1 Kings 8 - Introduction

REVIEW OF CHAPTER SEVEN

I. FACTS TO MASTER

1. Five calamities which might befall Israel if unfaithful.

2. Duration of the dedication activities (1 Kings 8:65).

3. The identity of the feast which followed the dedication ceremonies (1 Kings 8:65).

4. Number of sacrifices offered during the dedication (1 Kings 8:63).

5. Boundaries of the land of Israel on the north and south (1 Kings 8:65).

6. Time of the second dream appearance to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1).

7. Those sacred objects deposited by priests and Levites in the new Temple.
8. That which remained in the ark at this time.
9. The meaning of Ethanim.

10. The spot where God originally made a covenant with Israel.

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. How many prayer postures are alluded to in this section? What has posture to do with effective prayer?
2. In Solomon's dedicatory prayer, what receives the most emphasis: praise, petition or thanksgiving?
3. Is there anything in this section to suggest that Solomon was a prophet like his father David?
4. What promise made to David had already been fulfilled at the time of the Temple dedication?
5. What is the special significance of the term your servant used several times in this section?

6. Many writers speak of the Universalism in Solomon's prayer. What is the element of Universalism?

7. What is the significance of the three words for prayer used in 1 Kings 8:28?

8. What is the plague of his own heart in 1 Kings 8:38?

9. Can you think of examples in Old Testament history of foreigners who embraced the worship of the true God?
10. What is meant by fear God?

11. What evidence is there that Solomon did not think of God as confined to the Temple or to Jerusalem?

12. What is the significance of the use of the two words for sin in 1 Kings 8:50?

13. What are some reasons Solomon suggested as to why God should answer his prayer for Israel? 1 Kings 8:51-53

14. What are the promises made by Moses that Solomon regarded as already fulfilled? 1 Kings 8:56

15. What condition is attached to the continued divine sup port for the Davidic dynasty?

16. In 1 Kings 8:27 Solomon the Temple builder raised a basic question about the construction of temples which was later echoed by Stephen (Acts 7:47 ff.). What should be the Christian attitude regarding the spending of large sums of money to construct lavish places of worship?