The Dedication of the Temple (Solomon): When the congregation of Israel gathered for the dedication of the temple, they couldn’t stop praising the Lord! They were filled with joy and gladness for all the good things the Lord had done. True worship flows from a heart of love, moved by the grace of God, and results in a new way of life that is pleasing to God. Recorded on Jan 4, 2026, on 1 Kings 8:54-66 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of the Solomon: The Legacy of a King series. King Solomon was a complex man whose story started some 3,000 years ago, when David, his father, was the most powerful and successful king of ancient Israel. David’s reign brought peace, prosperity, and plans to build the temple before handing the kingdom to Solomon. How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Could he overcome the plotting of his enemies, the dysfunction of his family, and the temptations of virtually unlimited wealth, fame, and women? What would be his legacy? Solomon’s story is a vital part of the history leading up to the ultimate son of David and anointed king, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Transcript
As we start a new year, we’ll continue working through a sermon series on one of the most important kings of ancient Israel, in a series called Solomon: The Legacy of a King. As we saw last week, the signature building project of King Solomon’s life, that of building the Temple of God in the city of Jerusalem, was finished. It had taken four years to plan/organize and then seven years for almost 200,000 workers to build, but it was finally complete. Well, last week, we saw that the Temple was to be a place of prayer. King Solomon prayed a powerful prayer at the dedication of the temple that God would hear and respond to his people’s prayers when they needed mercy or the forgiveness of sins. If you missed that message (or any in our series), you can always go back and watch or listen to the podcast online. But today, we’ll see that the Temple would also be, of course, a place of worship. Worship should always be of the highest value and the central activity of God’s people. But have you ever thought about what we’re doing here on a Sunday morning when we gather for worship? I’ll be honest, I grew up in the church, and I liked worship, but I never really thought about what we were doing until I was preparing to be a pastor. But here’s what I’ve discovered: True worship flows from a heart of love, moved by the grace of God, and results in a new way of life that is pleasing to God. We see this dynamic clearly in how Solomon led the people in worship to finish the dedication of the Temple. But how much more is this true for followers of Jesus Christ? If you have your Bible/app, please open to 1 Kings 8:54. We’ll read through it and unpack it as we go.
1 Kings 8:54 (NIV), “54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.” Ok, let’s pause here for a moment. So, last week, we worked through King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple. And we saw that five out of seven prayer requests were for God’s mercy and the forgiveness of sins. And I commented on his physical posture, noting that he was standing with his hands raised to heaven, as if expecting to receive something from the Lord. But here, at the end of his long prayer, he’s kneeling. What do you think happened? I know what happened. Solomon was feeling the burden of the weight of the needs of the whole assembly/congregation of Israel. He stood before the Lord and interceded on behalf of his kingdom, and he was brought to his knees. But the Lord could take it, amen?
1 Kings 8:55-61 (NIV), “55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: 56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. 61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” Last week, we saw that the basis of King Solomon’s prayer was that God was good and faithful and was here. And if that was true, then we can trust that when we pray, God will hear us and save us—even from ourselves. But here, we find that in just the same way, the basis for Solomon’s blessing of the people is the same good and faithful character of the God of heaven. “Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave.” Come on, Solomon, that’ll preach! But isn’t that true of you today? Has one word ever failed in all the good promises that God has given to us in Christ?? Absolutely not! So what? So praise be to the Lord! Who else brought us through the wilderness? Who else established us as a people? Who else walks with us, even in the darkest valley? Why do we pray? Because of who God is. And why are we blessed? Because of who God is! And what is the blessing? That God would continue to be with us—that he would stick with us as he stuck with our ancestors in the faith. That God would turn our hearts to him in obedience. That he would continue to hear our prayers and uphold our cause, providing for our needs day by day. But why? Why should God bless his people in this way? Look back at v. 60. “… so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord [Yahweh] is God and that there is no other.” Solomon is praying that God would do what he promised to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 12. That “all peoples on earth will be blessed through [Israel]” (Ge 12:3). You see, Solomon knew the relationship between the obedience of the people of God and the blessing of the nations. If they were not fully committed to God’s word and his way, then Israel would be no different from any other kingdom on the earth. But if their hearts were fully committed to the Lord, then they would be a beacon of light in a world of darkness, a lighthouse, able to guide the peoples of the earth into safe harbor in the kingdom of God. Israel was truly blessed. They were chosen by God, not because they were great and mighty, but because God simply loved them. And he rescued them and instructed them and walked with them every step of the way. And he provided a land for them and came and dwelled with them in the Tabernacle and then the Temple. He was patient with them and forgave their sins, great as they often were. He was nothing but kind to them, even when they struggled to be faithful to him. But on that great day, at the dedication of the Temple, the people responded to their great God. They gathered together, the whole nation, the assembly or congregation of the people. This concept flows forward into the NT era, too. The church is the gathered assembly of God’s people. But the King prayed for them and blessed them. And now, it was time to respond with offerings of praise.
