1 Kings 8:1-21
1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 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 filled 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.
12 Then Solomon spoke:
“The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
13 I have surely built You an exalted house,
And a place for You to dwell in forever.”
14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ 20 So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21 And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
Solomon brought the Ark of the Testimony of God’s covenant of promise and of works into the Most Holy Place prepared for God to dwell when He met with His people’s appointed representative. He in turn brought the overpowering cloud His glory into that place as He did before in the holy of holiness of the traveling tabernacle to speak with Moses in the wilderness as intervening atonement for the people was made as high priest. His glory filled the temple! To get the Ark there, he gathered the elders of all the tribes to accompany the priests who were tasked with bearing the load of the Ark to its prominent resting abode where God would meet the high priest for the people’s atonement. They made thousands of sacrifices to work towards gaining the favor of the LORD as they brought it into the Most Holy Place where the Cherubim overlooked the Ark beneath their outstretched wingtips meeting over its resting place. Solomon praised the LORD for being allowed to build the LORD’s house for Him to seemingly live in forever, not knowing the true dwelling place in heaven and the New Jerusalem to come as time ended and that forever became absolute. The word of the LORD had been fulfilled as promised to King David for Solomon to do this, and he now sat upon the throne of the Messianic lineage. The covenant was testified in that Ark containing the Law of God, and reminded all His people of their deliverance from bondage. Likewise, we are reminded of our deliverance from the penalty and power of sin by the suffering death and resurrection of our eternal Lord and Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus the Messiah (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16)! Our New Covenant is in His blood (Hebrews 12:24) because His death paid the price of our due death by an eternal sacrifice to fulfill the Law of the Old Covenant which had powered the Ark with promise by His atoning presence. Now He intercedes and atones from the tabernacles of regenerated hearts (1 Corinthians 3:16) of His people, putting the laws written on those stone tablets in the Ark into fleshly hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 2:15). His presence of glory fills these temples as His Holy of Holies, His Spirit, dwells in us! He overshadows us in that glory as we have been translated from darkness into the marvelous light of His very presence. Amen.
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