First Kings 7:47

The Bible says in First Kings 7:47-51, “And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.[48] And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,[49] And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,[50] And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.[51] So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.” We know that the temple was a place of slaughter because of all the animals that were killed and butchered there. Of the millions of animals that were killed there, each one pointed to Jesus who would be killed for the sins of the world. Verses like these tell us that the temple was also a treasure house: full of gold and silver and precious things. It must have been truly beautiful. All of that gold and silver that was brought to the temple reminds us that we should bring everything that we have to God and dedicate it to His glory. We should also make our lives as beautiful as possible with the beauty of holiness in order to attract people to Christ.

The Bible says in First Kings 8:1-9, “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.” Now that the temple was built, it was time to bring everything that was in the tabernacle and put those things in the temple because the temple had become a more permanent replacement for the tabernacle. What is noted in this passage is that the ark was very important in all of this. The ark was a wooden box covered with gold, but what was important about the ark was its contents: the two tables of stone (the Ten Commandments.) The Ten Commandments symbolize the covenant of the law. Of course, Solomon and everyone in Israel lived under the Covenant of the law. Thankfully, the Lord replaced the Covenant of the law with the Covenant of grace. The law required that everyone had to earn God’s favor by not breaking the law. No one could do that. That is why they had all the animal sacrifices. Christ is our sacrifice. Jesus was sacrificed once for all forever. It says in John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

The Bible says in First Kings 8:10-13, “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.” The Spirit of God filled the temple. In the New Testament the temple of God is the body of each Christian. That is because when we come to know Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us. The Holy Spirit is the one who brought us to Jesus. Once we are saved, the Holy Spirit will reveal more to us about Jesus. As we read and study the Bible, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us its treasures and will speak to us individually. The Holy Spirit will guide us and show us which way to go in life. The Holy Spirit will speak through us and use us. It is important that Christians be filled with the Holy Spirit. Sing to yourselves in Psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts. Do not quench the Spirit: nurture Him and His ways in your mind and heart.

The Bible says in First Kings 8:14-20, “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.” God said to David in verse eighteen, “Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.” We always want to have the best plans and the best hopes and the best desires. If I could, this is what I would do. I would start a church, and the church would grow because many people would get saved, and many Christians would come to hear the Word of God, and sing the songs of Zion, and pray together and for each other, and enjoy blessed Christian fellowship wherein the Spirit of God would use each spiritual gift to encourage and bless one another, and the church would above all things be a place of love. Then myself and others in the church would reach out to other countries of the world such as France, and the Philippines, and Colombia. And many would hear the Gospel of Christ and get saved. That is in my heart. What is in yours? But no matter what we hope to see, only God will decide. God decided that even though David had a good thing in his heart, that good thing would not be done by David in David’s lifetime. And so we say, “Blessed by the name of the Lord. May His will be done.”

The Bible says in First Kings 8:21-27, “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.[22] And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:[23] And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:[24] Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.[25] Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.[26] And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.[27] But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” The Ten Commandments were in the ark. In verse twenty-one Solomon called them “the covenant of the LORD.” That is because the Ten Commandments represent the law. The law of Moses was “the covenant of the LORD.” Thankfully, we live under a new covenant: the Covenant of the New Testament. The covenant of the law did not work for sinful human beings because the covenant of the law is made up of commandments. We are not very good at obeying commandments, and so the New Covenant simply starts by telling us that we are all a bunch of sinners who need to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness. Jesus forgives completely and without reservation anyone who comes to Him.

Notice that Solomon said in verse twenty-three, “And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart.” Because they lived under the law, if they were honest and wise, they knew that they needed God’s mercy. People in the Old Testament were saved the same way that we are saved: by putting their faith in the Lord. It says about Abraham in Genesis 15:6 and quoted in Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Many people think that they are going to get into heaven based upon how good they are. That means they think they will get there based upon law, that is, based upon keeping the commandments. But if they come to understand the truth that they cannot keep the law, they will see their need of forgiveness and will turn to Christ. And so the law at least still has that one benefit: the law is our school master that leads us to Christ. Once we accept Christ, we are free and are no longer under law.

In verse twenty-four Solomon said, “Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.” Solomon knew that God keeps His promises. That is a very important truth to believe if you want to live a life of faith. As you read the Bible, find the promises that God has made. You can always rely upon them.

In verse twenty-seven Solomon makes a great statement about an important attribute of God: He is everywhere: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded.” Solomon had finished constructing the temple: the building that symbolized the presence of the Lord. Of course, Solomon knew that it was symbolic only. He knew that God was everywhere. In the New Testament age in which we live, there is no building that symbolizes God’s presence. Christ dwells within each believer. The local church where Christians gather is not the church. The church is made up of the believers, not the building. The church building is simply a practical benefit to help the believers gather. Jesus is everywhere. You can be close to God anywhere in the world. There is no special place where you must go to be closer to Him.

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