41. SECRETS OF FATE IN THE TEMPLEPagan's had temples, and God had a temple. Why? What did God want to teach?
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In this lesson we are going to look at what the Bible says about "Solomon's" Temple. The word "Solomon's" is in quotes because it was really the temple that he built for God. It was God's temple and He gave speci c instructions for its construction. It is often called "Solomon's" Temple to distinguish it from another temple that was built years later on the same site. So why is it important to read about a temple built a thousand years before Christ. What does it have to do with our life today?
The temple is important for us today for two reasons. First, it teaches us many things about how God deals with the biggest problem plaguing man: sin. We have already learned that sin brought death into the world and death is everyone's fate. No matter how hard man tries, he can’t prevent it. But God can!
The second reason, and one which we will study in future lessons, is that the temple rituals were actually acted-out prophecies concernng the future. By learning about the temple services now, we can lay the foundation for those future studies.
One thing we don't want to do is think God’s Temple was similar to the many pagan temples. There certainly were similarities, but the differences are huge. To help us understand some of these differences let's look at a pagan temple you may already know about.
The temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was built around 550 B.C. Perhaps you have been to Selçuk and seen the single remaining makeshift column. It looks pretty lonely standing out there in the eld. Originally there were more than 100 stone columns forming a temple more than 350 feet long and 180 feet wide. Some people say the columns were 40 feet tall and others say 60. If the latter is true, it was as tall as a six- story building. Just think; they had no modern equipment to erect that massive building. How did they do it? What must it have been like to stand in the middle of that temple and see the people come to worship the goddess Artemis? Her statue would have stood there decorated with jewels and ornaments. There was a grand festival each year in honor of the goddess and it was believed that she was responsible for the city's prosperity. It formed part of a distinctly Greek cultural and political identity. You can go to the Ephesus mu- seum in Selçuk and see a model of the temple and the actual idols that were there. It is hard for us to imagine that people really did worship a carved image like that. But they did. Did you know that the famous temple of Artemis was not the rst temple there?
The rst temple in the area of Ephesus was probably erected about 800 B.C. It is generally believed that it was the worship site of a fertility goddess. Years later the Greeks most likely mixed the fertility goddess’s attributes with those of Artemis. They liked to think of Artemis as a virgin huntress. In time the first temple was destroyed and Croesus of Lydia built the now famous Artemis temple when he conquered the area. Visitors came from all around to worship at that great temple. It was the pride of the local people and quite a tourist attraction to be sure.
Although quite different than the temple of Artemis and built hundreds of years earlier, the temple that God told Moses and the
Israelites to build in the wilderness was also the center of attention. God had given the Israelites minute instructions on building a wor- ship center for the nation. The tabernacle, you remember, was a tent structure with a holy place, a most holy place and an outer courtyard. Everywhere the Israelites went the tabernacle was the physical and spiritual center of the entire camp. Why? Because God said that He would dwell among the Israelites in that tabernacle or temple. God was with them. Can you imagine that?
For 40 years God was present in the tabernacle while the Israelites wandered in the desert. After they entered the Promised Land and settled there, the worship center of the nation was still that tent. Of course, it was moved a few times but the worship services were still practiced in that tabernacle according to God’s command.
After David became king and the enemies of God were conquered around Israel, David wanted to build something more glorious for the King of the Universe. Well, we know that the One who created the heavens and the earth cannot be confined to an earthly building. But because God actually appeared when he spoke with Moses, David wanted to build a temple for God that was more glorious. However, God did not permit this because David had fought in too many wars and had too much blood on his hands. The building of His temple was to be a holy work. So David gathered materials, drew up plans, and commissioned his son Solomon to build the temple. This is why Solomon and not David built the temple.
Now let's look at a few key features of the Temple in Jerusalem and learn how it was different from the wilderness tabernacle and those used in pagan worship, how it was dedicated and how it was used.
Some might wonder why we should look at this in great detail or why it is important? Well the importance of the temple cannot be overestimated. It tells us essential truths about God necessary for salvation. It shows us how we should and shouldn’t approach God during worship. Foremost, it shows us that the human mind can never achieve the heights that God intended by contemplating or worshiping idols. If we want our characters to continually develop we must be focused on the only true God.
