July 13 - The Ark Arrives at the Temple

July 13 - The Ark Arrives at the Temple
1 Kings 8:1-21. 2 Chronicles 5:2-14.

If you look at 2 Chronicles 5:1, you will see that Solomon brought all the things his father had dedicated, the silver and gold and everything into the treasuries of God’s temple. Yesterday I wrote about the extravagance and grandeur of the place.  Can you imagine the efforts we would put into protecting something like that today?  It would take severing the kingdom of Israel into two parts, years and years of destructive behavior and the invasion of a foreign army to destroy this temple.  But, that’s another story.

Solomon gathered all of the leaders of Israel, the tribal heads, the family chiefs, and the elders.  They brought the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple from the tent that David had erected in Jerusalem.

It was quite a procession because they also brought the Tabernacle and all the furnishings that had been in it. As the Levitical priests brought these items to the Temple, Solomon and everyone were sacrificing cattle and sheep.  2 Chronicles records that so many were sacrificed there was no way to count them.  While this may not seem normal to us, this was a grand celebration and the way they knew to praise the Lord of Creation!

The priests carried the Ark into the Most Holy Place and set it under the wings of the cherubim. When they came out, the music began. All of the musicians began playing cymbals, harps and lyres.  There were 120 trumpeters.  These musicians ‘joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord.’ (2 Chronicles 5:13)

Then the most amazing thing happened.

“Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.” (1 Chronicles 5:13b-14)

We pray that the Lord’s blessing will settle on us like this with everything that we do and everything we create in His name.  Amen.