In those times when it feels like my prayers rise no higher than the ceiling, remind me they don’t need to, for you are right here with me. Amen!
Day 4
So the Whole World May Know
1 Kings 8:54-61 NIV
54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. 61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
RELATED SCRIPTURES
John 14:15-21
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
1 Peter 1:13-16
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 John 2:29
29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Hebrews 12:14-15
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Ephesians 4:29-5:4
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Walk in Love
5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Questions for Reflection
- Why are we here? Heaven is wonderful, right? More than we have words to describe. So the best thing for us would be to blink out of existence as soon as we are born again, to live forever with God in heaven. So why are we still here?
- Once you figure out why you think God has left us here, then consider the question of how we’re doing at accomplishing that mission. And how could we do better?
God, you tell me to imitate you. What a difficult calling that is! I confess that I won’t be able to do it without your help. I need you to reform my wayward heart and align it with your own. Grant that I may walk with true humility, seeking the good of others before myself, that through my life someone else may see the goodness of Jesus Christ. Give me an answer for any who ask a question about the God I serve, and may my words and thoughts come from you, Lord. Amen.
Day 5
A Feast on Sundays
1 Kings 8:62-66 NIV
The Dedication of the Temple
62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord.
64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.
65 So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Romans 12:1
A Living Sacrifice
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Acts 20:7-12
Eutychus Raised from the Dead
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
Ephesians 5:15-21
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Consider
Israel feasted for two weeks, and on a massive scale. Today’s worshipers become disgruntled if they sing an extra song on a Sunday. And let’s not even discuss if the preacher goes on too long in the message. (How would you like to have attended that speech by Paul, where he preached until midnight, stopped to raise a young man from the dead—who died because he fell out of a window as Paul talked so long, then continued speaking until daybreak?)
EXTRA CREDIT FOR BIBLE NERDS: If you would like to read an interesting collection of documents on worship in the early church from the Christian History Institute, visit this link: https://riovista.link/earlychurchworship.
Questions for Reflection
- How would our experience on Sundays be different if we worshiped with the same zeal as the Israelites feasted, or with the same dedication as they showed in the early church?
- Do you leave worship filled with joy because you’ve witnessed the goodness of God? If not, why not? What keeps you from finding joy in worship?
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a means of expressing our love and awe of you. As the Apostle Paul says, it is an act of spiritual worship to present myself as a living sacrifice. That means I’m all in. All of my time, talent, and treasure. Everything I have and all that I am is on the altar for you to use as you please. May I always find unspeakable joy in worshiping you, my great Creator and King. Amen!
Watch for other Personal Worship pushes!
- Friday you’ll receive Worship Prep guidance and Sunday’s songs. Take time to learn those you don’t know so that you can join in worship in full voice!