But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I (Solomon) have built! Yet regard the prayer of Your servant … Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive. 2 Chronicles 6:18-19; 21
King Solomon followed his father David on the throne of Israel . His mother was actually Bathsheba from yesterday’s story. Solomon is famous for being a wise king, and he was also very rich and successful. From the beginning of the Bible up to the time of Solomon, there had never been a formal building in which to worship God. For most of Israel’s history, the people had wandered in the desert as nomads. Anytime they settled down, they erected a tent for worship which they called a Tabernacle. Finally, after all the years and wandering, wars, and weariness, King Solomon organizes the people to build a temple for God in the capital city of Jerusalem.
If there was ever a high point in the story of the Old Testament, this is it. Israel was at that time a mighty nation with a celebrated king. Though a nation of many tribes, the people were united across the land. They had enough wealth and dedication to God to build a magnificent temple, and that Temple symbolizes two major themes found throughout Scripture. The first is God’s presence with God’s people. The second is that God will make a way to forgive our sin.
As the people celebrated God’s dwelling in the temple, King Solomon acknowledged the ludicrous idea that God could be contained inside the walls of a building, no matter how splendid. Moreover, hadn’t God been living with the people of Israel this whole time? When Abraham left his home to travel to an unknown land, wasn’t God with him? When Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, wasn’t God with him? When the people of Israel wandered the desert, conquered the land, and established a nation to the holy and set apart, wasn’t God with them?
God was with them just like the Holy Spirit is with us today. God is present with us and whenever we cry out God will respond freely with forgiveness and grace.
Kena Hawkins Newkirk 