1 Kings Chapters 1 through 8 bible study Solomon

 

            Here are the first 8 chapters of the book of first kings which cover the very end of David’s reign and then also much of the reign of Solomon, including the building of the temple of God in Jerusalem, and also Solomon’s asking God for wisdom and understanding to govern the people of Israel properly and getting it, and more.

Here is a link to a study which gives some background and yet also covers much of the same ground too, for comparison, for a lot of this study if from 1 and 2 Chronicles which have different accounts than the books of Samuel and kings

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/david-and-solomon-a-bible-study/251556331653842

In 1 Kings chapter 1 the last acts of David are seen, and Solomon is anointed his successor by Zadok and Nathan

(1 Kings 1:1)  Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.

 

(1 Kings 1:2)  Therefore his servants said to him, "Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm."

 

(1 Kings 1:3)  So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

 

(1 Kings 1:4)  The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.

 

(1 Kings 1:5)  Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

 

(1 Kings 1:6)  His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, "Why have you done thus and so?" He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom.

 

(1 Kings 1:7)  He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.

 

(1 Kings 1:8)  But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

 

(1 Kings 1:9)  Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah,

 

(1 Kings 1:10)  but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.

 

(1 Kings 1:11)  Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it?

 

(1 Kings 1:12)  Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

 

(1 Kings 1:13)  Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, "Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah king?'

 

(1 Kings 1:14)  Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words."

 

(1 Kings 1:15)  So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).

 

(1 Kings 1:16)  Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, "What do you desire?"

 

(1 Kings 1:17)  She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.'

 

(1 Kings 1:18)  And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.

 

(1 Kings 1:19)  He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.

 

(1 Kings 1:20)  And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

 

(1 Kings 1:21)  Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders."

 

(1 Kings 1:22)  While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

 

(1 Kings 1:23)  And they told the king, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground.

 

(1 Kings 1:24)  And Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'?

 

(1 Kings 1:25)  For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!'

 

(1 Kings 1:26)  But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.

 

(1 Kings 1:27)  Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

 

(1 Kings 1:28)  Then King David answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king.

 

(1 Kings 1:29)  And the king swore, saying, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,

 

(1 Kings 1:30)  as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day."

 

(1 Kings 1:31)  Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever!"

 

(1 Kings 1:32)  King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king.

 

(1 Kings 1:33)  And the king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

 

(1 Kings 1:34)  And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'

 

(1 Kings 1:35)  You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah."

 

(1 Kings 1:36)  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so.

 

(1 Kings 1:37)  As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David."

 

(1 Kings 1:38)  So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon.

 

(1 Kings 1:39)  There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!"

 

(1 Kings 1:40)  And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

 

(1 Kings 1:41)  Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "What does this uproar in the city mean?"

 

(1 Kings 1:42)  While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news."

 

(1 Kings 1:43)  Jonathan answered Adonijah, "No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king,

 

(1 Kings 1:44)  and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule.

 

(1 Kings 1:45)  And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.

 

(1 Kings 1:46)  Solomon sits on the royal throne.

 

(1 Kings 1:47)  Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed.

 

(1 Kings 1:48)  And the king also said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.'"

 

(1 Kings 1:49)  Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.

 

(1 Kings 1:50)  And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.

 

(1 Kings 1:51)  Then it was told Solomon, "Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'"

 

(1 Kings 1:52)  And Solomon said, "If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die."

 

(1 Kings 1:53)  So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

 

In 1 Kings chapter 2 then David gives a final charge to Solomon, who then becomes king, the dies, Solomon then moves and rids himself of several people who could have been trouble and has a relatively peaceful reign

(1 Kings 2:1)  As David's time to die approached, he addressed his son Solomon with these words:

 

(1 Kings 2:2)  "I'm headed down the road that everyone who lives on earth travels, so be strong and demonstrate that you're a grown man

 

(1 Kings 2:3)  by keeping the charge that the LORD your God entrusted to you. Live life his way, keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances, and his testimonies, just as they're written down in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything you do and wherever you go,

 

(1 Kings 2:4)  and so that the LORD may fulfill his promise that he spoke about me when he said, 'If your sons pay attention to how they live by walking truthfully in my presence with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

 

(1 Kings 2:5)  "Furthermore, you're aware of what Zeruiah's son Joab did to me and to those two commanders of the armies of Israel, Ner's son Abner and Jether's son Amasa, whom he killed, and how he shed the blood of wartime during times of peace, staining the very belt he wears around his waist and the sandals he wears on his feet.

 

(1 Kings 2:6)  So act consistently with your wisdom, and don't let him die as a peaceful old man.

 

(1 Kings 2:7)  Be gracious to the descendants of Barzillai the Gileadite, and provide for them in your household, because they helped me when I had to run from your brother Absalom.

 

(1 Kings 2:8)  "Pay attention now! You have with you Gera's son Shimei the descendant of Benjamin from Bahurim. He cursed me violently that day when I had to leave for Mahanaim. When he visited me at the Jordan River, I made an oath to the LORD and told him, 'I won't execute you with a sword.'

 

(1 Kings 2:9)  But don't let him off unpunished, since you're a wise man and you'll know what you need to do to him. Find a way that he dies in his old age by shedding his blood."

 

(1 Kings 2:10)  After this, David died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of David.

 

(1 Kings 2:11)  David had reigned over Israel for 40 years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33 years.

 

(1 Kings 2:12)  Solomon then assumed his father David's throne, and his kingdom was firmly established.