The overall plan of Solomon’s Temple was the same as the wilder- ness tabernacle. There was the outer court with an altar of burnt offering and a laver, there was the Holy Place with the table of the “bread of presence”, the candlestick and the altar of incense, and there was the Most Holy Place with the Ark of the Covenant. How- ever, the Temple in Jerusalem was much larger.
The temple in the wilderness was a temporary shelter made of tents and curtains. The tent structure itself was 30 cubits2 long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits high. Solomon's Temple however would be a building of carved stone, not a tent structure. It was 60 cubits long and 20 cubits wide, making it twice as big. The inside dimensions alone were about 33 m long and 11 m wide and made of the nest cedars from Lebanon.
The furnishings of the temple were also larger and more elaborate than the ones in the wilderness tabernacle. For example the altar of sacrifice in the outer court of Solomon's Temple was so big it could not be moved around like the one in the wilderness taber- nacle. There was a huge brass washbasin or laver in the courtyard from which priests took water for washing before entering the tem- ple service. Together with this big laver there were also ten smaller ones used for washing parts of speci c offerings. In the front of the temple were two columns about 10 meters high, each decorated with organic motifs called Boaz and Joachim. Unlike the wilderness tabernacle, which had one candle, the Holy Place of the Temple had 10. Additionally, Solomon had doors of olive wood covered in gold placed behind the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Finally, instead of one pair of cherubim there were two pairs of cherubim. So while the details of the temple were somewhat different than the wilderness tabernacle we see basically the same design and the same function. See the diagram below.
Diagram needed here
Now let's see how the Temple of God was different than the one in Ephesus by reading the Bible in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 1 and 2:
1Then 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.
We can continue with verses 5 and 6.
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacri cing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multi- tude. 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.
And lastly 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 9-11:
9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets 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 came out of the holy place, that the cloud lled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
The first difference we see between the temple of God and the temple of Artemis is that there was no idol in God’s temple. Instead there was a box containing the covenant agreement between God and His people. The covenant is called the Ten Commandments. In ancient times when people made a covenant, there were at least three copies of the covenant. Each party of the agreement had an open copy and then there was a sealed copy of the covenant kept in a secure place. If there was ever a disagreement over the contents of the open copies, the one kept in deposit could be opened in front of witnesses and the true terms of the covenant could be learned and judged.
God's covenant was very simple: If you will obey My laws and keep My commandments, I will be your God and you will be my people. God would forgive their sins and bless them.
A second difference that we see is that God actually appeared in the temple concealed by a cloud. If you read the Bible, you will learn that priests would die if they went in without preparation and reverence. Everyone knows that the only reason Artemis was in her temple was because someone carved her image from stone and put it there. There was nothing supernatural about it and most certainly no one will die if they look at the idol.
Let’s continue reading in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 22-25:
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 "You have kept what You promised Your ser- vant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and ful lled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 "Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.'
The third difference is that God fulfilled His promises. And the God who fulfills promises not only let's us pray to Him, He loves to answer our prayers!
Let’s continue reading Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 26 and 27:
26 "And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. 27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
Solomon knew that God was too great to only dwell in a building made with human hands, and that while God’s physical presence would only be manifest at various times His name would always be there. We can continue with 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 28-30:
28 "Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: 29 "that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30 “And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
We ask God for blessings everyday, whether it is success in school, an exam, our careers, to find a spouse, to be happy in our marriage, to have children and grandchildren. These types of prayers are all good and nothing to be ashamed of. Our heavenly Father delights in us coming to Him in prayer. But the most important thing that we can pray for is the forgiveness of sins. It is sin that separates humanity from God. Sin is like a hole in the gas tank of your car. You can pour gas into it all you want, but until you fix the hole you won't get very far. In each of our lives, if we are to enter into paradise, the sin problem must be dealt with.
It is amazing that we can see that happening in the temple services. Do you remember how the worshipers brought an animal sacri ce to the temple? After approaching the priest, they would put their hands on the animal’s head, confess their sins, and then kill the ani- mal. The blood of the animal was sprinkled on the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard. Sometimes the priest would eat a small piece of the esh and then go into the Holy Place. With that ritual we are see a symbolic transfer of the record of sin from the person to the tabernacle. We don't have enough information yet to see its full meaning, but there is something very important going on here that we want to remember for future lessons.
