Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students! Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. In this week’s lesson Solomon speaks to the people in the midst of a worship experience. Solomon’s speech reminds them of his father King David’s heart. He reminds them that it was his father’s hearts desire to build a house for the LORD God of Israel. God may have made the covenant with King David but it would be King Solomon that would build the Temple and secure a permanent place for God to dwell. Even though all of this took many years God keeps God’s promises and God honors God’s covenants. In this worship experience Solomon honors God, acknowledges his father and he blesses (or salutes) the people. God has occupied the Temple in the presence of a thick cloud and now the dedication can proceed. Some of the ideas surrounding this week’s text include the terms:
First Temple Period
This week’s lesson begins where last week’s lesson ended. The four lessons of Unit Two are focused on dedicating the Temple of God. Each of these four lessons come from 1 Kings Eighth chapter. So in this week’s background I will highlight some of the broad background of Kings and then focus on the history of the Temple.
I mentioned last week how the New Interpreter’s Study Bible explains that Kings covers “almost 400 years of Israel’s history, from the ascension of Solomon to the throne, before the death of David, to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.” This book containing almost 400 years of history has several editions. The NISB notes that “Kings was composed in different stages. The first edition was finished in the pre-exilic time, probably before the death of Josiah. A second edition was written when the Jews were in exile, around 550 BCE, a few years after the release of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27-30).”
The NISB also notes “as a historical book, 1 Kings is a theological interpretation of the monarchy and of the kings of Israel and Judah until the reign of Ahaziah. The book describes the kingdom under Solomon and gives the religious reasons for the division of the united monarchy (1 Kings 11:1-13).” You probably remember that King David united the kingdoms of Judah and Israel but under the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam the united kingdom would divide. The writers of Kings provide theological reasons for why the kingdom divided. For example, “every king in the Northern Kingdom allowed the religious innovation of Jeroboam to remain and as a result each was judged as having done what was evil.” In other words, the kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel did not follow the ways of God like the kings in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and for the writer of Kings, this explains their continuous downfall and evilness.
Since this unit is focused on dedicating the Temple I provide a brief history of God’s dwelling place also. In Exodus 25:8 God tells Moses “Have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them”. Moses built a tabernacle (tent). The NISB notes “The plans for the tabernacle were a pattern of the Lord’s heavenly home. Construction of the tabernacle allowed the LORD to descend to earth; thus it connects heaven and earth.” So the tabernacle was a temporary home for the presence of God and was a connection point between God’s heavenly abode and earth. Moses built the temporary tabernacle. About 500 years later King Solomon would dedicate a newly built permanent Temple to God. This Temple is known as the First Temple. Dr Stephen Breck Reid notes in The Africana Bible Reading Israel’s Scriptures From Africa and the African Diaspora
“When the northern kingdom, Israel split off, it developed its own temple (922 BCE). When the colonial Persian Judean regime wanted to consolidate their power, they refurbished the temple (515 BCE).” What Dr Reid calls the colonial Persian Judean regime is when Zerubbabel returned with the exiles and rebuilt the first Temple. Zerubbabel’s rebuilt Temple marks the beginning of the Second Temple period and that lasted until 70 CE. Dr Reid continues “Through poor intelligence, the Seleucids believed they could transform the temple into a Greek/Hellenistic temple without any political consequences (168 BCE). Herod the Great again consolidated his power with the people through an extensive expansion of the temple (20 CE). The Roman general Titus has his army sack the temple (70 CE).”
So over time the place for God to dwell transitioned from the Tabernacle that Moses built to the Temple that Solomon built. The Temple that Solomon built would eventually be destroyed and the place for God to dwell would transition to every believer in Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 3:16 reminds us “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
In Acts the 7 chapter before Stephen was stoned to death he reminded his persecutors
44 “Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, (Stephen is talking about the tabernacle) 46 who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands;…”
And that’s Stephen’s record before he is stoned to death reminding us that now, God does not dwell in houses made with human hands. God is omnipresent and now dwells within every believer in Jesus Chirst.
Our focus last week was how King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant from Zion to the newly built Temple. This week Solomon speaks to the people as he continues the dedication of this newly built Temple. Some important words to consider from this text include:
First Temple Period
Review of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
In last week’s lesson Solomon finally had a place for the Ark. Solomon summoned the Ark from Zion to the newly built Temple in Jerusalem. Cherubim and the shekinah glory of God were highlighted in the text as the entire nation of Israel participated in the dedication of the new Temple. It was about 40 years earlier when King David dreamed of a great Temple for God’s permanent dwelling place. David had the dream, but his son Solomon fulfilled the dream. The hebrew people had worshiped at the non-permanent tabernacle for about 500 years. Now the elders, the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the ancestral houses would lead the procession and dedication of this magnificent new permanent Temple. The tabernacle was the symbol of God’s presence among the Israelites, now that symbol would be the Temple. This Temple would become the national sanctuary.