 

(1 Kings 2:13)  Later, Haggith's son Adonijah approached Solomon's mother. "Are you here on a peaceful mission?" she asked. "Yes," he replied.

 

(1 Kings 2:14)  "I have something to ask you about." "Talk," she told him.

 

(1 Kings 2:15)  So he replied, "You know that the kingdom should have come to me, and that everyone in Israel intended to place me as the next king. However, the kingdom has turned around and now belongs to my brother, because it went to him from the LORD.

 

(1 Kings 2:16)  So now I'm asking one thing from you. Don't refuse me." "Talk," she told him.

 

(1 Kings 2:17)  Then he asked her, "Please talk to King Solomon for me, since he won't refuse you. Ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife."

 

(1 Kings 2:18)  "Okay," Bathsheba replied. "I'll talk to the king for you."

 

(1 Kings 2:19)  So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. He ordered a throne be set in place for his mother. She sat on a throne to his right

 

(1 Kings 2:20)  and told him, "I would like to make a minor request of you. Please don't refuse me." "What is your request, mother?" the king asked her. "I won't turn you down."

 

(1 Kings 2:21)  So she asked him, "Give Abishag the Shunammite to your brother Adonijah as a wife."

 

(1 Kings 2:22)  But King Solomon replied to his mother, "Why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why not ask me to give up the kingdom for him, since he's my older brother, and why not ask for Abiathar the priest, and for Zeruiah's son Joab?"

 

(1 Kings 2:23)  Then King Solomon took this oath in the name of the LORD: "May God do so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah hasn't endangered his life by bringing up this subject.

 

(1 Kings 2:24)  Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of my father David, and who has established a dynasty, just like he promised, Adonijah will surely be executed today."

 

(1 Kings 2:25)  So King Solomon sent for Jehoiada's son Benaiah, who attacked and killed Adonijah.

 

(1 Kings 2:26)  The king also told Abiathar the priest, "Go home to Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won't kill you today, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David and because you shared all the troubles that my father went through."

 

(1 Kings 2:27)  So Solomon fired Abiathar as the LORD's priest, thus fulfilling the promise that the LORD had spoken in Shiloh concerning Eli's household.

 

(1 Kings 2:28)  When Joab learned what had happened, he ran to the LORD's tent and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, since Joab had supported Adonijah (though he had not supported Absalom).

 

(1 Kings 2:29)  Somebody informed King Solomon, "Joab just ran to the LORD's tent and now he's standing beside the altar!" But Solomon ordered Jehoiada's son Benaiah, "Go kill him!"

 

(1 Kings 2:30)  So Benaiah went into the LORD's tent and told Joab, "The king orders you to come out!" "No," Joab said, "I'd rather die here!" So Benaiah went and informed the king, "This is how Joab answered me."

 

(1 Kings 2:31)  The king replied to him, "Do just what he asked. Kill him and bury him so that you may remove from me and from my father's household the guilt that Joab shed needlessly.

 

(1 Kings 2:32)  The LORD will repay him for his bloodshed because, without my father David's consent he attacked and murdered two men more righteous and better than he, Ner's son Abner, the commander of Israel's army and Jether's son Amasa, commander of Judah's army.

 

(1 Kings 2:33)  May their blood be repaid to Joab and to his descendants forever, and may there be peace shown from the LORD forever to David, to his descendants, to his household, and to his throne."

 

(1 Kings 2:34)  Jehoiada's son Benaiah then approached Joab, attacked him, killed him, and had him buried at Joab's home in the wilderness.

 

(1 Kings 2:35)  The king appointed Jehoiada's son Benaiah in charge of the army to replace Joab and also appointed Zadok the priest to replace Abiathar.

 

(1 Kings 2:36)  The king sent for Shimei and told him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but don't go anywhere from there.

 

(1 Kings 2:37)  If you ever leave and cross the Kidron Brook, you can be sure that you'll die. You'll be responsible for your own death."

 

(1 Kings 2:38)  Shimei replied to the king, "What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me. I'll do what you've said." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for quite some time.

 

(1 Kings 2:39)  But three years later, two of Shimei's servants escaped to Maacah's son Achish, the king of Gath. Somebody told Shimei, "Look! Your servants went to Gath!"

 

(1 Kings 2:40)  So Shimei got up, saddled a donkey, and traveled to Gath to find his servants. He found them and brought them back from Gath.

 

(1 Kings 2:41)  Later, Solomon found out that Shimei had left Jerusalem, gone to Gath, and had returned,

 

(1 Kings 2:42)  so the king sent for Shimei and asked him, "Didn't I make a promise to the LORD and warn you, 'The day you leave and go anywhere else, you can be sure you'll die'? And you told me, 'What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me.'

 

(1 Kings 2:43)  So why haven't you kept the oath you made to the LORD, and why didn't you obey my personal order to you?"

 

(1 Kings 2:44)  The king also reminded Shimei, "You know all the evil things that you admit you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD is going to repay you for all of your evil.

 

(1 Kings 2:45)  But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will be established in the presence of the LORD forever."

 

(1 Kings 2:46)  So the king gave orders to Jehoiada's son Benaiah to go out, attack Shimei, and kill him. That is how the kingdom was established under Solomon's control.

 

In chapter 3 of 1 Kings then after Solomon makes sacrifices the Lord then appears to Him and asks what he desires and Solomon asks for wisdom and understanding to govern the people of Israel. At the end Solomon shows off this wisdom by handling a decision wisely

(1 Kings 3:1)  Later, Solomon intermarried with the family of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt by taking his daughter and bringing her to the city of David to live until he had completed building his own palace, the LORD's Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.