Solomon continued to speak about the sin problem in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 31 and 32:
31 " When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32 "then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
When did the goddess Artemis ever judge between people, punish the wicked, and reward the righteous? Never!
Solomon continued to pray about forgiveness in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 33-36:
33 " When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy be- cause they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. 35 " When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You af ict them, 36 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
Did you notice that our sin and rejection of God can bring judgment in the form of defeat or drought? When we pray for blessings we must be sure that we are living according to God’s wishes and not our own. Our prayers must be lled with repentance.
There was another important purpose for building God’s temple. Let’s read 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 41-43:
41 " Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name's sake 42 '(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 "hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
Did you notice in these verses God’s intention to evangelize the world with His temple? People would hear about God and come to pray. Then God would accept their prayers. The temple was not for the Jews alone. As a worship center it would attract people from all over and they would come and learn of the great Creator, the true God. This would be a partial ful llment of what God promised to Abraham when He said that in Abraham all the world would be blessed.3 Israel, Abraham’s children, were called upon to take the knowledge of the true God to the whole world and the temple wor- ship was a major part of that. Let’s continue with 1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 54:
54 And so it was, when Solomon had nished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
As we talk about worship it is important to note that the prophet Solomon, when he made his public prayer to God at the temple, did not remain standing. He knelt on his knees in reverence. We must always remember that God is holy and to approach Him with humil- ity and respect. Let’s read what happened next in verses 55 and 56:
55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
There is an important truth in these verses. Sometimes we may wonder why God had the prophets record both the good and bad details of Israel’s history. The answer is quite simple. God promised in the Law of Moses that if Israel obeyed His word and took the knowl- edge of the true God to the world, He would bless them in many ways. But He also told them what would happen if they forgot God and turned away from His covenant. The record of scripture shows that God was faithful to His covenant – both with blessings and curses. That gives us con dence that He will be faithful to us with His covenant as well. Let’s go on to 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 57-63:
57 "May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 "that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 "And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 "Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day." 62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacri ces before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacri ce of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
The Lord gave very specific instructions on varied types of offerings and ceremonies that were to be done at the temple. The temple worship was not left up to the decisions of men like in the temple of Artemis. He was particular because each offering and rite had meaning. We have not gone into much detail about that up until now but when we get to the New Testament we can better understand the meaning of the Old Testament temple and it’s rites. But as important as Solomon's temple was, we need to keep a very important fact in mind. We can illustrate this with the following story.
In Turkey we sing our national anthem with reverence, pride and joy. When our national holidays come we see the star and crescent hanging from every building. The people who make the representations of our flag are careful to make sure that all the details are exactly right. The red must be the right color red. The star and the crescent must be in its correct place. We do not let our flags drop to the ground nor do we allow them to be burned as other nations. We love our flag.
But we all know that our flag is not our nation. If someone were to take our flag and drop it to the ground and step on it the Turkish nation would not cease to exist. Our flag represents our nation but it is not our nation. It is a symbol of our nation and our people. To show respect and reverence for it is good and right. But the most important thing is not the flag or any other symbol of our nation. It is the people themselves.
God Himself honored the temple that was built for His glory. He worked miracles to show His approval of it. His manifestation and covenant were there. It attracted people from all over the world who eventually learned about the true God and true worship. The bleed- ing sacri ces told of a salvation that God would do and not man. The temple rites showed that the problem of sin and death would be solved. God’s name was there at the temple, so it was holy. And yet the temple itself was not God. The temple could and would disappear, but the Creator of the universe would never disappear. Yes, God’s name was at that temple and it was important.
But the most important thing was the God of that temple.
Discussion Questions
1. The temple of Solomon was probably about 1/3 the size of the temple of Artemis. Why do you think God didn’t tell Solomon to
make His temple the biggest on earth?
2. One purpose of the temple in Jerusalem was to carry the truth of God to the whole world. What is that truth? Compared to Artemis,
why would it be important for people to hear that truth?
3. Do you think the principles of the covenant (the Ten Commandments) that God made with the Israelites were for them only or do
they apply to everyone including yourself? How does that make a difference in the way you behave and how you worship?
