SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 11

YHVH ANSWERS SOLOMON

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE

From 1 Kings 8:62-66; 9:1-9; 2 Chronicles 7:4-22

King Solomon and his people dedicated the temple to Adonai by sacrificing burnt offerings. The king himself gave twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. There were so many offerings that the altar could not hold them all, so King Solomon temporarily set apart the centre of the court in front of the temple. There the burnt offerings, the meal offerings and the fat of the peace offerings were presented. The great congregation of people had gathered from the Hamath Pass in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south. They remained together for fourteen days. Solomon dismissed them after the last great day of the feast and they returned home filled with joy because of all the good things Adonai had done for David, Solomon and His people Israel. Solomon completed his palace and the temple as he had planned. One night Adonai appeared to Solomon a second time, for He had appeared to Solomon once before at Gibeon. [I have heard your prayer,] Adonai told Solomon. [I have chosen the temple as a house where people may sacrifice to Me. If I should ever send drought or insects or plague upon My people and they humble themselves and pray, searching for Me and turning from their evil ways, I will hear their prayers from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land. My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to every prayer made from this temple, for I have chosen this to be My home, so that My Name may forever be here, even as My heart and eyes shall always be here. [If you will please Me as your father David did and will obey My Commandments and keep My Laws and Judgments, I will always permit a descendant of yours to rule as king; but if you do not do these things and worship other gods, then I will take My people from this land and destroy this temple, even though I had sanctified it for My use. I will make this temple something to be taunted, so that each person who passes by will exclaim with surprise, ‘Why has Adonai done this to the land and the temple?’ Of course, the answer will be, ‘Because the people turned away from Adonai, the YHVH of their ancestors, who brought them from Egypt and worshiped other gods instead, so He has punished them in this way.’]

COMMENTARY

SOLOMON’S STABLES

Trade with Egypt and countries north of the Mediterranean Sea provided King Solomon with thousands of horses and war chariots. Twelve thousand trained horsemen and chariots helped establish Israel as a country strong enough to be reckoned with. The huge stables built to house these royal horses were among Solomon’s most impressive building accomplishments. The king built special large stables in different places throughout the land. Called [chariot cities,] these settlements were chosen to guard areas essential to Israel’s defence. Hazor, Gezer, Lachish and Megiddo were four of the cities. Many archaeologists believe Solomon’s stables have been found at Megiddo. The excavated structure, built to hold over four hundred horses, was large and impressive. As reconstructed, two rows of limestone pillars ran the length of the buildings and divided them into side stalls and a central aisle. Each pillar had a hole drilled through the corner for it to serve as a hitching post as well as a support for the roof. Mangers hollowed from limestone blocks stood between the pillars. Some archaeologists have come to believe that the stables at Megiddo were built by King Ahab, who ruled fifty years after Solomon. Others think they are not stables at all, but storehouses! This is but a reminder that excavations must be interpreted, and not all archaeologists agree on the interpretation.