 

(1 Kings 3:2)  The people were sacrificing at various high places because the Temple had not yet been built and dedicated to the LORD.

 

(1 Kings 3:3)  Solomon loved the LORD, and lived according to the statutes that his father David obeyed, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings at the high places.

 

(1 Kings 3:4)  The king used to go to Gibeon to sacrifice, since there was a famous high place there, where Solomon once offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.

 

(1 Kings 3:5)  The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, "Ask me for whatever you want and I'll give it to you."

 

(1 Kings 3:6)  So Solomon said: "You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today.

 

(1 Kings 3:7)  Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I'm still young. I don't have any leadership skills.

 

(1 Kings 3:8)  Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted.

 

(1 Kings 3:9)  So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?"

 

(1 Kings 3:10)  The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this,

 

(1 Kings 3:11)  so God told him: "Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn't ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you've asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern,

 

(1 Kings 3:12)  look how I'm going to do precisely what you asked. I'm giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like you.

 

(1 Kings 3:13)  I'm also giving you what you haven't requested: both riches and honor, so that no other king will be comparable to you during your lifetime.

 

(1 Kings 3:14)  If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I'll also increase the length of your life."

 

(1 Kings 3:15)  Then Solomon woke up and realized that he had dreamed a dream. Then he went back to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the LORD's covenant, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and threw a party for all of his servants.

 

(1 Kings 3:16)  Right about then, two prostitutes approached the king and requested an audience with him.

 

(1 Kings 3:17)  One woman said, "Your majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

 

(1 Kings 3:18)  Three days later, this woman also gave birth. We lived alone there. There was nobody else with us in the house. It was just the two of us.

 

(1 Kings 3:19)  This woman's son died overnight because she laid on top of him.

 

(1 Kings 3:20)  She got up in the middle of the night, took my son from me while your servant was asleep, and laid him to her breast after laying her dead son next to me.

 

(1 Kings 3:21)  The next morning, I got up to nurse my son, and he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the light of day, he turned out not to be my son whom I had borne!"

 

(1 Kings 3:22)  "Not so," claimed the other woman. "The living child is my son, and the dead one is yours." But the first woman said, "Not so! The dead child is your son and the living one is my son." This is what they testified before the king.

 

(1 Kings 3:23)  The king said, "One of them claims, 'This living son is mine, and your son is the dead one' and the other claims 'No. Your son is the dead one and my son is the living one.'

 

(1 Kings 3:24)  "Somebody get me a sword." So they brought a sword to the king.

 

(1 Kings 3:25)  " Divide the living child in two!" he ordered. "Give half to the one and half to the other."

 

(1 Kings 3:26)  The woman whose child was still alive cried out to the king, because her heart yearned for her son. "Oh no, your majesty!" she said. "Give her the living child. Please don't kill him." But the other woman said, "Cut him in half! That way, he'll belong to neither one of us."

 

(1 Kings 3:27)  The king announced his decision: "Give the living child to the first woman. Don't kill him. She is his mother."

 

(1 Kings 3:28)  When this decision that the king had handed down was announced, everybody in Israel was amazed at the king, because they all saw that God's wisdom was in him, enabling him to administer justice.

 

1 Kings Chapter 4 describes and tells of those people who served under Solomon running things in the kingdom and lists some of the many blessings enjoyed by Solomon and blessings for the people of Israel

(1 Kings 4:1)  And so King Solomon ruled over all of Israel.

 

(1 Kings 4:2)  Here's a list of his officials: Zadok's son Azariah was priest,

 

(1 Kings 4:3)  Shisha's sons Elihoreph and Ahijah were his secretaries, Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat was recorder,

 

(1 Kings 4:4)  Jehoiada's son Benaiah commanded the army, Zadok and Abiathar served as priests,

 

(1 Kings 4:5)  Nathan's son Azariah supervised the governors, Nathan's son Zabud the priest was the king's counselor,

 

(1 Kings 4:6)  Ahishar supervised palace matters, and Abda's son Adoniram supervised conscripted labor.

 

(1 Kings 4:7)  Solomon also appointed twelve governors over all of Israel, each of whom were responsible for providing one month's food provisions to the king and to his administration during each year.

 

(1 Kings 4:8)  Here's a list of their names: Ben-hur from the hill country of Ephraim;

 

(1 Kings 4:9)  Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan;

 

(1 Kings 4:10)  Ben-hesed served in Arubboth (where he supervised Socoh and all of the territory of Hepher);

 

(1 Kings 4:11)  Ben-abinadab supervised the Dor heights (Solomon's daughter Taphath was his wife);

 

(1 Kings 4:12)  Ahilud's son Baana served Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, including from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

 

(1 Kings 4:13)  Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead, including the towns that belonged to Manasseh's descendant Jair that are in Gilead);

 

(1 Kings 4:14)  Iddo's son Ahinadab served in Mahanaim;

 

(1 Kings 4:15)  Ahimaaz served in Naphtali (he was married to Solomon's daughter Basemath);

 

(1 Kings 4:16)  Hushai's son Baana served in Asher and Bealoth;

 

(1 Kings 4:17)  Paruah's son Jehoshaphat served in Issachar;

 

(1 Kings 4:18)  Ela's son Shimei served in Benjamin;

 

(1 Kings 4:19)  and Uri's son Geber served in the territory of Gilead, the territory formerly ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan (he was the only governor over that territory).

