Overcome By Extravagant Praise
1 Kings 8
Introduction
It may seem counter-intuitive, but when we are distressed, we should begin to praise God. No matter what we are facing, God’s goodness is still praiseworthy, His presence is still needed, His power is never fading, and His care for us in our storm is constant. This is demonstrated in 1 Kings 8.
Our text takes us to an incredible time of accomplishment. King David wanted to build a temple for God, but the Lord told him that His son, Solomon, would be the one to build it. 1 Kings 6:38 tells us that it took Solomon seven years to build the temple, completed in 960 BC. The description of the beauty of the temple is striking. The most precious of materials was used. The detail of the construction and ornamentation is precise. If there is such a thing as a human building a place that attempted to honor God in the highest manner, the temple was it.
1 Kings 8: the bringing of the ark of the covenant into the temple. It’s hard to imagine the energy of that moment. All of Israel gathered together - the priests and levites carrying the ark and the sacred furnishings from the tabernacle into the temple … sacrifices being made.
1 Kings 8:6-13 NLT
Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place, which is in front of the Most Holy Place, but not from the outside. They are still there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai,[a] where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt. 10 When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. 11 The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord. 12 Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. 13 Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”
3D Video of the Temple: https://youtu.be/y2tha7ogpec
Entire chapter is filled with the extravagant praise of God. The Temple stood as a magnificent monument to the presence and power of God. Every part of the temple was meaningful, as directed and planned by God as a self-revelation.
1. The Temple Points to Jesus
Bronze Altar - reminds us of Jesus the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice who died to make us right with God.
The Sea - a bronze basin - reminds us that Jesus cleanses us, washing us clean of sin when we respond in faith and are baptized, receiving the forgiveness and cleansing from God.
Holy Place/Most Holy Place - through the blood of Jesus we are are able to enter the presence of God, body coming to His throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16)
Golden Lampstands and Tables of Showbread. Christ is both the light of the world and the bread of life.
Golden Incense Altar - The prayers of God’s people are a sweet incense rising up before Him. (Revelation 5:8 …they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.)
The Temple was a majestic structure to remind the people of God’s power and presence / and to remind us of the eternal plan of God in Jesus Christ.
That temple would be destroyed and another built - somewhat less in opulence, but still important. The second temple is the one Jesus would have entered. It was the temple that was the center of religious life as the apostles taught the gospel after Pentecost.
John 2:18-20 NIV
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? But the temple he had spoken of was his body.”
2. Prayers of Presence to Help Us Overcome
At the dedication of the temple Solomon offers seven prayers of overcoming based on the presence and power of God!
A Prayer of Praise (23 O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to those who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.)
A Prayer of Trust (24 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.)
A Prayer for Forgiveness (30 May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us fro heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.) (Also vs 34, 46-51
A Prayer for Justice (31-32 “If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of your altar in this Temple, 32 then hear from heaven and judge between your servants—the accuser and the accused. Punish the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.) Also 44-45,
A Prayer for Healing (37-39 “If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people’s enemies are in the land besieging their towns—whatever disaster or disease there is— and if your people Israel pray about their troubles, raising their hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart.)
A Prayer for the Lost (41-43 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.)
A Prayer of Faith (52 “May your eyes be open to my requests and to the requests of your people Israel. May you hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you.)
Conclusion
Out of a moment of Extravagant Praise and Triumph, Solomon offers up prayers that appeal to God to help him with the struggles of life.
Though they could not have sensed that Jesus would one day come and fulfill the imagery of the temple, we can see clearly that even in ancient times God was sending his promises of the Messiah - promises fulfilled in Jesus. These promises are still being fulfilled today. These are promises that we cling to as we follow Jesus.
The ending of King Solomon’s prayer is an appeal we should all hear and follow: vs 61 “And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
It may seem counter-intuitive, but when we are distressed, we should begin to praise God. No matter what we are facing, God’s goodness is still praiseworthy, His presence is still needed, His power is never fading, and His care for us in our storm is constant.
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Discussion Questions for 1 Kings 8
1. The Temple was a magnificent structure. Many houses of worship are built to indicate the majesty of the God we worship. What are the positives and negatives of elaborate structures built to honor God? Why was a permanent temple so significant to Solomon and the Nation of Israel?
2. In the 3D rendering of the temple video we watched, did anything stand out to you as a surprise, or did you notice anything in particular that caught your attention?
3. King Solomon’s prayers addressed the potential troubles of the times with which they would need God’s help. Which one of those prayers was most meaningful to you? Did any of them surprise you?
4. The temple was an important location in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. What examples can you remember from the Gospels and Acts that centered at the Temple?
5. The New Testament uses the imagery of the Temple in several ways. One passage is Ephesians 2:19-22. Read that in the class and discuss the meaning of the temple imagery to our life together as a church.
6. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, what does Paul identify as the temple of God today? What sin does he identify as a sin against the temple? What does it mean to “honor God with your body”?
7. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, what contrasts are made based upon the temple imagery?
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Video of this message is available by searching the YouTube channel of Forsythe Church of Christ.
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