Friday, August 16, 2019

The Dedication Ceremony And Celebration


After finishing his prayer, asking God to honor their efforts to please him, Solomon addressed the people, reminding them what God had done for them in the past and reminding them that if God was to bless them in the future in the same way, they would need to follow his commandments.  When they did so, other peoples would know that God is the oly God, in I Kings 8:54-62.  “And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.  The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.  And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.  Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.”

At that moment Solomon and all the people’s desire was to serve God.  They willingly sacrificed vast amounts of livestock to show their excitement toward God, as I Kings 8:62-64 describes.  “And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.  And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”

The new altar in the Temple sixteen times as large as the one in the Tabernacle, but it were not nearly large enough to handle all the sacrifices that were offered.  In order to handle all the sacrifices, Solomon had the area infront of the Temple where the people gathered purified so that they could use it for making sacrifices as well, as II Chronicles 7:7 explains.  “Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.” 

They had spent seven days getting everything moved into the Temple and dedicating it.  They spent the next seven days in a tremendous feast, celebrating the completion of the Temple and God’s blessings, as I Kings 8:65-66 describes.  “And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.”    On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.” Jews from the Syrian border to the border with Egypt came to take part in the celebration, and returned home excited about their country and God’s blessings. 


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