 

(1 Kings 4:20)  Judah and Israel became as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They enjoyed abundance, and ate, drank, and rejoiced regularly.

 

(1 Kings 4:21)  Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the territory of the Philistines and south to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon throughout his lifetime.

 

(1 Kings 4:22)  Solomon's daily provisions were 30 kors of fine flour, 60 kors of meal,

 

(1 Kings 4:23)  ten fattened oxen, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and domestic poultry.

 

(1 Kings 4:24)  He ruled over everything west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all of the kings west of the Euphrates River, and he enjoyed peace on all sides around him.

 

(1 Kings 4:25)  Judah and Israel lived safely, and everyone enjoyed their own vine and fig tree from Dan to Beer-sheba through all of Solomon's life.

 

(1 Kings 4:26)  Solomon owned 40,000 stalls for the horses that drove his chariots, and he employed 12,000 men to drive them.

 

(1 Kings 4:27)  His officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for everyone who visited King Solomon's palace, each in their respective month of service responsibility. Nothing ever ran out.

 

(1 Kings 4:28)  They also provided barley and straw for the horses and camels to their respective locations, each consistent with their responsibilities.

 

(1 Kings 4:29)  God gave Solomon wisdom and great discernment. His insights were as numerous as sand on the seashore.

 

(1 Kings 4:30)  Solomon was wiser than any of the eastern leaders and wiser than anyone in Egypt.

 

(1 Kings 4:31)  He was wiser than anyone of his day--wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, and wiser than Mahol's sons Calcol and Darda. His reputation was known throughout the surrounding nations.

 

(1 Kings 4:32)  Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.

 

(1 Kings 4:33)  He described trees--everything from cedars that grow in Lebanon to hyssop that grows on a garden wall. He described animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

 

(1 Kings 4:34)  People came from everywhere to hear Solomon's advice. Every king on the earth heard of his wisdom.

 

In 1 Kings chapter 5, Solomon starts to have the temple in Jerusalem for the Lord built making arrangements for the wood, the laborers and the supervisors needed to build the temple of the Lord to be brought to the project site

(1 Kings 5:1)  King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he learned that Solomon had been anointed king to replace his father, because Hiram had been David's lifelong friend.

 

(1 Kings 5:2)  Solomon sent this message to Hiram:

 

(1 Kings 5:3)  "You know that my father David was unable to build a temple dedicated to the LORD his God because he was busy fighting wars all around him until the LORD defeated his enemies.

 

(1 Kings 5:4)  But now the LORD has given me rest all around, since I have neither foreign adversaries nor domestic crises.

 

(1 Kings 5:5)  So now I'm planning to build a temple dedicated to the LORD my God, just as the LORD told my father when he said, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne to replace you, will build the Temple dedicated to me.'

 

(1 Kings 5:6)  Now therefore please order that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, because you know there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians do."

 

(1 Kings 5:7)  As soon as Hiram received the message from Solomon, he became so ecstatic that he exclaimed, "Blessed be the LORD today, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people!" Then he sent this message to Solomon:

 

(1 Kings 5:8)  "I have read the letter that you sent me. I'll do what you've asked about the cedar and cypress timber.

 

(1 Kings 5:9)  My servants will transport them from Lebanon to the sea, where we'll make them into rafts and float them by sea to the port that you tell me to send them. We'll have them prepared for transport there and then you can carry them from there. You can meet my needs by providing provisions for my household."

 

(1 Kings 5:10)  That's how Hiram came to provide Solomon as much cedar and cypress timber as he needed.

 

(1 Kings 5:11)  In return, Solomon paid Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and 20 kors of beaten oil. Solomon provided this amount every year during the construction.

 

(1 Kings 5:12)  The LORD continued giving Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised, and Hiram and Solomon entered into a peace treaty between themselves.

 

(1 Kings 5:13)  King Solomon conscripted laborers from throughout Israel. The work force numbered 30,000 men.

 

(1 Kings 5:14)  He sent 10,000 men to Lebanon in shifts lasting one month. They worked one month in Lebanon for every two months they worked at home. Adoniram was placed in charge of the conscripted labor.

 

(1 Kings 5:15)  Solomon also employed 70,000 heavy-lift workers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country.

 

(1 Kings 5:16)  Solomon also employed 3,300 officials to supervise the work and to manage the people employed in the construction.

 

(1 Kings 5:17)  The king specified that large, expensive stones be quarried so the foundation of the Temple could be laid with cut stones.

 

(1 Kings 5:18)  As a result, Solomon's builders worked with Hiram's builders, accompanied by the Gebalites, to quarry the stone and to prepare the timber and other stone for the Temple's construction.

 

1 Kings chapter 6 contains more information on the construction of the Lord’s temple and what is inside it- it takes about seven years to build

(1 Kings 6:1)  During the month of Ziv, which was the second month of the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, 480 years after the Israelis left the land of Egypt, Solomon began to build the LORD's Temple.

 

(1 Kings 6:2)  The Temple for the LORD that Solomon was building was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.

 

(1 Kings 6:3)  A portico extended in front of the Temple for 30 feet outward, corresponding to the width of the Temple. Along the front of the Temple its depth was 15 feet.

 

(1 Kings 6:4)  Solomon also constructed windows in the Temple with specially designed frames.

 

(1 Kings 6:5)  Against the wall of the Temple he built a series of rooms that encompassed the exterior of the Temple walls around the inner sanctuary. He built these side chambers all around the building.

