Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who together with his hand has fulfilled what he promised together with his mouth to my father David, saying, ‘For the reason that day that I introduced my individuals Israel out of Egypt, I’ve not chosen a metropolis from any of the tribes of Israel during which to construct a home, that my identify may be there; however I selected David to be over my individuals Israel.’
Background
This prayer is a part of an essential ceremony and occasion within the historical past of Israel—the dedication ceremony for the primary Temple constructed for God. It comes close to the start of the ceremony and is adopted by the central a part of the dedication: a protracted and profound prayer by Solomon.
After King Hiram’s blessing within the final prayer passage, the author describes the planning and building of the Temple. There are lots of particulars, from the workforce, to the format, supplies, and furnishings. It took seven years to complete.
Within the midst of all that element is an interlude concerning the constructing of a palace for Solomon, which took 13 extra years. The palace was a lot bigger than the Temple, however the author emphasizes the Temple’s significance by devoting extra time to the descriptions and inserting the shorter story concerning the palace within the center. Maybe the author is saying to the readers, “don’t be fooled by the overwhelming dimension of the Palace—the aim and that means of the Temple dwarfs that of the Palace.”
The Temple’s furnishings are elaborate: gold, marble, and costly carpets. It’s the place the clergymen will supply sacrifices—and prayers—to God. When the Temple was accomplished, Solomon requires a dedication ceremony, and the chapter is nearly all prayers.
Which means
As we’ve seen in our examine of prayer, important moments are sometimes marked by lengthy or a number of prayers. Your entire story has seven sections, with A-B-C-D-C-B-A order:
A. The individuals collect and the ceremony begins (1-2)
B. The ark is positioned, sacrifices are supplied (3-13)
C. Solomon speaks to the individuals (14-21)
D. Solomon’s prayer of dedication (22-53)
C. Solomon speaks to the individuals (54-61)
B. Sacrifices are supplied (62-64)
A. The ceremony concludes, and the persons are dismissed (65-66).
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