GOD’S VISIBLE PRESENCE
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father in heaven, that you always are present with me, providing all that I need and ready to bring yourself glory through me.
Read 1 KINGS 8:1–21
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.”
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.”
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter his courts with praise.’*Jerusalem is heaving with people coming to celebrate the Festival of Shelters—thanking God for the harvest, and remembering our ancestors traveling through the wilderness. In every available space people have built shelters, and there is a buzz of noise as the people cook, eat, and sleep in their temporary “homes.”
Solomon decided to use this occasion to bring the ark of the covenant into its new permanent home. With crowds of people around, the king, the tribal chiefs, and the heads of families followed the priests carrying the ark into the temple. All the available priests were making countless sacrifices to the Lord.
The priests carried the ark into the Most Holy Place and—as they withdrew—a cloud filled the whole temple! Those of us watching in awe were reminded of the pillar of cloud that led our ancestors through the wilderness. Could this actually be God himself coming to inhabit his new home on earth?
Solomon, inspired by this sign of God’s presence, turned to the people and reminded them of the promises God made to our nation. God has been faithful, keeping his promises. I can’t imagine our nation ever being anything but faithful to God in return!
Apply
What promises has God made to you personally? Which have already been fulfilled, and which are you still waiting for?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Father, for the many promises you have kept, not just throughout history, but in my own life. As I wait on you, help me to remember that you are always trustworthy.
*Leona Von Brethorst, Maranatha! Music, 1976
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