Sun.’s Devo - The Dedication of the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51-*:13; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 17:1 Solomon had finally finished his buildings and summoned the men of Israel to Jerusalem to dedicate the Temple of the Lord. It was the Festival of Shelters, the festival that symbolized God coming to set up his kingdom among us. Solomon had the priests bring the Ark from Zion, the city of David, into Jerusalem. Before the Ark, they sacrificed many animals - so many they couldn’t keep count. *** Then the priests carried the Ark into the Holy of Holies of the Temple Solomon had built. They placed it under the wings of the cherubim that spread their wings from one end of the room to the other. Inside the Ark were the stone tablets given to Moses. These wings represented how God always watches and protects his Word. *** When the priests came out of the Holy of Holies, the glory of God in a thick cloud filled the Temple. It was so thick that the priests couldn’t continue their service. *** Solomon blessed the Lord, then he turned to the crowd of people and prayed a blessing on them. He reminded them of all God had done to make this moment possible. He began with their exodus from Egypt. God had never had a place to build a Temple until now. David had wanted to build the Temple, but God said one of his sons would build the Temple. Now, that day had come. *** Solomon lifted his hands to heaven and prayed. He blessed God for keeping all his promises and his covenant with his people. He prayed that God would hear every prayer prayed from this place whether that person was innocent or guilty, in trouble or a foreigner. As long as they repented and prayed to Him, he would hear their prayer, forgive their sins and come to their aid. *** Solomon blessed the people with a prayer that God would continue to keep his promises toward his people and be with them. He prayed that they would have the desire to do his will and obey all his commands. He prayed for the Lord’s justice and that they would be a testimony to the world that the Lord is the only God and there is no other. They blessed the Lord and celebrated for 14 days - 7 for the dedication of the Temple and 7 for the Festival of Tabernacles. *** In Acts, Stephen was at the punch line of his testimony. He told the religious leaders that they were stubborn and heathen at heart - deaf to the truth. He asked them if they were going to forever resist the Holy Spirit like their ancestors did. He accused them of killing the Messiah and deliberately disobeying God’s law. *** Needless to say, the Jewish leaders were irate and shook their fists at him in rage. Stephen looked to heaven and saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand and told them what he was seeing. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him. They laid their coats at the feet of Saul who stood agreeing with what was being done. *** This opened a wave of persecution scattering the apostles throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Saul led this persecution dragging people out of their home and throwing them into prison. *** The scattering of the believers caused the Gospel to spread. Phillip went to Samaria and preached with signs and wonders and many believed. Simon had been a sorcerer there for years and did much magic. When he saw the miracles of Phillip, he believed and was baptized. Lord, thank you for your promises are all good for those who follow after you. May we be joyful and expectant, not fearful and sorrowful. You always keep your Word.