1 Exodus 25:8
2 There were various cubit dimensions known in those days and we do not know which one was used. A cubit could vary between 44.5 cm and 54.8 cm making that tabernacle at most 16.5 m long, 5.5 m wide and 5.5 m tall.
3 Genesis 12:3
The temple is important for us today for two reasons. First, it teaches us many things about how God deals with the biggest problem plaguing man: sin. We have already learned that sin brought death into the world and death is everyone's fate. No matter how hard man tries, he can’t prevent it. But God can!
The second reason, and one which we will study in future lessons, is that the temple rituals were actually acted-out prophecies concernng the future. By learning about the temple services now, we can lay the foundation for those future studies.
One thing we don't want to do is think God’s Temple was similar to the many pagan temples. There certainly were similarities, but the differences are huge. To help us understand some of these differences let's look at a pagan temple you may already know about.
The temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was built around 550 B.C. Perhaps you have been to Selçuk and seen the single remaining makeshift column. It looks pretty lonely standing out there in the eld. Originally there were more than 100 stone columns forming a temple more than 350 feet long and 180 feet wide. Some people say the columns were 40 feet tall and others say 60. If the latter is true, it was as tall as a six- story building. Just think; they had no modern equipment to erect that massive building. How did they do it? What must it have been like to stand in the middle of that temple and see the people come to worship the goddess Artemis? Her statue would have stood there decorated with jewels and ornaments. There was a grand festival each year in honor of the goddess and it was believed that she was responsible for the city's prosperity. It formed part of a distinctly Greek cultural and political identity. You can go to the Ephesus mu- seum in Selçuk and see a model of the temple and the actual idols that were there. It is hard for us to imagine that people really did worship a carved image like that. But they did. Did you know that the famous temple of Artemis was not the rst temple there?
The rst temple in the area of Ephesus was probably erected about 800 B.C. It is generally believed that it was the worship site of a fertility goddess. Years later the Greeks most likely mixed the fertility goddess’s attributes with those of Artemis. They liked to think of Artemis as a virgin huntress. In time the first temple was destroyed and Croesus of Lydia built the now famous Artemis temple when he conquered the area. Visitors came from all around to worship at that great temple. It was the pride of the local people and quite a tourist attraction to be sure.
Although quite different than the temple of Artemis and built hundreds of years earlier, the temple that God told Moses and the
Israelites to build in the wilderness was also the center of attention. God had given the Israelites minute instructions on building a wor- ship center for the nation. The tabernacle, you remember, was a tent structure with a holy place, a most holy place and an outer courtyard. Everywhere the Israelites went the tabernacle was the physical and spiritual center of the entire camp. Why? Because God said that He would dwell among the Israelites in that tabernacle or temple. God was with them. Can you imagine that?
For 40 years God was present in the tabernacle while the Israelites wandered in the desert. After they entered the Promised Land and settled there, the worship center of the nation was still that tent. Of course, it was moved a few times but the worship services were still practiced in that tabernacle according to God’s command.
After David became king and the enemies of God were conquered around Israel, David wanted to build something more glorious for the King of the Universe. Well, we know that the One who created the heavens and the earth cannot be confined to an earthly building. But because God actually appeared when he spoke with Moses, David wanted to build a temple for God that was more glorious. However, God did not permit this because David had fought in too many wars and had too much blood on his hands. The building of His temple was to be a holy work. So David gathered materials, drew up plans, and commissioned his son Solomon to build the temple. This is why Solomon and not David built the temple.
Now let's look at a few key features of the Temple in Jerusalem and learn how it was different from the wilderness tabernacle and those used in pagan worship, how it was dedicated and how it was used.
Some might wonder why we should look at this in great detail or why it is important? Well the importance of the temple cannot be overestimated. It tells us essential truths about God necessary for salvation. It shows us how we should and shouldn’t approach God during worship. Foremost, it shows us that the human mind can never achieve the heights that God intended by contemplating or worshiping idols. If we want our characters to continually develop we must be focused on the only true God.
The overall plan of Solomon’s Temple was the same as the wilder- ness tabernacle. There was the outer court with an altar of burnt offering and a laver, there was the Holy Place with the table of the “bread of presence”, the candlestick and the altar of incense, and there was the Most Holy Place with the Ark of the Covenant. How- ever, the Temple in Jerusalem was much larger.
