“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.”
– 1 Kings 8:27
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like going to parties? Do you like participating in shindigs? Do you like planning bashes? A party may be a planned gala to celebrate a birth or a birthday or a wedding or an anniversary or a graduation, or . . . a shindig may be an organized or a spontaneous get-together to revel in a team’s victory in a sporting event, or a potluck, or a church picnic, or an annual family reunion at a designate site or . . . a bash may be special occasions such as when designated awards are handed out to honorees or when elaborate floats and marching bands parade a city’s street on a holiday or when guys and gals are positioned in their elected authority roles or . . . has anyone ever planned a party for you? Your grandpaa always feels awkward being at a party – especially when your grandpaa is the one who is being given a tribute at the party. Have you ever gone to a family reunion? Every year when your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa’s dad and ma would take their kids to McKennan Park – which is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Memorial Day where the Meyer family clan would have their annual family reunion. Your grandpaa’s dad’s ma’s maiden name was Gertie Meyer. Your grandpaa liked going to Sioux Falls for the Meyer family reunion – as there were always plenty of your grandpaa’s cousins there who your grandpaa knew who your grandpaa would have a lot of fun playing with during the day. Your grandpaa did not enjoy at much going to a DeGroot family reunion. Your grandmaa’s ma’s dad’s name was Fred DeGroot. Your grandpaa’s ma was one of 13 kids who grew up in the small house that your grandpaa’s Grandpa and Grandma DeGroot owned in Volga, South Dakota. Your grandpaa was one of 66 nieces and nephews on his ma’s side of your grandpaa’s extended family. Because a DeGroot innate tendency is to be kind of bossy and because your grandpaa is a big time introvert, your grandpaa sometimes felt intimidated and left out when he was with the extended DeGroot family. Have you gone to an installation ceremony? Around 1,400,000 guys, gals and kids purportedly got together on January 20, 2009 – in Washington, D.C., to witness the swearing in of the United States of America’s new President. The inauguration festivities included ten official balls. The cost for the most recent Presidential inauguration ceremonies – which is a formal series of events that take place every four years and which began this year on January 17 and went through January 21 – with January 20 being the actual day when the most recent United States President was sworn into office, is estimated to be $150,000,000. Your grandpaa thinks that the United States new President has a case against the United States and wants to . . .
1 Kings 8 is about a colossal bash that King Solomon saw to the putting together of in the seventh month on the Jewish calendar – which is the month of Ethanim, to celebrate the placing of the ark of the covenant into the holy, inner sanctuary of God’s temple – which King Solomon oversaw the building of in the city of Jerusalem. The ark of the covenant – with the two stone tablets that Moses had put into it in Horeb, was put beneath the wings of the cherubim with the wings of the two cherubim wings shadowing over the ark of the covenant. King Solomon planned this celebratory bash to take place during the week right before an annual seven day joyous, festival time known as the Feast of Tabernacles – which is when God’s specially chosen guys and gals celebrated the end of another harvest season, and then during the Feast of the Tabernacle week to commemorate the completion of the building of God’s temple in the city of Jerusalem and to dedicate the placing of the ark of the covenant into God’s temple. The bash that King Solomon planned lasted for 14 days – beginning on Ethanim 9th and ending on Ethanim 23rd. There is no record of a count of the number of Israelite people group guys and gals who came to King Solomon’s massive bash. So many sheep and cattle were sacrificed by King Solomon and by the entire Israelite assembly of God’s specially chosen guys and gals as burnt offerings to God on the altars in God’s temple that was in the city of Jerusalem that it was impossible to keep count or a record of just how many sheep and cattle were sacrificed. King Solomon – for a fellowship offering – which involved a communion meal, donated from his own herds and flocks 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats for the guys and gals to eat who took the time out of their activity filled schedules to go to his bash to officially celebrate the establishment of God’s very real presence in His temple in the city of Jerusalem.
As the priests withdrew from God’s temple that was in the city of Jerusalem after they placed the ark of the covenant in the temple, a cloud of God’s glorious presence filled His temple. King Solomon took this opportunity to tell God that he had built a magnificent temple for Him in the city of Jerusalem. King Solomon than spoke directly to God acknowledging in what is now verse 27, “‘But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.” Then openly, publicly before the Israelite people group guys and gals who had gone to the city of Jerusalem to participate in this harmonious, jubilant bash that he had planned, King Solomon talked to God – asking God to always take care of his specially chosen guys and gals. It is always good to party with God, to go to a shindig that honors God and to plan a bash that glorifies God.
1 Kings 8 (976)