 

(1 Kings 6:6)  The lower structures were seven and a half feet wide, the middle structures were nine feet wide, and the third structures were ten and a half feet wide. Offsets were placed all around the Temple so that beams would not protrude through the walls of the Temple.

 

(1 Kings 6:7)  The Temple was constructed of stone precut at the quarry so that no hammer, axe, or any other iron implement would be heard in the Temple while it was being built.

 

(1 Kings 6:8)  A passageway to the side chamber was constructed on the south side of the Temple by which people could ascend winding stairs to the middle story, then from there to the third story.

 

(1 Kings 6:9)  After Solomon built the Temple and finished it, he covered the Temple with beams and planks made of cedar.

 

(1 Kings 6:10)  He constructed this structure to adjoin the entire Temple, seven and a half feet high, and fastened it to the Temple with cedar timbers.

 

(1 Kings 6:11)  Then this message from the LORD came to Solomon:

 

(1 Kings 6:12)  "Concerning this Temple that you're building, if you live your life according to my statutes, carry out my ordinances, and keep all of my commands, and live according to them, then I will do what I promised to your father David.

 

(1 Kings 6:13)  I will reside among the Israelis and will never abandon my people Israel."

 

(1 Kings 6:14)  So Solomon kept on building the Temple and finished it.

 

(1 Kings 6:15)  Then he built the inside walls of the Temple, lining them from floor to ceiling with cedar boards, and overlaying the Temple floor with boards made of cypress wood.

 

(1 Kings 6:16)  He lined 30 feet of the rear part of the Temple from floor to ceiling with cedar boards specially constructed for the inside to serve as the Most Holy Place.

 

(1 Kings 6:17)  The rest of the main nave in the front was 60 feet long.

 

(1 Kings 6:18)  Cedar carvings in the form of gourds and blooming flowers covered the entire interior of the Temple so that no stone could be seen.

 

(1 Kings 6:19)  Solomon also prepared an inner sanctuary within the Temple where the LORD's Ark of the Covenant was placed.

 

(1 Kings 6:20)  The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high, and overlaid with pure gold. The altar was also overlaid with cedar.

 

(1 Kings 6:21)  Solomon overlaid the inside of the Temple with pure gold, fastened gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold.

 

(1 Kings 6:22)  He finished the Temple by overlaying it entirely with gold, including overlaying with gold the whole altar that was by the inner sanctuary.

 

(1 Kings 6:23)  Inside the inner sanctuary Solomon placed two cherubim crafted from olive wood, each fifteen feet high.

 

(1 Kings 6:24)  Each wing of one cherub was seven and a half feet long, and each wing of the other cherub was seven and a half feet long, so that the distance from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing was fifteen feet.

 

(1 Kings 6:25)  Each cherub was fifteen feet high, and both were of the same size and shape,

 

(1 Kings 6:26)  the height of one cherub being fifteen feet, as was the height of the other.

 

(1 Kings 6:27)  Solomon placed the cherubim in the middle of the inner sanctuary, with their wings spread in such a way that the wing of one was touching the one wall and the opposite wing of the other cherub was touching the opposite wall. Furthermore, their wings in the center of the wall were touching each other wing-to-wing.

 

(1 Kings 6:28)  Each cherub was overlaid with gold.

 

(1 Kings 6:29)  Solomon also inlaid all the inner walls of the Temple--both the inner and outer sanctuaries--with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and blooming flowers.

 

(1 Kings 6:30)  He also overlaid the floor of the Temple with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

 

(1 Kings 6:31)  Solomon also provided doors, lintels, and five-sided doorposts for the entrance to the inner sanctuary.

 

(1 Kings 6:32)  He installed two doors made of olive wood, inlaying them with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and blooming flowers, and overlaying them with gold. Then he added more gold to cover the cherubim and palm trees.

 

(1 Kings 6:33)  Solomon also provided four-sided doorposts made of cypress wood for the entrance to the outer sanctuary,

 

(1 Kings 6:34)  along with two doors of cypress wood, one door of which had two leaves that turned on hinges, as did the other door, which also had two leaves that turned on hinges.

 

(1 Kings 6:35)  Solomon also inlaid the doors with cherubim, palm trees, and blooming flowers. He overlaid them with gold that was carefully applied on the engraved work.

 

(1 Kings 6:36)  He constructed the inner court with three rows of precut stone and a row of cedar beams.

 

(1 Kings 6:37)  The foundation for the LORD's Temple was laid in the month of Ziv during the fourth year of Solomon's reign,

 

(1 Kings 6:38)  and the Temple was completely finished according to its plans and specifications in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, that is, during the month of Bul. It took about seven years to build.

 

1 Kings chapter 7 contains information on a new palace built by Solomon and also still more on the finishing of the temple and what is in them

(1 Kings 7:1)  But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace, and finally finished it.

 

(1 Kings 7:2)  He built his own palace out of timber supplied from the forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall, and was constructed on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams interlocking the pillars.

 

(1 Kings 7:3)  There were 45 pillars paneled with cedar above the side chambers, with rows of fifteen pillars,

 

(1 Kings 7:4)  with three rows of framed windows facing each other in three ranks.

 

(1 Kings 7:5)  All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames, with the doorways facing each other in three tiers.

 

(1 Kings 7:6)  There was also a hall of pillars 75 feet long and 45 feet wide, and a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of the pillars.

