As the construction of the temple concluded, Solomon summoned the elders of Israel and the tribes’ leaders to bring up the ark of the LORD from Zion to Mount Moriah. The city was already in a celebratory mood as the festival of the Tabernacle was upon them. Solomon saw this as an opportunity to transport the ark to the temple he had built for the name of the LORD.
The Ark Relocated
For the Israelites, the ark represented the presence of God since the days of their Exodus from Egypt. Many of them would have never heard the voice of God or experienced Him personally. It was only through the Ark that they could associate with their Creator, thus, in essence, equating the Ark to an idol rather than an act of remembrance of God’s protective hand upon them. So it was crucial for Solomon that the Ark be brought into his temple to further validate the establishment as the official house of God in all of Israel. Moreover, David had also expressed his desire to build a place where he could house the ark of God.
Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it.
1 Chronicles 28:2 (NIV)
When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests took the ark. They brought it up along with the tent of the meeting and all the sacred items inside. The priests and Levites carried them, while King Solomon and the whole assembly of Israel were in front of the ark. They sacrificed so many sheep and cattle that they couldn’t keep track of or count them. David did the same when he first brought the ark to the city of the Jebusites and probably Solomon followed suit in this as well.
If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
Psalms 50:12-13 (NIV)
God did not ask for sacrifices, but the people still sacrificed countless cattle, assuming that they needed to quench the thirst of a bloodthirsty God. Similarly, we are eager to take part in meaningless rituals without taking heed of what God actually wants from us. We hide behind our traditions and heritage, fearing that by coming close to the true God we might end up losing our identity and our place in our communities.
The Presence of the LORD
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.
1 Kings 8:10-11 (NIV)
God’s magnificent presence appeared in the form of a cloud as it covered the temple. His presence handicapped the priests from performing the basic duties as they had to vacate the temple. The dark cloud that surrounded the temple was not a barrier between the Israelites and God but a means of protection for them from directly being exposed to the glory of His magnificent presence.
I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.
1 Kings 8:21 (NIV)
Solomon took pride in the fact that he had accomplished all that his father had asked of him. He built a permanent resting place for the Ark, something that his predecessors could not achieve during their reign. He truly believed that he was doing God a favour by building a temple for His Name. However, God’s intention in allowing the temple to be built was for His people to commune with Him and be filled with His presence.
Unfortunately, neither this temple nor its reiteration by the repatriates who returned from their exile in Babylon was able to help the people mend their broken relationships with God. Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross bridges the gap that sin has created between us and God. Should we choose to crossover that bridge we can dwell in His presence forever.
The Prayer of Dedication
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD, spread out of his hands toward heaven and prayed to God asking Him to bless the people of the land through the temple he had built. Solomon first asked God to bless his family and to make good on the promise He had made to his father David.
Now LORD, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, “You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel…”, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.
1 Kings 8:25-26 (NIV)
He then prayed for God’s grace to be upon his fellow countrymen too. In times of war, famine and plagues, when they looked to the temple he built with repetitive hearts, may God answer their petitions. He is inviting God to dwell in the temple that he has built for His Name. God revealed himself to Adam in the garden, to Moses through the burning bush and to Abraham under the trees at Mamre. Solomon was asking God to reveal himself to the people of Israel through his temple. In a way, he feels that if God answers the prayers of the Israelites through his temple then it would give validity to the massive structure in the hearts of the people.
May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
1 Kings 8:29 (NIV)
Lastly, Solomon also asked God to answer the prayers of any foreigner living among the Israelites. He is asking this not for the benefit of the petitioner but through the answering of their prayers that they might become instruments that glorify the name of the God of heavens and the earth. After the dedication of the temple and the completion of the festivities, Solomon sent the people back to their hometowns. The people blessed Solomon for building the magnificent temple and their hearts were full of joy all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel. However, this temple would not be the catalyst that David and Solomon hoped for as the decline of the nation had surely begun.
Discussion Questions
- Why did Solomon want to relocate the ark of the LORD to Mount Moriah?
- What was the need for sacrificing so many cattle while transporting the Ark of God?
- Does God dwell on Earth amongst mortal beings?
The Jordan Valley 
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