IV.
This passage closes with,
And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
Then Solomon said,“The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
I have built you an exalted house,
a place for you to dwell in forever.”
Let’s go back a little earlier in 1 Kings and notice this –
Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with you, which I made to your father David. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon built the house, and finished it. (1 Kings 6:11-14)
V.
When I first hear Solomon say, “I have built you an exalted house …” it comes across to me as arrogant. I hear Solomon bragging about his accomplishment, what he has done for God.
Do you think I hear him rightly or wrongly?
After I read those words in 1 Kings 6, I think I have to give a second thought to my assessment of Solomon. Is he just acknowledging that he has finished the task God gave him?
VI.
How does it go for you and me?
When you have a sense of God calling you to some work and you approach the completion of some significant part of the work or maybe the entire work, what do you say or do? What is in your spirit?
Is it thanksgiving? Is it confession that God was with you in the work? Is it relief that it is done? Maybe all of these.
How can words sum up or describe this?
Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}