 

(1 Kings 7:7)  He constructed the Judgment Hall for the throne room where he would be ruling, paneling it with cedar from floor to ceiling.

 

(1 Kings 7:8)  Solomon's personal dwelling quarters, a separate court behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. Solomon also built a house similar to this for Pharaoh's daughter, whom Solomon had married.

 

(1 Kings 7:9)  All of these were made with expensive stones, pre-cut according to specifications, hand-sawed inside and out from the foundation to the coping, including from inside to the great court.

 

(1 Kings 7:10)  The foundation was made of expensive stone, including large stones fifteen feet long and stones twelve feet long.

 

(1 Kings 7:11)  Above these were expensive stones cut according to specifications, and cedar.

 

(1 Kings 7:12)  So the great court was surrounded by three rows of cut stone, along with a row of cedar beams, just like the inner court of the LORD's Temple and the porch surrounding the Temple.

 

(1 Kings 7:13)  King Solomon sent for Hiram from Tyre,

 

(1 Kings 7:14)  the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was from Tyre. A bronze worker, he was wise, knowledgeable, and was skilled in all sorts of bronze working. He went to King Solomon and did all of his work.

 

(1 Kings 7:15)  He fashioned two bronze pillars, each one 27 feet high, with a circumference of 18 feet.

 

(1 Kings 7:16)  He also crafted two capitals of cast bronze and set them on top of the pillars. The height of one capital was seven and a half feet, and the height of the other capital was seven and a half feet.

 

(1 Kings 7:17)  A network of latticework on top of the pillars was inlaid with ornamental wreaths and chains, the top of each pillar containing seven groups of ornamental structures.

 

(1 Kings 7:18)  The pillars contained two rows of ornaments shaped like pomegranates around the latticework covering the top of each pillar.

 

(1 Kings 7:19)  The capitals on top of each pillar above the rounded latticework contained six feet of lily designs,

 

(1 Kings 7:20)  with the capitals on the two pillars covered by 200 pomegranates in rows around both the capitals above and adjoining the rounded latticework.

 

(1 Kings 7:21)  That's how he designed the pillars at the portico of the sanctuary. When he set up the right pillar, he named it Jachin. When he set up the left pillar, he named it Boaz.

 

(1 Kings 7:22)  The work on the pillars was finished with a lily design on top of the pillars.

 

(1 Kings 7:23)  Hiram also made a sea of cast metal fifteen feet from brim to brim, circular in shape and seven and a half feet high and 45 feet in its inner circumference.

 

(1 Kings 7:24)  Under the brim, completely encircling it, were two rows of gourds inlaid as part of the original casting, ten for each one and a half feet.

 

(1 Kings 7:25)  The sea stood on top of twelve oxen. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The sea was set on top of them, and their hind parts faced the center.

 

(1 Kings 7:26)  The reservoir, which held about 12,000 gallons, stood about three inches thick, and its rim looked like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom.

 

(1 Kings 7:27)  Hiram also made ten bronze water carts. Each one was six feet wide, six feet long, and four and a half feet high.

 

(1 Kings 7:28)  The carts were designed with borders between cross-pieces,

 

(1 Kings 7:29)  and on the borders between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim. A pedestal was placed above the cross-pieces, and beneath the lions and oxen there were wreaths hanging down.

 

(1 Kings 7:30)  Each cart had four bronze wheels equipped with bronze axles with four support feet. Beneath the basin were cast support structures made like wreaths on each side.

 

(1 Kings 7:31)  The opening to each water cart inside the crown on top was one and a half feet wide, with engravings on the opening. The borders to the frames surrounding the opening were square, not round.

 

(1 Kings 7:32)  The four wheels were placed underneath the borders, and the axles for the wheels were on the stand. Each wheel stood 27 inches high.

 

(1 Kings 7:33)  The wheels resembled those of a chariot, with their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs made of cast bronze.

 

(1 Kings 7:34)  Four supports stood at the four corners of each cart, built into the carts themselves.

 

(1 Kings 7:35)  On top of each stand was a circular structure nine inches high, with its braces and support frames integral with it, forming a single piece.

 

(1 Kings 7:36)  Hiram engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and frames wherever there was space to do so, and encircled the artwork with wreaths.

 

(1 Kings 7:37)  He made ten identical water carts by using the same plans, castings, and shapes for all of them.

 

(1 Kings 7:38)  Hiram also fashioned ten bronze basins, each holding about 240 gallons, each basin measuring 6 feet in diameter, with one basin for each stand.

 

(1 Kings 7:39)  He set five of the stands on the right side of the Temple and five on the left side of the Temple. He set the bronze sea on the right side of the Temple eastward facing the south.

 

(1 Kings 7:40)  Hiram also made the basins, shovels, and bowls to complete the work that he performed for King Solomon in the LORD's Temple,

 

(1 Kings 7:41)  including the two pillars and the bowls for the capitals that stood on top of the two pillars, along with the two lattices that covered the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars,

 

(1 Kings 7:42)  plus the 400 pomegranates for the two lattices (that is, the two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars),

 

(1 Kings 7:43)  the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands,

 

(1 Kings 7:44)  the single bronze sea and the twelve oxen that stood under the sea,

 

(1 Kings 7:45)  and the pots, shovels, and bowls--all of these utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the LORD's Temple were made from polished bronze.

 

(1Ki 7:46)  The king had them cast in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan in the Jordan plain.

 

(1 Kings 7:47)  Solomon never inventoried the weight of the bronze used, because there were too many utensils, so the weight of the bronze used was never ascertained.

