NOTES for Ki1 8:1-21

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.