 Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.
The Ark Brought to the Temple2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.3 And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. 4 And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5 And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. 9 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are[a] there to this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters;13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. Meditation God’s redemptive plan centers on the cross of Jesus Christ. Through Christ’s blood there is a way for the reconciliation of all things back to God, things in Heaven and on earth (Colossians 1:20). In corporate worship God’s people have an appetizer of this eternal reality by celebrating the union of history and heaven. Solomon finished building the temple and brought the ark into the holy of holies (1-2). Leaders of Israel filled Jerusalem to sacrifice, sing, and celebrate (3-14). The worship described is a window into history and heaven coming together. History is celebrated in the covenant context of worship. God redeemed His people and made a covenant with them (10). The priest and people sang a Psalm celebrating God’s generational faithfulness, Psalm 136 summarized in the stanza “For He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” God’s covenant faithfulness throughout history is the concrete foundation of worship. In worship Heaven is united with earth. The priests could not stand in Solomon’s dedication because the cloud of God’s glory filled the house of God, a visible expression of the Lord’s desire to personally dwell with His people (14). We worship Jesus because history and Heaven meet in Him. Jesus was the glory of God come to earth (John 1:14), the “fullness” of history (Galatians 4:4), walking and working in the world to offer a foretaste of eternity. Believers worship Jesus today knowing there will be a consummation where, through Jesus Christ, Heaven and earth forever come together (Revelation 21-22). Richly Dwelling -Is your view of worship big enough to include the coming together of history and heaven in Jesus? Why or why not? -How do you settle for a too shallow view of worship? -Jesus expands our understanding of who God is, what God is doing, how we can be restored, and where He is taking history. Jesus is reconciling all things in Himself! Take a moment to allow the cosmic reality of Christ’s work to re-focus your heart and hope. Key Verse 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, Comments are closed.
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