 

(1 Kings 7:48)  Solomon made all the furnishings that were placed in the LORD's Temple, including the golden altar and the golden table on which the bread of the Presence was placed,

 

(1 Kings 7:49)  along with the lamp stands (five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary), all made of pure gold, as well as the flower blossoms, lamps, and tongs of gold,

 

(1 Kings 7:50)  and the cups, snuffers, bowls, spoons, and the fire pans, all made of pure gold, and hinges for the doors of the inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, and for the gates of the Temple that led to the nave, also of gold.

 

(1 Kings 7:51)  Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the LORD's Temple was finished. Then Solomon brought in the articles that had been dedicated by his father David, including silver, gold, and other utensils, and he placed them into storage in the treasuries of the LORD's Temple.

 

In 1 Kings Chapter 8 is the dedication of the temple itself, bringing the Ark of the Covenant into it, all the people attend this ceremony, during which Solomon prays and speaks to all the people encouraging to stay with the Lord

(1 Kings 8:1)  Then Solomon gathered together the elders of Israel, including all the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the ancestral households of the Israelis, to meet with him in Jerusalem so they could bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Zion, the city of David.

 

(1 Kings 8:2)  So all the men gathered together to meet with King Solomon at the Feast of Booths in the month Ethanim, the seventh month.

 

(1 Kings 8:3)  All the Elders of Israel showed up, and the priests picked up the ark

 

(1 Kings 8:4)  and brought it, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy implements that were in the tent. The priests and descendants of Levi carried them up to Jerusalem.

 

(1 Kings 8:5)  King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel that had assembled to be with him stood in front of the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they were neither counted nor inventoried.

 

(1 Kings 8:6)  After this, the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to the place prepared for it, into the inner sanctuary of the Temple, under the wings of the cherubim in the Most Holy Place.

 

(1 Kings 8:7)  The wings of the cherubim spread over the resting place for the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles when viewed from above.

 

(1 Kings 8:8)  The poles extended so far that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. They remain there to this day.

 

(1 Kings 8:9)  The ark was empty except for the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at Horeb when the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelis after they had come out of the land of Egypt.

 

(1 Kings 8:10)  When the priests left the Holy Place after setting the ark in place, the cloud filled the LORD's Temple

 

(1 Kings 8:11)  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, since the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's Temple.

 

(1 Kings 8:12)  Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he lives shrouded in darkness.

 

(1 Kings 8:13)  Now I have been constructing a magnificent Temple dedicated to you that will serve as a place for you to inhabit forever."

 

(1 Kings 8:14)  Then the king turned to face the entire congregation of Israel while the congregation of Israel remained standing.

 

(1 Kings 8:15)  Then Solomon prayed: "Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who made a commitment to my father David and then personally fulfilled what he had promised when he said:

 

(1 Kings 8:16)  'From the day I brought out my people Israel from Egypt I never chose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple where my name might reside. I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

 

(1 Kings 8:17)  "My father David wanted to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

 

(1 Kings 8:18)  The LORD told my father David: 'Therefore, since you determined to build a temple for my name, you acted well, because it was your choice to do so.

 

(1 Kings 8:19)  Nevertheless, you are not to build the Temple, but your son who will be born to you is to build a temple for my name.'

 

(1 Kings 8:20)  "The LORD has brought to fulfillment what he promised, and now here I stand, having succeeded my father David to sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the Temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

 

(1 Kings 8:21)  I have placed there the ark in which the covenant is stored that the LORD made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt."

 

(1 Kings 8:22)  Then Solomon took his place in front of the LORD's altar in the presence of the entire congregation of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,

 

(1 Kings 8:23)  and said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no one like you, God in heaven above or on the earth below, who watches over his covenant, showing gracious love to your servants who live their lives in your presence with all their hearts.

 

(1 Kings 8:24)  It is you, LORD God, who have kept your promise to my father, your servant David, that you made to him. Indeed, you made a commitment to my father David and then personally fulfilled what you had promised today.

 

(1 Kings 8:25)  "Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, keep your promise that you made to my father, your servant David, when you said, 'You will not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants will watch their lives, to live in my presence just as you have lived in my presence.'

 

(1 Kings 8:26)  "Now therefore, God of Israel, may your promise that you made to your servant David my father be fulfilled...

 

(1 Kings 8:27)  and yet, will God truly reside on earth? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built!

 

(1 Kings 8:28)  Pay attention to the prayer of your servant and to his request, LORD my God, and listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying in your presence today.

 

(1 Kings 8:29)  Let your eyes always look toward this Temple night and day, toward the location where you have said 'My name will reside there.' Listen to the prayer that your servant prays in this direction.

 

(1 Kings 8:30)  Listen to the requests from your servant and from your people Israel as they pray in this direction, listen from the place where you reside in heaven, then hear and forgive.

 

(1 Kings 8:31)  "If a man should sin against his neighbor and he is required to take an oath, and he then comes to take an oath in front of your altar in this Temple,

 

(1 Kings 8:32)  then listen in heaven, act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing back to him the consequences of his choices and by justifying the righteous by recompensing him according to his righteousness.

 

(1 Kings 8:33)  "If your people Israel are defeated in a battle with their enemy because they have sinned against you, when they return to you and confess to you, pray, and in this Temple they ask you to show grace to them,

 

(1 Kings 8:34)  then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and return them to the soil that you gave to their ancestors.

