1 Kings 8:11, commentary and pictures

When the ark was set in its place amid praise and sacred song, the cloud of God's glory so completely filled the house that the priests could not stand to minister. Its filling consecrated the temple, showing that God had taken possession of it and honored it with His presence in approval of the work. That cloud was the shekinah of Jehovah's glory, present as light, for light has ever been the symbol of God's presence. The house did not confine Him as heathen temples confined their gods, but was where He would meet His people by His Spirit when they assembled for worship. The second temple knew no such cloud at its dedication, for its greater glory came only in the living presence of Christ teaching and healing in its courts.

Temple Dedication Setting

When the ark was brought and placed in Solomon's temple amid praise and sacred song from the sacred choir, the cloud of God's glory filled the house as it had formerly filled the wilderness tabernacle. The cloud was so complete and powerful in its fullness that the priests could not stand to minister or continue their ministry. Its filling marked the consecration of the temple, with God's glory taking possession of the house as a sign that He approved Solomon's work and honored the sanctuary with His presence. The dedication gathered Israel under Solomon, and people from other nations came to witness it.

The glory descended upon the mercy-seat as the incense arose like a cloud, filling the most holy place and becoming visible in the holy place. It often filled both apartments so fully that the priest was unable to officiate and had to stand at the door. The glory above the mercy-seat could be seen from both apartments because the curtain drawn before the ark did not reach to the top of the building, though in much less degree from the first apartment.

Nature of Divine Glory

The cloud that stopped the priests from ministering was the shekinah, the cloud of Jehovah's glory, and the presence that filled the house came as light, for light has ever been the symbol of God's presence. That same light-symbol of presence had been seen when at the creative word light shone out of darkness, when enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night He led Israel, when blazing with awful grandeur about the Lord on Mount Sinai, when resting over the mercy-seat in the tabernacle, and when shining on the hills of Bethlehem when redemption was announced to the shepherds.

The temple was not a dwelling that confined God as the temples of heathen gods confined their gods; He would meet the people there by His Spirit when they assembled for worship. The visible cloud was one of the tokens that hallowed the first temple and marked it as God's dwelling-place, together with fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice on the altar, the shekinah abiding between the cherubim in the most holy place, the ark containing within it the mercy-seat and the tables of testimony, and a voice from heaven making known His will to the inquiring priest. It was Christ Himself dwelling with Israel as Instructor, Teacher, and Guide, first with them in the wilderness and still with them after their establishment in the promised land, with His glory dwelling in the tabernacle and in the temple in the holy shekinah above the mercy-seat, where in their behalf He constantly manifested the riches of His love and patience.

The second temple was not honored with that cloud at its dedication and had no comparable visible manifestation of divine presence; its promised greater glory came only in the living presence of Christ, God manifest in the flesh, teaching and healing in its courts, until with His final departure the glory forever left the house desolate. After that dedication glory departed, the house remained to all appearance the same except for additional embellishment in gold and precious stones, still grand and beautiful and glittering and still sought by worshipers of every nation, yet God was no longer present or to be found there.

Purpose and Personal Application

The filling of the house discloses the purpose of the indwelling presence, for Christ Himself dwelt with Israel as Instructor, Teacher and Guide, first in the wilderness and still after their establishment in the promised land, with His glory dwelling in tabernacle and temple in the holy shekinah above the mercy-seat where He constantly manifested in their behalf the riches of His love and patience. That presence shows God's design through Israel to impart rich blessings to all peoples, to prepare the way for the diffusion of His light to the whole world, to reveal through His people the principles that restore in man the moral image of God, and to make them a praise and a glory as His representatives. The same purpose is to be read for His institutions today. The verse marks the temple as a sacred place where God meets with His people, and a home dedicated to God is likewise to be treated as sacred.

His presence is not confined to numbers, so a small company of worshipers may expect Him to meet with them as truly as the many, even the millions, who worshiped at Solomon's temple. The cloud that so filled the house that the priests could not minister was the sign that He approved Solomon's work and honored the sanctuary by taking possession of it with His glory. Worshipers should put away angry feelings and come without them, because these shut the Spirit of God away from them.

The glory descended upon the mercy-seat as the incense arose like a cloud, filling the most holy place and becoming visible in the holy place, and often filling both apartments so fully that the priest could not officiate but had to stand at the door. The glory above the mercy-seat could be seen from both apartments because the curtain before the ark did not reach to the top of the building, though in much less degree from the first apartment. The priest in the holy place directing his prayer by faith to the mercy-seat he could not see represents God's people directing their prayers to Christ before the mercy-seat in the heavenly sanctuary, beholding their Mediator not with the natural eye but with the eye of faith and claiming with assurance the benefits of His mediation. At the dedication God's presence filled the house as light, for light has ever been the symbol of His presence, seen when at the creative word light shone out of darkness, when enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night He led Israel, when blazing with awful grandeur about the Lord on Sinai, when resting over the mercy-seat in the tabernacle, and when shining on the hills of Bethlehem at the announcement of redemption to the shepherds. God is light, and in declaring Himself the light of the world Christ declared His oneness with God and His relation to the whole human family, for He at the beginning caused light to shine out of darkness, He is the light of sun and moon and star, He was the spiritual light that in symbol and type and prophecy shone upon Israel, and as the Sun of Righteousness His light shines upon every soul to the remotest corners of the earth, not to one nation alone.