Reading for August 14th

 Read 1 Kings 9.1-9. In 9.1-9: The Lord appears to Solomon again. The promise to David of an eternal dynasty is extended to Solomon, but only on the condition of his obedience. Verse 6-9: anticipates the disobedience of Solomon and other kings, as well as the exile. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 13th

 Read 1 Kings 8.62-66. These verses describe Solomon's great sacrifice and celebration at the Temple dedication. The bronze altar (v. 64) was the altar of burnt offering, which, oddly was not described among the bronze works of Hiram in ch. 7. The festival was the Feast of Tabernacles or Booth ('sukkot") described in Lev 23.33-44; Num 29.12-38. From Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt describes the idealized boundaries of Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon, from northern Syria to the Egyptian border. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 12th

 Read 1 Kings 8.54-61. The benediction mentioned (the Lord's) commandments, his statues, and his ordinances (v. 58), which is away of referring to the law of Moses. The confession that the Lord is God; there is no other (v. 60) is very similar to the traditional confession of Judaism known as the "shema" (Deut 6.4). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 11th

 Read 1 Kings 8.22-53. Solomon's prayer contains seven petitions which address various problems and ask the Lord to heed the prayers made in and toward the Temple. Scholars debate whether this prayer or part of it comes before Exile or after it. Verses 44-53, in particular, are often considered a later explanation of the prayer. The idea behind the word heritage in v. 53 is that each nation has its own god and each god his own people; the Lord's heritage is Israel. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 10th

 Read 1 Kings 8.1-21. In 8.1-66: The dedication of the Temple. In verse 2: The month of Ethanim, is also called Tishri, was in the fall (September-October). This means that the dedication of the Temple occurred nearly a year after its completion. In verses 7-8: The ark was carried by poles inside of rings on either side of the box that was the ark proper. The expression to this day may indicate that the writer lived while the Temple was still standing. In verse 11: The glory of the Lord was the thick cloud that symbolized the Lord's presence. In verses 15-21: Solomon's speech beginning in this verse is a deuteronomistic composition. It links the promise to David of a dynasty (2 Sam 7) with that of the rest for Israel (Deut 12.11-12). It therefor identifies the "place" described in Deuteronomy with Solomon's Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 9th

 Read 1 Kings 7.27-51. In verses 27-39: The ten stands and ten lavers were also richly decorated with symbols of fertility and divine power. In verse 48: The golden altar was apparently for burning incense. On the bread of presence, see Lev 24.5-9. In verse 49: The lampstands were made to hold lamps consisting of of a container for oil and a wick. They were not candlesticks. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 8th

 Read 1 Kings 7.13-26. In 7.13-51: The bronze furnishings of the Temple. In verses 13-14: This Hiram is not the king but a craftsman. 2 Chronicles 2.12-13 calls him Huram-Abi. Skill, literally "wisdom." This word may also mean skill at a particular craft, and that is doubtless as nuance here. In verses 15-22: The two pillars had some symbolic meaning that is no longer clear.  Their names, Jachin ("the establishes") and Boaz ("in him is strength") may represent the Lord's foundation of the earth or sacred trees (v. 21). In verses 23-26: The molten sea possibly represented the primeval chaos which the Lord had defeated before making the world, in one version of creation. Another possibility is that the molten sea represents the primeval deep out of which the Lord created the universe, according to Gen 1. The twelve oxen on which it stood (v. 25) were fertility symbols. Comments or Questions..