 

(1 Kings 8:35)  "When heaven remains closed, and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray in the direction of this place, confessing your name and turning from their sin when you afflict them,

 

(1 Kings 8:36)  then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel. Indeed, teach them the best way to live and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance.

 

(1 Kings 8:37)  "If a famine comes to the land, or if plant diseases, mildew, locust, or grasshoppers appear, or if their enemies attack them in their settlements of the land, no matter what the epidemic or illness is,

 

(1 Kings 8:38)  whatever prayer or request is made, no matter whether it's made by a single man or by all of your people Israel, each praying out of his own hurting heart and anguish and stretching out his hands toward this Temple,

 

(1 Kings 8:39)  then hear from heaven, the place where you reside, and forgive, repaying each person according to all of his ways, since you know their hearts--for you alone know the hearts of all human beings--

 

(1 Kings 8:40)  so they will fear you every day and live on the surface of the land that you have given to our ancestors.

 

(1 Kings 8:41)  "Now concerning the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, when he comes from a land far away for the sake of your name

 

(1 Kings 8:42)  (for people will hear of your great name, your mighty acts, and your obvious power), when he comes and prays facing this Temple,

 

(1 Kings 8:43)  then hear in heaven where you reside, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name, fear you as do your people Israel, and so they may know that this Temple that I have built is called by your name.

 

(1 Kings 8:44)  "When your people go out to war against their enemies, no matter what way you send them, and they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city that you have chosen and in the direction of the Temple that I have built for your name,

 

(1 Kings 8:45)  then hear their prayer and their request in heaven, and fight for their cause.

 

(1 Kings 8:46)  "When they sin against you--because there isn't a single human being who doesn't sin--and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to the land that belongs to their enemy, whether near or far away,

 

(1 Kings 8:47)  if they turn their hearts back to you in the land where they have been taken captive, repent, and pray to you--even if they do so in the land of their captivity--confessing, 'We have sinned, we have committed abominations, and practiced wickedness,'

 

(1 Kings 8:48)  if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, as they pray to you in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name,

 

(1 Kings 8:49)  then hear their prayer and requests in heaven, where you reside, and fight for their cause,

 

(1 Kings 8:50)  forgiving your people who have sinned against you, along with their transgressions by which they have transgressed against you. "Show your compassion in the presence of those who have taken them captive, so they may show compassion on them,

 

(1 Kings 8:51)  since they are your people and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from an iron fire furnace.

 

(1 Kings 8:52)  Do this so your eyes may remain open to the requests of your servant and to the requests of your people's prayers, to listen to them whenever they call out to you,

 

(1 Kings 8:53)  because you have separated them to yourself as your heritage from all the people of the earth, as you spoke through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, Lord GOD.

 

(1 Kings 8:54)  When Solomon had completed saying this entire prayer to the LORD, he got up from kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven in the presence of the LORD's altar,

 

(1 Kings 8:55)  stood up, and blessed all of the assembly of Israel in a loud voice. He said:

 

(1 Kings 8:56)  "Blessed is the LORD, who has given security to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one of his promises has failed to come about that he gave through his servant Moses.

 

(1 Kings 8:57)  May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us,

 

(1 Kings 8:58)  so that he may turn our hearts toward him, so that we may live life his way, keeping his commands, statutes, and ordinances that he gave to our ancestors.

 

(1 Kings 8:59)  And may what I've had to say to the LORD remain with the LORD our God both day and night, so that he may defend the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as the need of the day may require it,

 

(1 Kings 8:60)  so that, in turn, all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God--there is no one else.

 

(1 Kings 8:61)  Now let your heart be completely devoted to the LORD our God, to live according to his statutes and to keep his commands, as we are doing today."

 

(1 Kings 8:62)  Then the king and all of Israel with him offered sacrifices to the LORD.

 

(1 Kings 8:63)  Solomon offered peace offerings to the LORD consisting of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelis dedicated the LORD's Temple.

 

(1 Kings 8:64)  That same day, the king consecrated the middle court that stood in front of the LORD's Temple, because that was where he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat from the peace offerings and because the bronze altar that was in the LORD's presence was too small to hold the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fat from the peace offerings.

 

(1 Kings 8:65)  So Solomon observed the Feast of Booths at that time, as did all of Israel with him. A large assembly came up from as far away as Lebo-hamath and the Wadi of Egypt to appear in the presence of the LORD our God, not just for seven days, but for seven days after that, a total of fourteen days.

 

(1 Kings 8:66)  The following day, Solomon sent the people away as they blessed the king. Then they went back to their tents, rejoicing and glad for all the good things that the LORD had done for his servant David and to his people Israel.

 

To continue with the story of Solomon and the rest of the kings up through Ahab, until when the prophet Elijah is about to appear on the scene please go the this link which contains a study of 1 Kings chapters 9 through 16

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/1-kings-bible-study-chapters-9-through-16-solomon-to-ahab/10200897205925991

Solomon in this story loves the Lord and is really blessed by the Lord and builds the temple that his father David had wanted to, and then dedicates it. These show how the Lord can bless people in some mighty ways. This all shows God’s mercy and provision towards men. God would later really show His mercy when He sent Jesus to die for all of our sins, something Jesus willingly did wanting to restore the relationship sin had severed. His death on the cross did just that, too restoring the relationship for those who call to Jesus. There is nothing like a relationship with God, either. I am now including a prayer which can be prayed to let Jesus in your heart to begin this wonderful love relationship, so please pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours