We have just previously witnessed the passing of King David after he had helped his son, (the new King Solomon), with the preparations for building a Temple for Jehovah. And then David told him that God entrusted the construction of that Temple to him (see The Perils of the Rooftop.)
Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. 2 Ch. 1:1 AMP
Again, another example that Jehovah was helping Solomon achieve his divine purpose.
King Solomon assembles all the officials of Israel at the location of the Tabernacle that Moses had commissioned so long ago, and was now located in the city of Gibeon, a city of the Canaanites, before it was conquered by the Israeli tribe of Benjamin.
Solomon proffered 1000 offerings – both to honor the sacred place that the Tabernacle had played in Hebrew history and to begin to shift the people’s focus of worship to Jerusalem.
That night, God came to Solomon in dream, where He made him an offer:
“What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” 1 Kg. 3:5 NLT
King Solomon replies:
“You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. O Lord God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?” 2 Ch. 1:8 – 10. NLT
Jehovah is very pleased with Solomon’s request, and He answers back:
“Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people — I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” 2 Ch. 1:11, 12. NLT
But there was a caveat:
And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kg. 3:14 NLT
This works both ways. If Solomon does not obey his Creator, there will be punishment instead of reward…
Now that Solomon has been given more wisdom than any other human being in history, we are treated by seeing that in play:
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. And the one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. And on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were [alone] together; no one else was with us in the house, just we two.Now this woman’s son died during the night, because she lay on him [and smothered him]. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from [his place] beside me while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him on her bosom, and laid her dead son on my bosom. When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son, the one whom I had borne.” 1 Kg. 3:16 – 22. AMP
The other woman vehemently accused the first of lying, the truth was the opposite. King Solomon called for a sword and told the women that he was going to have the living child cut in half to distribute to both. One of the women protested, saying to please not kill the child, rather than have the child die. The other, told the king to cut the child. So, Solomon rewarded the first one’s concern, with her rightful child.
When all [the people of] Israel heard about the judgment which the king had made, they [were in awe and reverently] feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to administer justice. 1 Kg. 3:28 AMP
Solomon also brought vastly more systemization to his monarchy than Israel usually experienced in their history of rulers. He brought more competency to the military, and he was able to more efficiently fund his governmental regime. And, he cleaned up the priesthood.
Speaking of funding, King Solomon amassed a fortune and an army. Lastly, he was quite an accomplished spiritual writer – composing 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs, all from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
It took him 7 ½ years to build the Temple. Then he dedicated it to his Holy Father as a most sacred place of worship, and a place for Him to be with His people in the Spirit.
Solomon called for an assembly of the Israelites, to witness the delivery of the Ark of the Covenant, to the most revered part of the Temple. It is the part where God resided, the ‘Holy of holies’. As soon as that was done, God Himself showed up:
Now it happened that when the priests had come out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord’s house, so the priests could not stand [in their positions] to minister because of the cloud, for the glory and brilliance of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house (temple). 1 Kg. 8:10 – 12. AMP
The priests also transferred all the sacred items from the old Tabernacle to the new Temple. And a multitude of sheep and oxen were sacrificed to the LORD.
The Temple was significant because it became the spiritual anchor for God’s people, bringing them together in prayer and worship for their Creator in His presence. Thus, it also bolstered their faith.
King Solomon addresses the assembly very dramatically: first facing the altar as he speaks to Jehovah:
“The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness [of the cloud].
“I have certainly built You a lofty house, A place for You to dwell in forever.” 1 Kg. 8:12, 13. AMP
Then, he turns and faces the assembly:
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father, ‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for my name to be honored, and I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’” 2 Chr. 6:4 – 6. NLT
“And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. There I have placed the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with the people of Israel.” 2 Chr.6:10, 11. NLT
We see in his address another significance of the Temple: ‘to honor the name of the LORD.’
Solomon then descends to his knees with his arms outstretched towards heaven and prays:
“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on the earth, keeping covenant and showing mercy and lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You [in obedience] with all their heart, [You] who have kept Your promise to Your servant David, my father, that which You told him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is today. 2 Ch. 6:14, 15. AMP
“And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow me as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ Now, O God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David, my father.” 1 Kg. 8:25, 26. NLT
(Note that the Babylonians would destroy the temple in 586 B.C. So, it is not this temple that will hold an eternal throne, but heaven itself, occupied by Christ eternally, after His ascension.)
Now, Solomon honors the immensity of God:
“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today. May you watch over this Temple night and day, this place where you have said, ‘My name will be there.’ May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.” 1 Kg. 8:27 – 30. NLT
The King then asks Jehovah to embrace the Gentiles as well:
“Also in regard to the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty power and Your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You [reverently and worshipfully], as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your Name.” 2 Ch. 6:32, 33. AMP
Solomon then speaks a blessing over his subjects:
“Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us. May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that he gave our ancestors. And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other. And may you be completely faithful to the Lord our God. May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today.” 1 Kg. 8:56 – 61. NLT
God then demonstrates His approval by sending fire to consume the sacrifices dedicated to Him, and His glorious light filled the Temple.
The people of Israel then celebrated the Feast of Booths for 14 days.
King Solomon put the finishing touches on the Temple and built a palace for himself and a house for the (pagan?) daughter of Pharoah, whom he married…
Jehovah appears to Solomon at night once more (13 years after the completion of the Temple – midway through his rule):
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.If I shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence and plague among My people, and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified and set apart for My purpose this house that My Name may be here forever, and My eyes and My heart will be here perpetually.” 2 Ch. 7:12-18. AMP
However, this grace is highly conditional. But it is nothing new. He has warned us about this throughout our study of the Old Testament so far:
“But if you [people] turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and you go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from My land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have consecrated for My Name, out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and an object of scorn among all nations.” 2 Ch. 7:19, 20. AMP
Then King Solomon secured Israel’s borders, and established seaports. Everything was going great – so far…
Stay tuned!
Goodnight and God bless.