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Sunday January 5, 2020
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THE ARK BROUGHT TO THE TEMPLE
(GOD’s glory should overwhelm us)
(1 Kings 8:1-11)
After King Solomon
finished building the Temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, he brought all the gifts
that his father David had dedicated before his death, and he stored them all in
the Temple treasuries. He then summoned all the leaders of the tribes of
Israel, and their families, and they all assembled there in Jerusalem.
The leaders were instructed to bring the
Ark of the LORD’s Covenant from its location in the “City of David” (the
southeast section of Jerusalem), also called “Zion”, and place it in its new
home in the Temple that Solomon had prepared. The priests and Levites carried the
Ark on long poles, along with the Tabernacle and all of its sacred utensils,
into the Temple.
It was during the time of the “Festival of
Shelters”, or, “Feast of Booths” in the early autumn (“Ethanim” the seventh
month on the Jewish calendar), when they all gathered together to commemorate “the
end of wandering in the wildernesses” by their ancestors.
Then Solomon and the entire Israelite
community paused and sacrificed an uncountable number of sheep and oxen before
the Ark of the LORD, an event which likely took several days. King Solomon was
known for his extraordinary methods of worshiping his LORD, the GOD of Israel.
After the sacrifices were presented to the
LORD, the priest carried the Ark by its poles into the “Naos”, or, “Most Holy
Place”, the innermost part of the Temple, and placed it “beneath the wings of
the Cherubim” as its permanent resting place. Scripture tells us that the
carrying poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the entrance of
the naos, but not from outside its curtains, which were used to separate the Most
Holy Place from the rest of the Temple.
At one time there were four objects inside
the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9:4), a cup of “the manna that fell from
Heaven”, “Aaron’s blooming staff” (Numbers 17:10-11), and “the two tablets
containing the words of the Ten Commandments”. However, now it appears that only
the tablets on which Moses received the Ten Commandments remained inside the
Ark.
Solomon was undoubtedly one of the greatest
rulers of his era, and in fact, perhaps of any era. His reputation was not
gained by military conquests, as were other kings, and in fact, his entire
reign was totally unmarred by war or military conflicts. Solomon’s fame came
from his wisdom, which the LORD gave him, and this wisdom was the source of all
of his wonderful creative vision, which resulted in all of his constructive
accomplishments.
In his day, the Temple that Solomon built
for the LORD was one of the great wonders of the world. And in addition to his
building prowess, he was also one of the most effective diplomats of any era in
world history. During his reign, he dominated eastern trade routes and was the
only Israelite king ever to launch a fleet of trade ships. His reputation for employing
wisdom in the building and operation of his kingdom, caused other leaders, from
all over the world, to seek his consultation.
Despite Solomon’s worldly successes, he
never forgot were his abilities came from. Even before GOD first appeared to
him, he was already in the habit of lavishly offering literally thousands of “free-will”
offerings (symbolic of dedication) to his GOD in Heaven. His wonderful prayer
(1 King 8:22-53) at the dedication of the LORD’s Temple (which we’ll examine in
a couple of weeks) demonstrates a profound insight into the nature of GOD’s
relationship with those who believe in HIM.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
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