From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF.
Today we will read 1 Kings chapter 8, which is the final chapter about King Solomon’s Temple. The temple has been built, and now Solomon will dedicate it to the Lord. Since this chapter is long, we will only read half today and half next month.
Today, let’s explore six of God’s qualities. One Old Testament scholar has suggested that this chapter reflects many qualities of God which can be seen in pairs. First, God’s mystery and clarity. Second, His loyalty and sovereignty. Third, His immensity and intimacy.
[Read 1 Kings 8:1-30]
Mystery and clarity (v. 1-13)
Let me begin with the first pair of God’s qualities: God’s mystery and clarity. The two qualities sound contradictory, but they are both true. God is mysterious and yet He has revealed Himself clearly.
At the beginning of Chapter 8, we see priests moving the Ark of the Covenant into the temple for the first time, during the temple’s dedication. What happened in verse 10? When the priests had finished placing the Ark, a cloud filled the whole temple. Verse 11 says the priests could not continue properly because “the glory of the LORD filled His temple.” The same phenomenon actually happened before. That was in the book of Exodus chapter 40, when the Israelites dedicated the tabernacle, which was the old location of the Ark.
Anyway, to continue: Verse 12 is interesting. Solomon describes God as living “in thick darkness.” This description is also found in Exodus. Some translations say “thick cloud.” Imagine dark clouds that come before the rain.
The people can’t see God directly. The cloud shows He is present; but at the same time, the cloud hides Him. Many stories in the Old Testament suggest that God is so holy and majestic that we would die if He fully reveals Himself to us. So, there is a sense of mystery covering God. There is so much that we don’t see or don’t know about God.
Yet, at the same time, He has shown Himself to us. He has spoken about Himself. In Solomon’s time, God’s will was very clear to the Israelites. His words were recorded throughout the years. And kept inside the Ark, there were two tablets of stone – mentioned in verse 9 – that recorded the Ten Commandments.
The cloud reminds us that we cannot know God completely. But the Ark reminds us that we can know Him sufficiently, for now.
I’m sure many of us have felt before that God is silent or far away. One of my English students is in high school, and every week he shares with me the same frustration. He says, “I don’t know what to do after I finish school. I don’t know what God wants me to do.” Yet, there are many things that He does reveal to us. He tells us what we need to know for now.
We are frustrated when we want to hear God’s voice and we don’t get the answer we want. But could it be that we insist on getting a certain type of answer, and so fail to hear what God wants to say?
For example, my wife is wondering what kind of job she should do in the future. She has prayed for guidance, but there is still no clear answer. After a long time, she came to realize: “God doesn’t want me to obsess over this question. For now, He just wants me to do what I already know I should do.” Meanwhile, a missionary friend of mine said, “The most important thing is to love Him and love people. The rest are just details.”
So, God has already made many important things clear. Those things are written in our Bibles. That’s why we keep reading and reflecting on His words. Through our Bibles, God has given us the direction we need to live a life that pleases Him. He also gives His Spirit to guide us and help us know Him.
Loyalty and sovereignty (v. 14-26)
Next, let’s reflect on two more qualities of God: his loyalty and sovereignty.
Actually, it’s a bit strange to use the word “loyal” with God. In English, the word “loyal” is normally used with “servant,” “employee,” “subject” (臣民), “dog,” or maybe “friend.” We don’t usually use it to describe God.
But Solomon’s prayer shows that God is loyal, or faithful. In verses 23-24, when Solomon dedicated the temple, he thanked God for fulfilling His promises. He praised God, saying, “there is no God like you in heaven above or on the earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way” (v. 23).
In Solomon’s time, this was a radical concept. If you study ancient religions, it’s hard to find gods and goddesses described as loyal or faithful. You may have heard about the ancient gods of Greece. They have the image of being capricious. The word “capricious” means someone who changes their mood or behavior suddenly and unpredictably.
The Greek gods are not usually described as being holy or loving or faithful. In fact, they often acted like humans. What made them gods was their power. They were gods simply because they were immortal and more powerful than humans. They had no reason to be loyal to humans. When humans prayed to the gods, they had no guarantee of being heard. Why should the gods care?
That’s why Solomon praised our God. Our God doesn’t need us, and yet He is faithful and He hears us.
In fact, since the beginning of time, God has been actively revealing himself to mankind. He made a covenant of love with us and is still keeping it today. He demonstrated his love most by coming to Earth as a man called Jesus and dying for our sins. As followers of Jesus, we can enjoy God’s promises recorded in the Bible.
At the same time, God is still the sovereign king of this universe. The word “sovereign” means having total authority. God has authority over all our lives. He does expect us to listen to Him. It’s just a question of whether you choose to acknowledge Him or not.
In verse 25, Solomon recalled that God will keep showing favor if the people keep obeying God. God has made clear what He desires and what He promises. Now it’s up to us to choose our response. We can choose to know Him more, or not. Both choices have different consequences.
Immensity and intimacy (v. 27-30)
Let’s conclude with the last two qualities of God: His immensity and intimacy.
“Immensity” means “largeness.” In verse 27-28, Solomon says, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God.”
Here, Solomon is saying something like “God, you are so great, you cannot be contained in a manmade building! We are so small that we are like dust to You. At the same time, Lord, please be willing to hear us.”
Another reason we love our God is because He is so great but He listens to the cries of small, unimportant people. He is willing to hear the prayer of every person. And not only listen; He also wants to be near us.
Do you have someone in your life who is very close to you? Is there someone you consider “intimate”, someone who understands what is troubling you? Our God is an intimate God, not distant or uncaring. That’s why, Jesus said to his disciples, in John chapter 14 verse 23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
So, while we cannot know God completely, we can have a friendship with God. We can be intimate with God through prayer. We can pursue a relationship with Him because Jesus has opened the way. He may not give you all the answers you want, but He will give you what you need to know.
Conclusion
To conclude, our God is a source of both trembling and joy. The more we know Him, the more we find ourselves worshipping Him in awe. Let’s give thanks that he is good and faithful to us. And let’s spend time to know God more this week. Let us pray.