Solomon’s temple was a place of glory (vv. 1–12). However, despite its extraordinary beauty, it was just another building until God moved in and consecrated it (Exod. 40:34–38). So it is with our lives (1 Cor. 6:19–20; Eph. 5:18) and our assemblies (1 Cor. 14:23–25). The presence of God is the important thing. A. W. Tozer aptly stated, “If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go right on, and nobody would know the difference.”
The temple was a place of testimony (vv. 14–21, 56), bearing witness that God keeps His word. It was to be a place of prayer (vv. 22–53). Solomon was especially concerned that God hear the prayers of His own people as well as those of the stranger and foreigner. In later years, the religious leaders would turn the house of prayer into a den of thieves (Matt. 21:12–13).
It was a place of blessing (vv. 54–61) and sacrifice (vv. 62–66). The two go together: we give our best to the Lord, and then we share our best with others. It is unfortunate that Solomon failed in the very thing he exhorted his people to remember—loyalty of heart (v. 61).
Finally, the temple was a place of witness to the world (vv. 41–43, 60), for Solomon had a “missionary vision” for the gentile nations. What an opportunity Israel had to win the lost people around them!
Who Is Justified?
Solomon prayed that God would condemn the wicked and justify the righteous (1 Kings 8:32). But through Jesus Christ, God justifies (declares righteous) the wicked (Rom. 4:5), and He does it on the basis of grace, not works. God cannot justify the righteous because there are none (Rom. 3:10).
The Heart of the Matter
Solomon’s emphasis was on the heart: each one knows his own heart (1 Kings 8:38); God knows the heart (v. 39); we return to God with all our hearts (v. 48); God must incline our hearts to obedience (v. 58); God wants each of us to have a loyal heart (v. 61).