The temple in the wilderness was a temporary shelter made of tents and curtains. The tent structure itself was 30 cubits2 long, 10 cubits wide, and 10 cubits high. Solomon's Temple however would be a building of carved stone, not a tent structure. It was 60 cubits long and 20 cubits wide, making it twice as big. The inside dimensions alone were about 33 m long and 11 m wide and made of the nest cedars from Lebanon.
The furnishings of the temple were also larger and more elaborate than the ones in the wilderness tabernacle. For example the altar of sacrifice in the outer court of Solomon's Temple was so big it could not be moved around like the one in the wilderness taber- nacle. There was a huge brass washbasin or laver in the courtyard from which priests took water for washing before entering the tem- ple service. Together with this big laver there were also ten smaller ones used for washing parts of speci c offerings. In the front of the temple were two columns about 10 meters high, each decorated with organic motifs called Boaz and Joachim. Unlike the wilderness tabernacle, which had one candle, the Holy Place of the Temple had 10. Additionally, Solomon had doors of olive wood covered in gold placed behind the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Finally, instead of one pair of cherubim there were two pairs of cherubim. So while the details of the temple were somewhat different than the wilderness tabernacle we see basically the same design and the same function. See the diagram below.
Diagram needed here
Now let's see how the Temple of God was different than the one in Ephesus by reading the Bible in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 1 and 2:
1Then 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.
We can continue with verses 5 and 6.
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacri cing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multi- tude. 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.
And lastly 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 9-11:
9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets 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 came out of the holy place, that the cloud lled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
The first difference we see between the temple of God and the temple of Artemis is that there was no idol in God’s temple. Instead there was a box containing the covenant agreement between God and His people. The covenant is called the Ten Commandments. In ancient times when people made a covenant, there were at least three copies of the covenant. Each party of the agreement had an open copy and then there was a sealed copy of the covenant kept in a secure place. If there was ever a disagreement over the contents of the open copies, the one kept in deposit could be opened in front of witnesses and the true terms of the covenant could be learned and judged.
God's covenant was very simple: If you will obey My laws and keep My commandments, I will be your God and you will be my people. God would forgive their sins and bless them.
A second difference that we see is that God actually appeared in the temple concealed by a cloud. If you read the Bible, you will learn that priests would die if they went in without preparation and reverence. Everyone knows that the only reason Artemis was in her temple was because someone carved her image from stone and put it there. There was nothing supernatural about it and most certainly no one will die if they look at the idol.
Let’s continue reading in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 22-25:
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 "You have kept what You promised Your ser- vant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and ful lled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 "Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.'
The third difference is that God fulfilled His promises. And the God who fulfills promises not only let's us pray to Him, He loves to answer our prayers!
Let’s continue reading Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 26 and 27:
26 "And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. 27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
Solomon knew that God was too great to only dwell in a building made with human hands, and that while God’s physical presence would only be manifest at various times His name would always be there. We can continue with 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 28-30:
28 "Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: 29 "that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30 “And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
We ask God for blessings everyday, whether it is success in school, an exam, our careers, to find a spouse, to be happy in our marriage, to have children and grandchildren. These types of prayers are all good and nothing to be ashamed of. Our heavenly Father delights in us coming to Him in prayer. But the most important thing that we can pray for is the forgiveness of sins. It is sin that separates humanity from God. Sin is like a hole in the gas tank of your car. You can pour gas into it all you want, but until you fix the hole you won't get very far. In each of our lives, if we are to enter into paradise, the sin problem must be dealt with.
It is amazing that we can see that happening in the temple services. Do you remember how the worshipers brought an animal sacri ce to the temple? After approaching the priest, they would put their hands on the animal’s head, confess their sins, and then kill the ani- mal. The blood of the animal was sprinkled on the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard. Sometimes the priest would eat a small piece of the esh and then go into the Holy Place. With that ritual we are see a symbolic transfer of the record of sin from the person to the tabernacle. We don't have enough information yet to see its full meaning, but there is something very important going on here that we want to remember for future lessons.
Solomon continued to speak about the sin problem in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 31 and 32:
31 " When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32 "then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
When did the goddess Artemis ever judge between people, punish the wicked, and reward the righteous? Never!
