Sermon - Audio1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5 - Audio
1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5 - Reading
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This was the entrance of the ark. The most important part of the temple was the ark of the covenant, which contained the tablets of the law. Once the temple was complete, Solomon had the ark brought up and placed in the Most Holy Place. This dedication story shows how God gives His blessing on what Solomon has done by filling the temple with glory.
v. 2 – The dedication of the temple takes place in the seventh month during the Festival of Succoth (refer back to Lev. 23:33-43)
v. 3-4 – Moving the ark symbolized God becoming a God of permanent dwelling as opposed to a God of exodus.
v. 9 – The ark had once contained a jar of manna and Aaron’s rod. (Refer to Heb. 9:4) There was now nothing in the ark except two tablets of stone on which were written the 10 commandments. Nothing in the ark may also anticipate that nothing on earth can “contain” the Lord (v. 27). The ark was simply a witness to God’s covenant and a symbol of his real presence; it could not contain Him.
v. 10 – A cloud was often associated with God’s appearing in the OT and a cloud also covered the tabernacle when it was completed (Ex. 40:34-38)
v. 17 – In Solomon’s speech the word “name” is used to avoiding saying that God himself actually dwells in the temple. God’s presence in the temple was real and the people would get his attention by calling his name, but he was not to be thought of as “living” in the temple in any sense that would detract from the reality of his transcendence.
v. 25 – God promises in 1 Kings 2:4 that as long as they walk with God there will be a descendant of David on the throne.
v. 31-32 – There are seven specific petitions concerning a legal case in which evidence or witnesses make it impossible to resolve the case in a normal fashion. God is invoked as judge to condemn the guilty and clear the righteous individual.
v. 33-40 – The next three petitions concern exile, drought and siege. In each case the cause of the problem is sin requiring forgiveness although God’s instruction is also requested.
v. 41-43 – The fifth petition is for the foreigner who prays toward the temple. Solomon desires that this person would know answered prayer and fear God’s name.
v. 44-45 – The sixth petition concerns when going into battle, God will hear their prayer and bring victory.
v. 46-51 – The seventh petition returns to defeat and exile. If exile takes place and the people should repent and pray, then God is asked to maintain their cause.
v. 62-66 – The people went home rejoicing, deeply satisfied in the realization that God’s blessing was on the king and the nation as a whole.
5 comments:
I just had a chance to listen to the sermon from Sunday. I was excited you were addressing the second half of the story of Naaman – how many times have we heard the first half, but after reading the story again a few years ago I realized I have never heard anyone address the second half which created a lot of questions. Thanks for honestly dealing with it.
So what happened to the Gold Jar with Manna and Aaron's Staff? Is it significant that they are no longer in there?
By the way, Aaron's staff had to be quit small did it not? The Ark was only 2.5 by 1.5 cubits (about 18")...Hmmm...how did it fit inside?
I thought the very same thing, Scott.
I have a question about this verse: Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying,(M) 'You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel,(N) if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.' 1 Kings 8:17
Does this mean the promise is conditional?
I thought this was an eternal promise fulfilled in Christ...or is this similar to Moses' exhortations in Deut. These conditional promises always confuse me. Is it a special case for Israel? Is it different on this side of the cross?
I know this is a huge topic!!!
Hi Amanda,
The promise is both conditional and not. God's promise is that David will always have a son on the throne if the son keeps God's commands. When the king fails to do that there is not Davidic king on the throne, but God keeps moving forward to get to the point where one from the line of David is on the throne. So failure means no king on the throne, but God keeps working to put the great Son of David on the throne. When Christ comes he does what all the other kings failed to do, he keeps the covenant perfectly. He, therefore, is always on David's throne.
Hi Rich,
The loss of the manna and the staff are never recorded in scripture. It has been surmised that the Philistines took them when they grabbed the Ark in the book of Samuel.
Do you think they could have put a hinge on the staff :)
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