Study Desk

Praise the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was fifty-two feet tall and had a cap on top that was seven and a half feet high.

Huram made shovels, sprinkling bowls, and pans for hot ashes. Here is a list of the other furnishings he made for God's temple:

two columns, two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of these columns, two chain designs on the caps,

four hundred pomegranates for the chain designs,

pans for hot ashes, as well as shovels and meat forks. Huram made all these things out of polished bronze

Then the priests and the Levites picked up the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship, and they carried them to the temple.

whose wings covered the chest and the poles used for carrying it.

When my father wanted to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel,

The Lord has done what he promised. I am now the king of Israel, and I've built a temple for the Lord our God.

There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, Lord God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built?

Suppose your people Israel sin against you, and then an enemy defeats them. If they come to this temple and beg for forgiveness,

Then your people will worship you and obey you for as long as they live in the land you gave their ancestors.

Sometimes you will order your people to attack their enemies. Then your people will turn toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, and they will pray to you.

Later, they may feel sorry for what they did and ask your forgiveness. Answer them when they pray toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, here in this land you gave their ancestors. From your home in heaven, listen to their sincere prayers and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

Come to your new home, where we have already placed the sacred chest, which is the symbol of your strength. I pray that when the priests announce your power to save people, those who are faithful to you will celebrate what you've done for them.

Always remember the love you had for your servant David, so that you will not reject your chosen kings.

Everybody stood up during the ceremony. The priests were in their assigned places, blowing their trumpets. And the Levites faced them, playing the musical instruments that David had made for them to use when they praised the Lord for his never-ending love.

On that same day, Solomon dedicated the courtyard in front of the temple and got it ready to be used for worship. The bronze altar he had made was too small, so he used the courtyard to offer sacrifices to please the Lord and grain sacrifices, and also to send up in smoke the fat from the other offerings.

For seven days, Solomon and the crowd celebrated the Festival of Shelters, and people came from as far away as the Egyptian Gorge in the south and Lebo-Hamath in the north.