Solomon continued to pray about forgiveness in 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 33-36:
33 " When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy be- cause they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. 35 " When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You af ict them, 36 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
Did you notice that our sin and rejection of God can bring judgment in the form of defeat or drought? When we pray for blessings we must be sure that we are living according to God’s wishes and not our own. Our prayers must be lled with repentance.
There was another important purpose for building God’s temple. Let’s read 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 41-43:
41 " Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name's sake 42 '(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 "hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
Did you notice in these verses God’s intention to evangelize the world with His temple? People would hear about God and come to pray. Then God would accept their prayers. The temple was not for the Jews alone. As a worship center it would attract people from all over and they would come and learn of the great Creator, the true God. This would be a partial ful llment of what God promised to Abraham when He said that in Abraham all the world would be blessed.3 Israel, Abraham’s children, were called upon to take the knowledge of the true God to the whole world and the temple wor- ship was a major part of that. Let’s continue with 1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 54:
54 And so it was, when Solomon had nished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
As we talk about worship it is important to note that the prophet Solomon, when he made his public prayer to God at the temple, did not remain standing. He knelt on his knees in reverence. We must always remember that God is holy and to approach Him with humil- ity and respect. Let’s read what happened next in verses 55 and 56:
55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
There is an important truth in these verses. Sometimes we may wonder why God had the prophets record both the good and bad details of Israel’s history. The answer is quite simple. God promised in the Law of Moses that if Israel obeyed His word and took the knowl- edge of the true God to the world, He would bless them in many ways. But He also told them what would happen if they forgot God and turned away from His covenant. The record of scripture shows that God was faithful to His covenant – both with blessings and curses. That gives us con dence that He will be faithful to us with His covenant as well. Let’s go on to 1 Kings chapter 8 verses 57-63:
57 "May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 "that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 "And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 "Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day." 62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacri ces before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacri ce of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
The Lord gave very specific instructions on varied types of offerings and ceremonies that were to be done at the temple. The temple worship was not left up to the decisions of men like in the temple of Artemis. He was particular because each offering and rite had meaning. We have not gone into much detail about that up until now but when we get to the New Testament we can better understand the meaning of the Old Testament temple and it’s rites. But as important as Solomon's temple was, we need to keep a very important fact in mind. We can illustrate this with the following story.
In Turkey we sing our national anthem with reverence, pride and joy. When our national holidays come we see the star and crescent hanging from every building. The people who make the representations of our flag are careful to make sure that all the details are exactly right. The red must be the right color red. The star and the crescent must be in its correct place. We do not let our flags drop to the ground nor do we allow them to be burned as other nations. We love our flag.
But we all know that our flag is not our nation. If someone were to take our flag and drop it to the ground and step on it the Turkish nation would not cease to exist. Our flag represents our nation but it is not our nation. It is a symbol of our nation and our people. To show respect and reverence for it is good and right. But the most important thing is not the flag or any other symbol of our nation. It is the people themselves.
God Himself honored the temple that was built for His glory. He worked miracles to show His approval of it. His manifestation and covenant were there. It attracted people from all over the world who eventually learned about the true God and true worship. The bleed- ing sacri ces told of a salvation that God would do and not man. The temple rites showed that the problem of sin and death would be solved. God’s name was there at the temple, so it was holy. And yet the temple itself was not God. The temple could and would disappear, but the Creator of the universe would never disappear. Yes, God’s name was at that temple and it was important.
But the most important thing was the God of that temple.
Discussion Questions
1. The temple of Solomon was probably about 1/3 the size of the temple of Artemis. Why do you think God didn’t tell Solomon to
make His temple the biggest on earth?
2. One purpose of the temple in Jerusalem was to carry the truth of God to the whole world. What is that truth? Compared to Artemis,
why would it be important for people to hear that truth?
3. Do you think the principles of the covenant (the Ten Commandments) that God made with the Israelites were for them only or do
they apply to everyone including yourself? How does that make a difference in the way you behave and how you worship?
1 Exodus 25:8
2 There were various cubit dimensions known in those days and we do not know which one was used. A cubit could vary between 44.5 cm and 54.8 cm making that tabernacle at most 16.5 m long, 5.5 m wide and 5.5 m tall.
3 Genesis 12:3