1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Chapter 8
and said: “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you either in heaven or on earth! You keep your Covenant and show loving-kindness to your servants who walk before you wholeheartedly.
But will God live among people on earth? If neither heaven nor the highest heaven can contain you, how much less can this house, which I have built!
Yet, listen to the prayer and supplication of your servant, O Lord my God; listen to the cries and pleas that your servant directs to you this day.
Watch over this house of which you have said, ‘My Name shall rest there.’ Hear the prayer of your servant in this place.
Listen to the supplication of your servant and your people Israel when they pray in this direction; listen from your dwelling place in heaven and, on hearing, forgive.
Commentaries
Dedication of the Temple.
The Ark of the Covenant found its dwelling and final resting place in the temple. Except for processions on liturgical occasions (cf. Ps 132), the Ark, or rather the Glory of God, would not leave the sanctuary until 587, when, with the city and temple destroyed, the Lord went into exile with the exiles on their way to Babylon (cf. Ez 11:22-24). Ezekiel himself (cf. Ez 43:1-12) describes the return of the Glory or divine presence to its dwelling in Jerusalem. The following themes are highlighted in the Deuteronomistic prayer: first, fidelity. Biblical history is primarily built on the “promise-fulfillment” pattern. From the very beginning, sacred history is marked by a series of promises that are fulfilled over varying lengths of time.
This pattern highlights two theological concepts: on one side, God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises, and on the other, the power of divine words or promises, which serve as the dynamic and motivating force of salvation history. The theme of divine transcendence is expressed as: “Is it possible for God to dwell on earth? If you cannot fill heaven and the highest heavens, how much less this temple I have built for you!” (27). This reflects the eternal tension between transcendence and immanence.
Finally, the prayer frequently appeals to God’s condescension and mercy: “Hear the supplication of your servant and your people, Israel, when they pray in this place; hear from your dwelling place in heaven, hear and forgive” (30). The universalist openness (41-43) reflects the time of exile (Second Isaiah) and the post-exilic period. Third Isaiah (cf. Is 56:6) provides an appropriate context for framing these verses of Solomon’s prayer. The theme of Jerusalem and the temple as the focal point for all the peoples of the earth gives rise to many compositions and poems (cf. Zech 8:20-22).