NOTES for Ki1 8:1-21
1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. |
2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. |
3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. |
4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up. |
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. |
6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. |
7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. |
8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. |
9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. |
10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, |
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. |
12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in thick darkness. |
13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. |
14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;) |
15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, |
16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. |
17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. |
18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. |
19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. |
20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. |
21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. |
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At the dedication of the Temple, which became a feast for the whole people, Solomon said that the Lord was pleased to dwell in thick darkness. The meaning of these words is profound and complex, but one of their meanings is that He remains hidden from us and we will not be able to see Him. Yet at the same time He gives us the opportunity to commune with Him. This is precisely why the Lord chooses prophets through whom He speaks to us, and for the same reason He approved David’s plan to build the Temple.
The glory of the Lord, which filled the Temple as a cloud, affected the priests so powerfully that even they, though specially called and appointed to serve, could not remain in the Temple. And yet at that moment the Lord’s power was not manifested in its fullness; no human being could have endured that. Nevertheless, He lets us touch His might to the extent that we are able to perceive it. Thus, in visible form, the Ark contained only the stone tablets, yet it was precisely they that mysteriously bore witness to His presence with His people. The very words of God’s commandments written on the tablets are a sign that the Lord, who created the world by His Word, gives us through the Word the ability to comprehend His will.
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