The
removal of the staves, the absence of Aaron's rod and the
manna — the ark at rest
The circumstances which
revealed the character of this rest were remarkable. The
staves, with which the priests had borne the ark, were
now the memorial of their journeys with God, who, in His
faithfulness, had led and preserved them, and brought
them into the rest which He had prepared for them. But
that which, in the passage through the wilderness, had
been the token of their means of grace, was no longer in
it: nothing but the law remained there. Aaron's rod and
the pot of manna would not have been in harmony with the
glorious reign and the rest of Canaan. The law was there;
it was the basis of the administration of the kingdom,
and the rule of that righteousness which was to be
exercised in it.
The ark at rest,
Jehovah's presence hallows the house
The ark of the covenant
once set in its place of rest, Jehovah comes and seals it
with His presence, and fills the house with His glory. As
the rod, the emblem of the priestly grace which had led
the people, and the manna, which had fed them in the
wilderness, were no longer there, so did the priesthood
no longer exercise its ministry on account of the
presence of the glory.
Solomon as King-Priest
For the moment Solomon
fully assumes the character of priest. It is he who
stands before Jehovah, as well as between Jehovah and the
people—a remarkable type, as to his position, of
what Christ as King will be for Israel in the day of His
glory. He has built a house for Jehovah to dwell in a
fixed habitation—that He may dwell in it for ever.
Remark here also that all
refers to the deliverance out of Egypt, to Horeb, to the
law, and not to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It was
doubtless, up to a certain point (and fully so, typically),
the fulfilment of the promises made to them; but Solomon
does not refer to them as to his present position. This
is seen in verse 56.
Solomon's blessing
and prayer
In examining the blessing
pronounced by the king (which, like almost all that is
termed blessing, consisted of thanksgiving), and his
prayer, we shall again find the same principles that we
pointed out at first—the fulfilment of the promises
made to David as present blessing (vers. 20-24); but the
enjoyment of this blessing granted under condition of
obedience (vers. 23-25). The prayer sets the people under
the terms of a righteous government, abounding indeed in
kindness and forgiveness, yet one which will not hold the
guilty to be innocent; and it presents God as the people's
resource, when the consequences of their sin fall upon
them according to the principles laid down by Moses in
Deuteronomy and elsewhere. Moreover, while confessing
that the heaven of heavens could not contain Jehovah, the
king entreats Him to grant every prayer that should be
addressed to Him in this house—a petition which was
granted (chap. 9: 3), so that the house was established
as the throne of the God of heaven upon earth—the
place in which He revealed Himself, and in which He had
put His name.
This fact has a very wide
bearing. It was the establishment of Jehovah's government
upon the earth in the midst of His people—a
government entrusted to a man, the son of David; so that
it is said that Solomon sat upon the throne of Jehovah.
This enables us to
understand the importance of the events which took place
under Nebuchadnezzar, by whom this throne was cast down,
according to the judgment pronounced by God Himself. The
house was not elect; but, built under God's own direction,
it was hallowed by Himself, that His name might dwell
there for ever. The close of chapter 8 gives a very
lively figure of Israel's millennial blessing.
1 Kings 8 Bible Commentary
John Darby’s Synopsis
The circumstances which revealed the character of this rest were remarkable. The staves, with which the priests had borne the ark, were now the memorial of their journeys with God, who, in His faithfulness, had led and preserved them, and brought them into the rest which He had prepared for them. But that which, in the passage through the wilderness, had been the token of their means of grace, was no longer in it: nothing but the law remained there. Aaron's rod and the pot of manna would not have been in harmony with the glorious reign and the rest of Canaan. The law was there; it was the basis of the administration of the kingdom, and the rule of that righteousness which was to be exercised in it.
The ark at rest, Jehovah's presence hallows the house
The ark of the covenant once set in its place of rest, Jehovah comes and seals it with His presence, and fills the house with His glory. As the rod, the emblem of the priestly grace which had led the people, and the manna, which had fed them in the wilderness, were no longer there, so did the priesthood no longer exercise its ministry on account of the presence of the glory.
Solomon as King-Priest
For the moment Solomon fully assumes the character of priest. It is he who stands before Jehovah, as well as between Jehovah and the people—a remarkable type, as to his position, of what Christ as King will be for Israel in the day of His glory. He has built a house for Jehovah to dwell in a fixed habitation—that He may dwell in it for ever.
Remark here also that all refers to the deliverance out of Egypt, to Horeb, to the law, and not to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It was doubtless, up to a certain point (and fully so, typically), the fulfilment of the promises made to them; but Solomon does not refer to them as to his present position. This is seen in verse 56.
Solomon's blessing and prayer
In examining the blessing pronounced by the king (which, like almost all that is termed blessing, consisted of thanksgiving), and his prayer, we shall again find the same principles that we pointed out at first—the fulfilment of the promises made to David as present blessing (vers. 20-24); but the enjoyment of this blessing granted under condition of obedience (vers. 23-25). The prayer sets the people under the terms of a righteous government, abounding indeed in kindness and forgiveness, yet one which will not hold the guilty to be innocent; and it presents God as the people's resource, when the consequences of their sin fall upon them according to the principles laid down by Moses in Deuteronomy and elsewhere. Moreover, while confessing that the heaven of heavens could not contain Jehovah, the king entreats Him to grant every prayer that should be addressed to Him in this house—a petition which was granted (chap. 9: 3), so that the house was established as the throne of the God of heaven upon earth—the place in which He revealed Himself, and in which He had put His name.
This fact has a very wide bearing. It was the establishment of Jehovah's government upon the earth in the midst of His people—a government entrusted to a man, the son of David; so that it is said that Solomon sat upon the throne of Jehovah.
This enables us to understand the importance of the events which took place under Nebuchadnezzar, by whom this throne was cast down, according to the judgment pronounced by God Himself. The house was not elect; but, built under God's own direction, it was hallowed by Himself, that His name might dwell there for ever. The close of chapter 8 gives a very lively figure of Israel's millennial blessing.