The Glory Of The Lord Fills The House Series

1 Kings 8

The Glory of the Lord Fills the House

1 Kings 8:4,10-11 NIV

Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 8 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

God wants to dwell with his people. His presence is always with us.

This is an incarnational moment – God leaving heaven to dwell with His people. The ark has entered the Tabernacle and God shows up to bless it.

He would come later as Jesus. Finally, we would become his Temples.

Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Pants (yearns) – used only twice in Scripture – means the animal “bends his neck” to drink the water

We’re all hungry for something to satisfy our deepest longings.

John 7:37 NIV

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

We’re not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience. We’re eternal spiritual beings that are designed to eternally worship our Creator.

Worshiping is an act of submission to God. It’s a declaration that his ways really are better than ours. It is an opportunity for us to be emptied and then beautifully refilled by him.

When we’re worshipping the one, true God, we can be truthful about the condition of our hearts.

Psalm 42:5-6a NIV

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God.

1 Kings 8:54-58 NIV

And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice saying: 56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.

Solomon would be one of the last Kings to pray regularly in the Tabernacle.

Israel’s demise began when people stopped praying and stopped obeying,

The priority for all believers is to pray and intercede.

No other ministry can be birthed until prayer has been birthed.