SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 09

THE ARK IN THE TEMPLE

THE ARK IS MOVED TO THE TEMPLE

From 1 Kings 7:51 -8:21; 2 Chronicles 5:1 -6:11

When the temple was completed, King Solomon moved into the temple treasury all the gold, silver and other valuables which King David had contributed. Then he summoned the leaders of Israel, including the heads of tribes and the heads of clans, for a great celebration as the Ark was moved from the tabernacle at Zion, the City of David, to the temple. From all over the land, the people assembled for this great feast, gathering around their king in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim [October]. When all the leaders had arrived, the priests took the Ark and the sacred vessels and carried them from the tabernacle to the temple. Then Solomon came before the Ark with his people and their leaders and sacrificed numerous sheep and oxen, so many that people stopped counting them. The priests moved the Ark into the Holy of Holies and placed it beneath the outstretched wings of the two cherubim, which had been made in such a way that they would overshadow the Ark. The carrying poles for the Ark were so long that they could be seen from the Holy Place, just outside the Holy of Holies, although they could not be seen from the entrance. The Ark and its poles remained that way and were still in the same place at the time this was written. When the Ark was moved from the tabernacle to the temple, there was nothing in it except the two tablets of stone which YHVH gave to Moses at Mount Horeb. This was the time when Elohiym made a Covenant with the people of Israel after they had come out of Egypt. The priests prepared for this occasion by going through purification rites. After they placed the Ark in the Holy of Holies, they came forth and joined the Levite singers; Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and brothers. These singers were dressed in fine linen and stood east of the altar with their cymbals, lyres and harps. With them stood one hundred and twenty priests with their trumpets. As the priests emerged from the Holy of Holies, the singers and musicians burst forth with a great celebration of praise to Adonai, singing and playing their musical instruments. The trumpets sounded, the cymbals clanged, the harps and lyres strummed and the voices of the choir harmonized with this great symphony of praise. [He is good! His loving-kindness goes on forever!] the people sang. Then Adonai came into the temple, filling it with a bright cloud. The cloud became so bright that the priests had to go outside, for the glory of Adonai filled the temple. King Solomon offered this short prayer to Adonai. [You have said that You live in a thick cloud, Adonai,] he prayed. [But I have made for You a beautiful home where You may dwell forever.] Then King Solomon turned around and pronounced this blessing upon his people. [Praise Adonai YHVH Elohiym of Israel,] he said, as the people stood to receive the blessing. [Adonai spoke personally to King David my father and told him that never before, since He had brought our people from Egypt, had He chosen a city for His temple or a king for His people. He told my father that He had now chosen Jerusalem as that city and King David as that king. My father wanted to build the temple, but Adonai did not want him to do it, for Adonai had chosen David’s son for that work. Adonai has kept His promise, for He has placed me on the throne of my father King David and He has let me build the temple. I have built it in the Name of Adonai and have placed His Ark in it, the Ark of the Covenant which Adonai made with His people Israel.]

COMMENTARY

POTTERY IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS

Israelite pottery before the time of the Israelite kings was brightly painted with geometric designs or animal figures. But later potters used two other techniques that resulted in softer-looking, less brilliant pieces. One, called burnishing, was particularly popular. The damp clay surface was rubbed with a smooth stone or bone. Partially dried, it was placed in a kiln; the baking process turned the burnishing to a light-reflecting glossy surface, which served to deepen the dark red colour of the clay. Some vessels were coated with slip, an outside layer of creamy clay. Baked, it became a smooth delicate-coloured surface. Earlier vessels had been rounded; smooth arcs from neck to base. During the monarchy, potters added longer necks, and angular sides called shoulders. Handles, originally jutting from the sides and called ears, were formed in many different shapes and attached in a variety of places. Israelite pottery of Solomon’s period is not known for its beauty, but it was sturdy, practical, and served many different needs.