1 Kings 8:14-21

B. THE DEDICATORY SPEECH 8:14-21

TRANSLATION

And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, while all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David my father and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, (16) Since the day when I brought My people Israel out of Egypt I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel. (17) And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. (18) And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. (19) Nevertheless, you shall not build the house for My name; but your son who comes out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name. (20) And the LORD has established the word which he has spoken; for I have arisen in my father David's stead, and sit upon the throne of Israel, as the LORD spoke, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, God of Israel. (21) And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers when He brought them out from the land of Egypt.

COMMENTS

Turning his gaze from the house where the cloud appeared, Solomon faced the congregation assembled there and perhaps gestured to them that they might stand up. The king then blessed, i.e., greeted the people (1 Kings 8:14), and addressed them. His speech is primarily a summary recapitulation of Nathan's oracle to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. He first burst forth into praise for God because that which He had spoken with his mouth unto David He had brought to pass by His hand or power (1 Kings 8:15). The word blessed when spoken of God indicates joyous thanksgiving to the Giver of every blessing. That which was spoken through a prophet is here viewed as being spoken directly by the mouth of God.

In 1 Kings 8:16-21 Solomon rapidly reviews the circumstances leading up to the building of the Temple. He took note of the fact that the selection of David to rule over Israel took precedence over the selection of a site for the national shrine, the implication being that God was looking for the right man to build the Temple (1 Kings 8:16). David desired to build a house for the name of the Lord (1 Kings 8:17), and God approved of that desire (1 Kings 8:18). Nevertheless, God decreed that David's son would have the honor of being the Temple builder (1 Kings 8:19). To God belongs the credit for raising up Solomon to succeed his father and for aiding the young king to bring the Temple project to completion (1 Kings 8:20). Thus it was that Solomon was able to construct this beautiful house for the ark which contained the written covenant that God had made with the forefathers almost five centuries earlier (1 Kings 8:21).