1 Kings 8:62-66 (NIV), “62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. 64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings. 65 So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.” This is God’s word. We were told back at the beginning of chapter 8 that the festival the people were celebrating here was the Festival of Tabernacles. But according to the Law, this festival was only supposed to last eight days. Here, the people and their king were so enthusiastic in their gratitude and praise of God that they went a whole other week. They couldn’t stop praising the Lord! It was like a revival broke out. And they sacrificed so many offerings that the huge bronze altar they built for the Temple was too small! So they consecrated the middle part of the courtyard to give them more space. Burnt offerings were for the forgiveness of sins. After receiving forgiveness and reconciliation with God, fellowship offerings were made, representing the covenant relationship the people enjoyed with God. It’s somewhat similar to the new covenant practice of communion. And I’m sure the Levites led the people in singing psalms of praise, just as King David had organized them to do. And the people feasted together! But I just love the picture of v. 66. After all these things, “They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.” Amen! What a good day, right? But do you know what? This moment here, this triumphant, historic moment of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, is the high point of the whole Old Testament. Everything that happened up until this point in history had built up to this. And there would never be another time in ancient Israel where the kingdom would be united, and the people’s hearts were so devoted to the Lord their God as they were then. In fact, it would go downhill in a hurry after this moment. But let’s not dwell on that today. We have before, and we will again. But for today, as we consider how to apply this text to our lives, let’s keep and kindle that spirit of joy and gladness our ancient brothers and sisters had all those years ago. Let’s worship the Lord as they worshipped the Lord, for all the good things he has done for us, his people. Why? Because it’s this inner attitude of the heart that always precedes true and proper worship. Worship wasn’t first about the number of cattle, sheep, and goats the people and the king were able to offer the Lord (which represented wealth in their day), just as we say that our financial offerings are not first about the dollar amount or percentage you are able to give. The Lord cares much more about your heart of worship behind the gift than the gift itself. Don’t forget, God already owns everything! And he is already as glorious as he’ll ever be. He doesn’t need our worship in any way. But he wants a real relationship with us, and when you get to know who God is and what he has done for us, it ought to do something to your heart. But here, the people’s hearts were moved so much by the generosity of the Lord that it made them generous in response. How much had God done for them? So much, as Solomon says! But how much more is it true for us in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ? God didn’t just give us manna from heaven or water from the rock as he had during the Exodus. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son! Jesus Christ, the Son of God sent from heaven, was the bread of life who would sustain his people through all of life and death. Jesus Christ, the Son of David and the Messiah, didn’t just bring water from the rock; he was and is and ever will be the rock on which the church is founded, and the one who brought streams of living water by his Spirit. What an incredible gift! And how do we respond to all this incredible goodness that God accomplished for us in Christ? We worship! This is the logic of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:1–2 (NIV), “1 Therefore, [therefore here refers to the whole gospel presentation that Paul made in Romans 1-11. In light of the mystery of the gospel which was revealed to us in Christ and his death and resurrection from the dead, therefore…] I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [God doesn’t want your money or even your songs of praise alone. He wants all of your life, your whole self.] 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Do you see how Paul repeats the same pattern as Solomon? Because of who God is and what he has done — in view of God’s mercy — therefore, let your hearts be moved to praise the Lord! Solomon said, “And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” Paul said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then you’ll know what God’s will for your life is. The big idea behind King Solomon’s prayer and blessing, the system of old-covenant Temple worship, and new-covenant worship in Christ, is this: True worship flows from a heart of love, moved by the grace of God, and results in a new way of life that is pleasing to God. True worship can’t stay at the Temple or the church building. True worship comes from within, from the heart, but it flows out into the world around us — a beacon of light in a world of darkness. King Solomon knew that if the Israelites kept this attitude of worship as they returned to their homes and work and regular lives, they would remain fully committed to following the Lord. However, the good news of the gospel is not that we need to try harder to live lives that are pleasing to God for him to love/accept/bless us. The truth is that even with the record of all the good things that God had done for his people, Israel, in the past, they still fell away from God. They still needed a savior. They still needed Jesus. But, friends, Jesus has come! We just celebrated Christmas. The savior of the world has come and lived and died and has risen again. He came to rescue you, not because you are better than others, but simply because he loves you. And he loves you even though he knew you would need to be saved. So what? So praise the Lord! Solomon’s Temple pointed forward to the fulfillment of all his prayers in the person and work of Christ. So it was in their day, but it’s as true for us today: true worship flows from hearts of love, moved by the grace of God. But please notice—this revival, this incredible, generous outpouring of worship happened when Israel gathered to worship together. You can worship God anywhere because God is not limited to one place or time of the week. But the people of God have always experienced the greatest moments of worship gathered together. This is why it’s important to prioritize gathering for worship. I confess, as a pastor, I’m not always in the greatest mood to worship the Lord when I’m driving to church on a Sunday morning. (Can you believe that?) But then I see you, and I’m served and loved by you, and I’m reminded of all the good things the Lord has done for me through our songs and prayers and even in my own sermons. (I’m preaching to myself up here, too, you know!) That joy and gladness start creeping back into my heart. And this is so important because worship isn’t a nice-to-have kind of thing; it’s a need-to-have thing. I was reminded of this when I read about NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore. On June 5, 2024, Butch and one other astronaut began what was only supposed to be an eight-day mission to the ISS. However, because of an equipment failure, they were stuck on the ISS for nine months. But Butch is a devout Christian. Do you know what he said sustained him during those months of uncertainty and waiting? Worship. He worshiped with his church family by watching their livestream every week, 250 miles above the earth. When he was interviewed after returning, he said he needed to be filled by the preaching of God’s word, he was encouraged by hymns like “Amazing Grace,” and he needed the fellowship of other believers. Of course, it’s never quite the same on the livestream as in person, but it was still helpful for him. And if it was true for Butch, for someone lost in space, how much more true is it for us who can freely gather for worship? But let’s not stop with just gathering for worship. In this new year, in 2026, let your heart of worship result in a life of worship — in a way of life that is pleasing to God. A life of generous giving, sacrificial serving, care for the poor, and love for one another. That’s the kind of life I want for myself, my kids, and their kids. That’s the kind of church I want to be part of, don’t you? A way of blessing, not just for us but for the whole world in Christ. A life where we might be joyful and glad in heart together, for all the good things the Lord has done for us, and hopeful for all he has promised for us in Christ. Let us pray.
