The dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8)
The people gathered together to witness one of the greatest moments in
their young, yet old history.
By then they had dwelt in the land longer than America has been independent, longer than Australia has existed and longer than many nations have had order.
By then they had dwelt in the land longer than America has been independent, longer than Australia has existed and longer than many nations have had order.
The ark was brought up with great reverence and fear from the threshing
floor of Arauna, where it had remained since Uzzah had touched the sacred box.
It came with all its accoutrements – the vessels and serving instruments
of the original tabernacle.
However, inside the box itself, only the two stones of the law remained.
The rod that budded and the pot of manna, were inexplicably gone.
The ark entered the holy place, its final resting place. It was the end
of an incredible journey, from Mount Sinai, through the Wilderness, into
Canaan, to Shiloh, into the lands of the Philistines, back again and then to
Jerusalem, where it waited for David’s son.
The poles used for portage were very delicately removed from their
sockets, without any human hand daring to touch that most sacred object of Israel, surely also of all history. Then the
poles were left in the holy place never to be seen outside the temple again.
A huge entourage sacrificed continually as the ark made its way to its
resting place and then, when all was installed in its rightful place, all
withdrew from the temple and the glory of God filled the building so that no
one could minister in the temple.
Many sacrifices followed, too many to count. Solomon was truly
reverential about it all and knew that the house he had built could never hope
to contain the God who ruled the heavens.
Yet, he implored that in times of trouble or war, in famine or sin, in
need and in plenty, be it Jew or stranger, whoever should call on God in that
place should be heard.
A 14 day feast ensued, then Solomon sent everyone home. They were a contented people. Not only was their God at rest, but so were they.
The Lord confirmed Solomon
(1 Kings 9)
God took a while to respond, but once again at Gibeon, at the great
stone where Solomon had asked for and received wisdom from God, the Lord
spoke again.
He confirmed having heard Solomon’s prayers and assured him that he would
do as was asked, on condition that his rule and the ways of his people never
strayed from him.
The alternative was a grim prospect of a broken place, exile, burnt out
ruins and a rejection of his house. All
of that came to pass and the temple was indeed sacked.
To Hiram who had helped him, Solomon gave 20 cities, none of which
pleased the King of Tyre. However, the relationship held and the King paid
tribute to Solomon.
The key reason seems to have been that Pharaoh routed Gezer and other
Canaanite cities and gave them to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. Egypt had
become a very powerful ally.
Politically speaking, the alliance made sense, but it leaned away from
God and relied on a foreign nation, which ultimately assimilated Israel into
its culture through Solomon’s wife.
Not all territories had been subdued, yet they paid tribute to Solomon
and the land knew peace.
However, he still built a navy in the Red Sea port
city of Eziongeber, in the northern part of the gulf of Aqaba - near to modern
day Eilat and Aqaba.
Hiram lent his own seafaring people to Solomon to help them acquire
seamanship.
The Queen of Sheba paid her visit (1 Kings 10)
This is an important section that reveals the extent of Solomon’s
influence. As would later happen to the church, under Constantine, the nation
of Israel was being exalted to regional significance.
The vision and wisdom of Solomon was immense and within twenty years he had gained a considerable reputation that reached far and wide.
Israel finally came of age under Solomon. After 20 years of building the
two houses and the Millo (a rampart not fully understood by historians), he was
ready to accept diplomatic visits.
Historians suggest she came from the south-western toe of Arabia, from the land
of the Sabeans. She was a queen in every sense: Solomon’s peer.
She evidently came to him because his navy and his occupation of the
coastal trade routes, threatened their survival and so her diplomatic
overture was designed to preserve her realm. There was no warring - it was true diplomacy.
Some feel the two had an affair, but it is not confirmed in the bible.
Certainly she used the right diplomatic language and no-doubt a fair
amount of sincere flattery when she said, “the half has not yet been told”. She
was truly impressed.
Make no mistake, Solomon was an substantial leader and wiser than
all the kings of the region. She brought bountiful gifts of gold, silver,
precious stones, peacocks, ivory and Almug trees.
With that, and vast inflow of tributes, he made his golden shields or
targets for his house and an ivory throne with two lions as stays. He made a
further twelve lions to surround his impressive throne and all his cutlery and
goblets were made of gold.
The purpose of his navy is also made clear. It was a royal fleet, under
guard, which brought gold and other tributes to Jerusalem. Israel was rising to
great wealth and its king was no exception.
The next chapter, starts with a big BUT ….
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
