1 Kings 8:1

THE DEDICATION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE

This is a very significant O.T. chapter, (1) because "It confounds and contradicts the critical allegations which are based upon their false hypothesis that the theology of Israel developed after the manner of an evolutionary pattern, and that it was not fully developed until the times of the (imaginary) Second Isaiah."[1] Solomon's words here uphold the immanence and yet transcendence of God.[2]

Also (2) this chapter presents overwhelmingly convincing evidence of the prior existence of the Five Books of Moses, commonly called the Pentateuch. He honored the Levitical instructions on moving the ark of the covenant. His prayer exhibited his knowledge of Exodus 22:8-11; Genesis 14:14; 34:29; Numbers 24:22 and of the entire Mosaic history of Israel.

It is quite annoying how frequently one encounters the comment that this chapter is "Deuteronomic," that being a code word supposed to identify its user as one who accepts the critical fairy tale about the origin of the Pentateuch in the days of Josiah. LaSor came very near to expressing this writer's opinion on that allegation as follows:

"It is our conviction that Deuteronomy is essentially Mosaic,"[3] and that it was not the product of the Josianic period. If Deuteronomy had been produced at any time between the fall of Samaria and the fall of Jerusalem, and if the Jewish priesthood wrote it to establish the primacy of the Jerusalem sanctuary, then how can it be explained that JERUSALEM IS NOT EVEN MENTIONED IN DEUTERONOMY? Also, how can it be explained that there is found right here in the Book of Kings DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENTIRE WILDERNESS PERIOD OF ISRAEL and knowledge of the Conquest and of Israel's history during the times of Judges and Samuel?

"The critical dictum that the workmen in the Temple in the times of Josiah found a copy of `the Book of Deuteronomy' is fraudulent because it was not the `Book of Deuteronomy' which was found, but "The Book of the Law," namely, the Five Books of Moses, as specifically stated in 2 Kings 22:8; and furthermore the strict observance of the' Passover which Josiah commanded to be observed according to what was written in "this book of the covenant" (which instructions are not in Deuteronomy, except in a very abbreviated form in Deuteronomy 16, but in Exodus) convincingly demonstrates that `the book' discovered was the whole Mosaic Law."

The Temple of Solomon was a significant and impressive symbol of Israel's unity and of their acceptance of Jehovah as their God, but "Whatever it might have been or might not have been to the people, Solomon used it as his private chapel. Three times a year he offered (and for all that appears, he offered with his own hand), without the intervention of any priests, burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar. Not only this, he actually, `burnt incense therewith upon the altar which was before the Lord' (1 Kings 9:25). This was a deadly sin, the very sin for which Uzziah was stricken with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:17-20)."[4] The High Priest alone (and only once in the year), was privileged to offer incense upon that altar within the holy of holies.

Nevertheless, this chapter records God's acceptance of the Temple and his accommodation to the vainglorious indulgence of the people and their wicked king in the building of it.

The chapter naturally falls into these divisions. "(1) Removing of the ark into the Temple (1 Kings 8:1-22), (2) Solomon's prayer of consecration (1 Kings 8:23-54), (3) the benediction of the congregation (1 Kings 8:55-61), and (4) the festal sacrifices that completed the dedication (1 Kings 8:62-66)."[5]

THE ARK IS PLACED IN THE HOLY OF HOLIES

"Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. 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 numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah."

"At the feast of Ethanim" (1 Kings 8:2). This was the feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:13), one of the great feasts when all the men of Israel were required to be present. This was the seventh month, and, as Solomon had finished building the Temple in the month Bul, which was the eighth month (1 Kings 6:38), it is evident that almost a year passed between the finishing of the Temple and its dedication, unless as some have supposed, he dedicated it a year before he finished it. We agree with Dentan that, "The dedication ceremonies were delayed for eleven months so that they might coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles."[6] "The time of the year was October-November. Ethanim is the earlier name for the month Tishri."[7] The use of that earlier name does not fit the allegation of an exilic date for Kings.

"The cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark" (1 Kings 8:7). "These were not the Mosaic cherubim which were firmly affixed to the lid of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 37:7)."[8] Furthermore, the wing-spread of these cherubim was twenty cubits, whereas the Mosaic cherubim were miniatures atop the lid that covered the ark of the covenant.

"The staves were so long that they were seen from the holy place" (1 Kings 8:8). In their attempts to explain exactly what the problem was with regard to these staves, both Martin and Hammond mention the "curtain"[9] (the veil) which separated the oracle (holy of holies) from the holy place, but we have found no mention whatever of any veil or curtain in the whole Book of Kings! There is no record that Solomon's Temple ever had a curtain. One of David's original objections to the Tabernacle was that it housed the ark "within curtains" (2 Samuel 7:2). It appears to be quite obvious that Solomon omitted the veil.

"There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there" (1 Kings 8:9). Hebrews 9:4 states that a pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded were also in the ark of the covenant. Canon Cook explained this by the declaration that, "Solomon removed the pot of manna and Aaron's rod and put them elsewhere."[10] Keil, however, declared that the O.T. passages (Exodus 16:33,34 and Numbers 17:25) were misinterpreted and that they merely state that the manna and the rod were, "deposited in front of the ark of testimony and not inside of it."[11] This writer prefers Cook's explanation. We have already observed that Solomon made a lot of changes: the design of the cherubim, the omission of the veil, the addition of the pillars Jachin and Boaz, etc.

"The cloud filled the house of Jehovah" (1 Kings 8:11). "This struck the minds of the priests, as it formerly had done Moses, with such astonishment and terror (Leviticus 16:2-13; Deuteronomy 4:24; and Exodus 40:35) that they could not remain."[12] "We may see in this cloud the seat of the Shechinah,"[13] or the presence of God. However contrary to the will of God the very conception of an earthly temple certainly was, the Lord nevertheless received it, marked it with a visible emblem of his Divine presence, and accepted it (for a season only) as the place of God's Name. In this must be seen the infinite grace and mercy of God overruling even the mistakes of men and conforming their sinful institutions in such a manner as finally to achieve the redemption of all men in Christ Jesus.

SOLOMON CLAIMED THAT HIS TEMPLE WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF 2 SAM. 7:13

There cannot be any doubt that Solomon was grossly mistaken in this claim. (See my comment at 1 Kings 8:20)