12 Then said Solomon, 'Jehovah hath said to dwell in thick darkness; 13 I have surely built a house of habitation for Thee; a fixed place for Thine abiding to the ages.' 14 And the king turneth round his face, and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel is standing. 15 And he saith, 'Blessed 'is' Jehovah, God of Israel, who spake by His mouth with David my father, and by His hand hath fulfilled 'it', saying, 16 From the day that I brought out My people, even Israel, from Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house for My name being there; and I fix on David to be over My people Israel. 17 'And it is with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, 18 and Jehovah saith unto David my father, Because that it hath been with thy heart to build a house for My name, thou hast done well that it hath been with thy heart; 19 only, thou dost not build the house, but thy son who is coming out from thy loins, he doth build the house for My name. 20 'And Jehovah doth establish His word which He spake, and I am risen up instead of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah spake, and build the house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, 21 and set there a place for the ark, where 'is' the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers in His bringing them out from the land of Egypt.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 8:12-21
Commentary on 1 Kings 8:12-21
(Read 1 Kings 8:12-21)
Solomon encouraged the priests, who were much astonished at the dark cloud. The dark dispensations of Providence should quicken us in fleeing for refuge to the hope of the gospel. Nothing can more reconcile us to them, than to consider what God has said, and to compare his word and works together. Whatever good we do, we must look on it as the performance of God's promise to us, not of our promises to him.