(1 Ki) 8:5, 11, 28-29, 33-34, 58, 60 CJB “King Shlomo and the whole community of Isra’el assembled in his presence were with him in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers beyond counting or recording. Adonai my God, pay attention to your servant’s prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today, that your eyes will be open toward this house night and day — “When your people Isra’el sin against you; then if they turn back to you, acknowledge your name, and pray and make their plea to you in this house; hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Isra’el, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors incline our hearts toward him, so that we will live according to his ways and observe his mitzvot, laws and rulings which he ordered our fathers to obey. Then all the peoples of the earth will know that Adonai is God; there is no other.” “ “The Son of Man has to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and he has to be put to death; but on the third day, he has to be raised to life.” Luke 9:22 CJB

First Kings 8 is the crescendo of God’s promise to Abraham.

God had given Israel the land. Solomon had built the temple. The ark had been brought into the Most Holy Place. Then God’s glory filled the temple so powerfully that the priests couldn’t even continue their service.

What a moment!

Solomon prayed that when God’s people sinned, they would turn back, acknowledge God, pray, and repent.

And he prayed: “Hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Isra’el…”1 Kings 8:34 CJB

But Solomon understood that forgiveness wasn’t the end goal. He prayed that God would: “incline our hearts toward him, so that we will live according to his ways…” 1 Kings 8:58 CJB

God wanted a people whose lives demonstrated to the nations that “ADONAI is God; there is no other.”

Tragically, Israel increasingly abandoned Him.

They disobeyed His commands, pursued other gods, and eventually experienced judgment and exile.

But God wasn’t finished.

Jesus Is the Better Sacrifice

Everything those countless sacrifices pictured ultimately points us toward Jesus.

Jesus told His disciples that He would suffer, be rejected, killed, and on the third day raised to life (Luke 9:22).

Jesus is the better sacrifice because His sacrifice never needs to be repeated.

He took upon Himself the judgment our rebellion deserves. He died for our sins and rose victorious over death.

And through Him, something remarkable has changed.

Israel worshiped around a temple where God’s presence dwelt behind barriers. Access to the Most Holy Place was restricted to the high priest, and only at the appointed time.

Jesus brings us near.

Through Christ, ordinary believers can approach the Father personally and confidently. We don’t travel to a temple to seek God’s presence. Through faith in Christ, God has made us His temple and placed His Spirit within us.

The God whose glory made priests unable to stand in Solomon’s temple now chooses to dwell within His people.

What incredible intimacy!

What incredible grace!

God’s Presence Should Change Us

But God’s presence isn’t merely something to enjoy. It should transform how we live.

Solomon prayed that God would incline the hearts of His people toward obedience.

Jesus does even more. Through His Spirit, He gives His people new hearts and power to increasingly become like Him.

We don’t obey to earn forgiveness.

We obey because in Christ we have been forgiven.

We don’t pursue holiness to persuade God to receive us.

We pursue holiness because through Jesus He already has.

And one day, what we now experience through the indwelling Spirit will reach its fulfillment. God’s people will live forever in His presence upon the new earth—no more death, tears, or pain.

The temple was glorious.

Jesus is greater.

He is our sufficient sacrifice, our access to the Father, our hope of resurrection, and the One transforming us for His glory.

Run Today’s Play

Ask yourself, does my life demonstrate that God truly has first place in my heart?

Then, come confidently to God through Jesus today. Confess anything that has displaced Him, receive His forgiveness, and obey what He has already shown you to do.

Then use your life to show someone else that ADONAI is God; there is no other.