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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 15 September 2025:
1 Kings 8:1-2 — Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
Solomon begins the dedication of the temple by assembling all Israel to bring up the ark of the covenant, the visible symbol of God’s presence. This wasn’t just a royal celebration; it was a covenantal gathering, uniting the whole nation under God’s kingship. Notice the order: before Israel could celebrate the splendor of the temple, the ark had to be central. A temple without God’s presence would be an empty monument. In our lives, too, what matters is not the beauty of outward forms, but whether the presence of the Lord is central (2 Corinthians 6:16).
1 Kings 8:3 — And the priests took up the ark.
In this regard, Solomon learned from his father’s mistakes. He didn’t not treat the things of God carelessly.
1 Kings 8:6, 10-11 — Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim…. 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.
The ark rests in the Holy of Holies, beneath the overshadowing wings of the cherubim — a picture of God’s throne among His people. Then the glory cloud (the shekinah) fills the temple, just as it had filled the tabernacle in Moses’ day (Exodus 40:34-35). The priests could not stand to minister – God’s glory overwhelmed the environment. This scene reminds us that true worship is not centered on what we do for God, but on what God graciously does among us. Our gatherings are lifeless unless the Spirit fills them (John 4:23-24).
1 Kings 8:9 says there was nothing but two stone tablets in the ark. The jar of manna and Aarons staff mentioned in Hebrews 9:3,4; Exodus 16:33, 34; and Numbers 17:10 are not in the ark. Why not? There are many theories. I am uncertain, but I am certain that there is no contradiction between these verses. What do you think?
1 Kings 8:18, 19 — Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the house….
David’s plans, though well intentioned, were not God’s plans. Just because it sounds right doesn’t mean it is right for you. If you ask God from the right heart, He will show you the correct path. Don’t be presumptuous but also don’t be slow to respond when God directs.
1 Kings 8:22-23, 27 — Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart…. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”
Solomon kneels, hands lifted to heaven, and prays. His first words exalt God’s uniqueness, covenant faithfulness, and steadfast love. But he also acknowledges God’s transcendence: even heaven cannot contain Him, much less this house. This is wisdom. God is both near and far, immanent and transcendent. In Christ, this mystery finds its fullness, the infinite God made Himself flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14). The temple pointed forward to Jesus, who is the true dwelling place of God with man (John 2:19-21).
1 Kings 8:30, 38-39 — “Listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive… whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act, and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind).”
Solomon’s prayer is full of humility and intercession. He asks that this house would be a place of prayer and forgiveness for individuals, for the nation, even for foreigners who come seeking the Lord (vv. 41-43). Notice his realism: “each knowing the affliction of his own heart.” We come to God not as perfect saints but as needy sinners. And Solomon roots hope in God’s mercy: “hear in heaven… and forgive.” This anticipates the gospel. The temple was a shadow; Christ is the reality, where God hears and forgives through His once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:19-22).
1 Kings 8:33 — …your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you….
Solomon, the wisest man on the planet, understood military defeat to be the consequence of sin.
1 Kings 8:35, 37 — When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them…. If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is….
Solomon, the wisest man on the planet in his day, saw natural disasters as the consequence of sin, the consequence of ‘afflicted’ hearts.
1 Kings 8:39 — … then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind).
People do what they do for different motives. The outwardly charitable person might not have a truly charitable heart. The offensive person might be troubled beyond your imagination and might actually have a heart more desirous of a right relationship with God than the person who acts in apparently noble ways. Only God knows a person’s heart. Don’t assume you understand the motives behind other’s words or actions. God commands us to judge actions as good or bad but not to presume to understand the heart of another; presuming to know another’s standing with God is judgmental, prideful and offensive to God. If we view actions that are not consistent with God’s word, we are to speak the truth in love with the intent of reconciling that person to Jesus, not to condemn them or to push them further away from Jesus.
1 Kings 8:47-50 — …if they turn their heart… and repent and plead with you.., saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart… and pray to you… then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.”
Forgiveness involves wholehearted repentance, prayer, and rededication to obedience. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
1 Kings 8:50 — …grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them God can make your enemies show compassion towards you.
God controls the hearts of men as He desires, something only He can do.
1 Kings 8:53 — For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage
The bride of Christ cannot flirt with or ‘date’ the world.
1 Kings 8:56-58 — Not one word has failed of all his good promise…. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.
Solomon understood that God does not fail the relationship, we do. God does not walk away from us; we walk away from Him when we incline our hearts towards another and stop following Jesus.
1 Kings 8:57-61 — Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised…. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers…. that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.
Obeying Jesus is an all-or-nothing proposition – you are either obeying or you’re not. Partial obedience is disobedience. However, we live by grace as we grow in love and obedience, which we cannot do naturally — we need supernatural power from God and have access to it through the Holy Spirit. We obey Jesus to glorify Him. Our holy, obedient, wholehearted lives should represent Christ before the watching world.
Solomon closes with blessing. He celebrates God’s unfailing promises — “not one word has failed.” Then he prays for God’s presence and for undivided hearts. The temple is dedicated, but the real issue is not gold or stone; it is whether Israel’s hearts will remain true. This challenge still speaks to us. God has given us His Spirit as a greater gift than the temple, but the call remains: will we walk with undivided hearts, wholly true to Him?
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 15 September 2025: Let God’s presence be central. Just as the ark had to be at the center of the temple, so Christ must be at the center of your life. Today, take time to reorient your heart — pray, “Lord, show me if I’ve placed anything above You.” Confess distractions, idols, or misplaced priorities. Then thank Him that in Christ, the glory of God dwells with you, and ask Him to fill your life afresh with His Spirit so that His presence, not your performance, defines your day.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 