King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, June 13, 2025
Chapters: II Chronicles 5, I Kings 8
Message: II Chronicles/I Kings: God Enters The Temple
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of II Chronicles and I Kings we learn that worshiping God is more that just saying a prayer to Him, it is a saved, born again lifetime of praise, confession, and dedication, [2 Corinthians 4:13-15 We having the same Spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.]
Now, that the temple had been completed it was time to bring in everything from the tabernacle into the temple. The very first things to go into the temple were what had been dedicated to God by David and the Ark of the covenant of the LORD.
[2 Chronicles 5:1-4 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God. 2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month. 4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.]
Since everything we have belongs to God in the first place it does not hurt for us to have some that are solely dedicated for Him. I believe that the most important offering to dedicate to God is ourselves as we cannot go wrong when we dedicate our lives to Him, [Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.]
It is really not that unreasonable to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and do not think that that means that we are to stop living, it means that we are to dedicate our lives over to Him and make ourselves useful for Him. Now, with all the people standing in front of the temple, they eagerly watched as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the temple. Then the Levites placed it on its new resting place.
[1 Kings 8:6-9 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. 7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. 8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables 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.]
The ark of the covenant is also known as the testimony, but was simply a chest built to hold some valuable items including the two tablets that God had written the first ten commandments on. Now, there were other things in the chest, Aaron’s staff that budded, a bowl of manna, and a copy of the Law.
[Exodus 16:32,34 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. Numbers 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. Deuteronomy 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.]
The ark still exists, but it is hidden somewhere until the appropriate time comes to show it. Some commentators believe that these things were removed from the ark because they are not mentioned here, but I do not believe that because God wanted these things to be reminders to anyone who opened it. Now, as soon as the ark was put in its place, the band started playing music and the choir starting singing, they were praising God like they never did before when all of a sudden a cloud appeared.
[2 Chronicles 5:12-13 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) 13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;]
I do not know if Solomon saw the glory of the LORD coming from the building, but that light was so bright that the people in the temple had to leave because it blinded them. Solomon, sure saw the need to remind the people that God fulfilled His promise.
[1 Kings 8:11-16 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. 12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. 13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. 14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;) 15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.]
Have you ever looked directly up at the sun? It immediately blinded you for a second, then you had those spots in your eyes for a little while. What about looking up at a cloud that was in front of the sun? It may not give you that complete blindness, but it was still pretty bright and you had those spots in your eyes for a little while. That light was actually the Holy Spirit, and it was only when they had been praising and worshiping God that the cloud appeared. Today, the Holy Spirit dwells in each and every saved, born again Christian, and He works the same way, He responds to how we worship our Father God.
[Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
I will never forget the day that I got baptized, it was by far the bravest thing I did apart from accepting Christ as my Saviour as it was the day that I dedicated my life to Him. I was so eager and excited for what God was going to do in my life that I wanted all the world to know. God, is everywhere, especially in the darkest shadows of the most trying times in our lives. It is often when it is so dark that we cannot see Him that He is right there working on things and waiting for the right moment to show Himself. Now, no matter how dark it gets we need to have the faith of Job.
[Job 23:8-11 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.]
Wow! I must have used this passage dozens of times because Job is my life book, but just realized something. Our faith is going to be tried as long as we are on the earth, and we are going to have our ups and downs in the size of our faith, but our feet are planted in our faith and for that reason we will come forth as that shiny gold that is as clear as crystal. Well, Solomon, in complete awe, literally gets down on his knees, raises his hands up to heaven and starts to pray.
[1 Kings 8:23-25,27-28 And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: 24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. 25 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. 27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? 28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:]
By our asking God to respect our prayer we are actually showing Him that what we are saying is from our heart. Believe it or not, God, loves to prove to us that what He says He will do. Why? He gets the glory. It is actually threefold, it draws us closer to Him, in which it increases our faith in Him, in which we become more obedient to Him, in which we are likely to tell everyone about Him, [1 Peter 3:14-15 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:]
As Solomon continues his prayer, he acknowledges that God had given Israel everything He has promised, but understood that further promises were subject to their obedience, so he pleads with God to be forgiving to them when they sinned.
[1 Kings 8:33-36 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: 34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. 35 When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: 36 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.]
I do not care what era believers came from, all understand that the key to receiving forgiveness from their sin as well as His hearing their prayers is confessing their sin. There is actually some amazing prophecies written within this prayer. As he continues the prayer he also anticipates natural evils caused by their turning on Him.
[1 Kings 8:37-40 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 40 That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.]
Even faithful Christians can become plagued in their heart, which is how their dedication to Him starts to diminish, which leads often to sin and we can never say that we are too strong in our faith to fall. Falling into sin as a faithful saved, born again sinner is not the same as one who is a deceiver of their faith. Faithful sinners are planted so their feet cannot be moved from their faith complete, and eventually they come around. However, deceivers will learn from their falls, in fact, they get worse because they were never saved to begin with. Jesus, said it this way, [Luke 11:24-26 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.]
Now, Solomon was not just praying for the Jews here, he was praying for everyone, [1 Kings 8:41,43-45 Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; 43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name. 44 If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name: 45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.]
Solomon, supposed that the fame of God’s great works which he had done for Israel would reach to distant countries so that they may obtain the favor of a God that as well and he was not wrong. We need to be praying for everyone to come to Christ while we still have the opportunity to do that. Solomon, even anticipates that day, in fact, the day they are taken captive.
[1 Kings 8:46-49 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; 48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: 49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,]
Do you think that Jesus prays something like Solomon did? I think He may have, [John 17:20-22 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:]
Well, He did not pray exactly like this, but He does maintain the souls of every person who receives Him as they become one with Him. Nevertheless, we like to think that we are strong enough to resist temptation or that we would never subject ourselves to situations that would bring us to sin. The truth is we have no idea what people are going through to bring them to the point that they fall into sin.
[1 Kings 8:51,53-56 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: 53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD. 54 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. 55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 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.]
Faithful Christians may not necessarily have fallen into the temptation themselves, rather subjected themselves to situations that brought them into it. I have come to learn the very hard lesson that if your heart is not right, that is when temptation comes in the first place. Now, after Solomon prays, he shouts out to the entire congregation to make sure their heart was right.
[1 Kings 8:57-61 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: 58 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. 59 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: 60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 61 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.]
This is why we dedicate our lives to Christ, to be the example for others to follow. Are we always going to do everything right? No. Dedicating our lives to Christ is not about doing everything right, it is about walking with Him and allowing Him to perfect us as He purges out our fleshly desires and replaces them with spiritual desires. This does not happen overnight and let me tell you, we will fall more times than we care to count, and proves is just how much we need Christ all the time.
[Galatians 5:19-24 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You have given me much more than salvation the second I received Your Son as my Saviour. Thank You, God, for Your mercies, grace, forgiveness, loving me, and keeping Your promises. Lord, Lead me and guide me, open my heart, remove any doubts, fears, or pride that keeps me from trusting You completely. Give me wisdom, compassion, understanding, and revive Your Spirit in me so that He might shine through the darkness and allow me to complete the work You have for me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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