Last week, Solomon finally had a place for the permanent Temple. This week he speaks to the people as he dedicates what God had provided for God’s own dwelling place according to God’s promise. Solomon recognizes the role God plays in making this dedication possible and he recognizes the people of God who were the hands and feet God used. Townsend and Boyd’s commentary title this week’s lesson “Solomon’s Speech”. Standard Lesson Commentary titles this week’s lesson “Solomon Speaks To The People”. The scripture text comes from 1 Kings 8:14-21.
What Takes Place in This Passage:
The Lesson opens at Chapter 8 verse fourteen. The writer begins with “then the king turned” Solomon turned because he had been facing the Temple where the priests could not stand and the shekinah glory of the Lord had filled the Temple. Keep in mind that this is a worship experience. God manifested God’s self in a thick cloud and filled the house of the LORD. The priests couldn’t stand, the glory of the LORD filled the house, and Solomon along with the people are no doubt in amazement of the presence of God filling the Temple.
Solomon turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel. Townsend Commentary notes that “Solomon’s “blessing” of the people is a loose use of the word since it was typically priests, not kings, who were authorized to pronounce a blessing on the people.” Townsend continues, “Solomon was really expressing a blessing to the LORD.”
In verse fifteen, Solomon offers praise to God. Again, this is a worship experience. Solomon declares the LORD God of Israel to be blessed and declares that God with God’s hand (or power) has fulfilled what God promised to his father David. Solomon knows that God keeps God’s promises. Even though God made the promise to Solomon’s father, and even though it took many years to finally fulfill, God is still a promise keeper.
In verse sixteen Solomon recalls the words of God spoken to his father David. Solomon tells the gathered assembly how God had not chosen a city from the tribes of Israel since God brought them out of Egypt. But when God chose David to be over his people things changed. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures by John Peter Lange et al explains “after He had chosen David to be king, and brought His people by him to the full and quiet possession of the promised land, it was fitting that He, as well as the nation, should have an abiding dwelling-place.”
In verse seventeen Solomon reminds the assembly how his father David had it in mind to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Solomon is reminding them of his father’s hearts desire. King David’s heart was in the right place, he had good intentions to honor and glorify God’s name with a permanent house.
In verses eighteen and nineteen Solomon recalls how the LORD acknowledged David’s good intentions but nevertheless denied David’s desire. Solomon is recalling the history that has led them up to that present moment. Solomon wants them to know that this is the LORD’s doing and it didn’t just start with him. It started many years ago with a King who was a man after God’s own heart.
In verse twenty Solomon declares that the LORD has kept the promise and that he has fulfilled his part to build God’s house. Solomon has risen in the place of his father, he now sits on the throne of Israel, and he has built the house of the LORD his father desired. David dreamed the dream and it was David’s heart’s desire, but his son Solomon is the one who completes the dream.
This lesson closes at verse twenty-one with Solomon proclaiming that he has provided a place for the ark. It is in fact, a magnificent place. The ark Solomon puts in this magnificent place represents the covenant of the LORD that God made with Solomon’s ancestors. He is essentially saying this has been a long journey. A journey all the way from when God brought us out of Egypt. But God is here now and this is where God belongs.
Fidelity is defined as “faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.” I think the operative term in this definition is “demonstrated by”. Faithfulness must be demonstrated. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day, week, month and year God demonstrates faithfulness to God’s people.
Solomon understood and recognized God’s fidelity. God is a promise keeper. The promise may have been made to his father King David, but it was through Solomon that the promise would be kept. God honors God’s covenants and God keeps God’s promises.
Omnipresent – God as an infinite spirit being everywhere present in the cosmos (ps 139:7-10; Jer 23:23-24).
Temple, Jerusalem – The structure in Jerusalem that was the center of worship and the national life of Israel from the 10th century B.C when it was built by Solomon, until its destruction by Rome in A.D. 70. It was rebuilt twice and had three periods, during which the temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod stood.
Themes, Topics, Discussion, or Sermon Preparation Ideas:
1. A promise keeping God.
2. Complete and wholehearted devotion (dedication).
Solomon dedicates the new Temple to God. What can we personally dedicate to God?
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next week we continue in the same chapter and pick up where we left off. As we continue studying Unit Two’s theme of “Dedicating the Temple of God” we see the second part of what Solomon has to say as he addresses the assembly of Israel. Next week Solomon’s prayer of dedication links the Davidic Covenant and the covenant at Mount Sinai. The lesson is titled “Solomon’s Dedication Prayer” and “Solomon Seeks God’s Blessing”. The text is taken from 1 Kings 8:22-30, 52-53.
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