CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
1 Kings 8:65. Hamath is the Grecian Epiphaneia, the principal city of Upper Syria, on the Orontes, the Northern frontier of Palestine (Numbers 13:2; Numbers 34:8). The river of Egypt is here, not the Nile, but the el Arish—the Southern boundary of the land of Israel (Numbers 34:5; Joshua 15:4; Joshua 15:47).—W. H. J.
HOMILETICS OF 1 Kings 8:62-66
SACRIFICE THE TEST OF GRATITUDE
The Temple, the dwelling-place of Jehovah, the pride of the Jews, the marvel of the ages, was now completed; and its solemn dedication was attended with overwhelming manifestations of the divine presence and glory. Its actual consecration is now crowned with an act of sacrifice on a scale of unexampled magnitude and grandeur. Monarch and people cheerfully unite in offering the vast holocaust. As the whole empire shared in the religious benefits of the occasion, so it was fitting it should share in its religious duties. Observe—
I. That a grateful heart prompts to acts of sacrifice. Bowed under a sense of the Divine condescension and beneficence, the people burst forth in praising Jehovah, “For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever” (2 Chronicles 7:3). It is when the heart is touched and melted with gratitude that it is most prolific in generous sacrifices, in holy resolves, and in initiating noble enterprises. The origin of many a stately building, of many a princely charitable endowment, and of many a sacrifice which, though small as the widow’s two mites, has, like hers, been the most acceptable to heaven, may be traced to the tender impulse of a holy and grateful heart. While Jacob was impressed with the goodness of a manifested God, he vowed a vow and set up a pillar (Genesis 28:16-22). When Isaiah felt the cleansing touch of the Seraphim, and saw the ineffable glory of Jehovah, the difficulties of his mission vanished, and his grateful and enraptured spirit eagerly cried, “Here am I; send me!” (Isaiah 6:1-8.) In a similar way, many a brave and successful missionary pioneer has offered his all upon the altar. The heart that is incapable of gratitude is incapable of anything truly great.
II. That sacrifice should be proportioned to the magnitude and character of the benefits conferred (1 Kings 8:62-64).
1. It should be equal to the occasion. The opening of the temple was the greatest event in the history of the Israelitish nation. It was the fulfilment of a promise of many years’ standing; the crowning act of a graduated series of laborious preparations. The liberality with which the people offered their gifts, the enthusiasm with which they laboured in its erection, and the readiness with which they gathered to celebrate its dedication, indicate the supreme importance in which it stood in the national estimation. And now the sacrifices they are called to offer must bear some adequate proportion to the greatness of the occasion. Alas! how few gifts to the church of God, now-a-days, are worthy of the name of sacrifice? Men—Christian men so-called—will spend hundreds of pounds in a pleasure trip, a fancy ball, a luxurious banquet, or a bit of jewellery, and yet insult the church of Christ by grudgingly offering a paltry piece of silver! There is neither poetical nor any other kind of justice in conduct like this. It is shockingly below the occasion. All sense of honour, of obligation, of gratitude, is utterly quenched.
2. It should be proportioned to ability. God had bestowed on Solomon great commercial prosperity, great wealth, great intellectual powers, great religious privileges, and he strives on this occasion to offer a becoming return to the Great Giver of all good. The Lord estimates the sacrifices of the rich, not by what is given, but by what is left. It was a frequent saying of Gonsalvo de Cordova, the great Spanish captain, “Never stint your hand: there is no mode of enjoying one’s property like giving it away.” It is expected by every law of right and justice that the wealthy should offer to God’s cause in accordance with their means; that the intellectually gifted should devote their best powers to promote His glory; and that those who are specially endowed with spiritual influence should use it diligently for the good of humanity. God does not expect impossibilities. “If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
III. That sacrifice is a privilege to be enjoyed (1 Kings 8:65). It was here accompanied with great festivities. The feast of the dedication of the altar lasted for a week, over which period, probably, the offering of the enormous mass of sacrificial victims was extended. This, again, was succeeded by the Feast of the Tabernacles (2 Chronicles 7:8-9), now celebrated with more than the usual festivities. The mere feasting occasioned by the vast number of victims was sufficient to mark the grandeur of the festival. Whatever we do for God should be done cheerfully and willingly, with all the relish of an enjoyable feast: not as if performing some irksome and unpleasant task, but as if enjoying a distinguished privilege. It is a triumph of Divine grace in man, and an evidence of a high state of personal sanctity, when it becomes a joy to make sacrifices. It is then that man most closely imitates the example of the great Sacrificial Victim who said, “Lo I come to do thy will, O God!” and who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.
IV. That sacrifice is often followed by the most joyous results (1 Kings 8:66). The vast host of Israelites who had joined in the celebration was filled with joy and thankfulness. When the people were dismissed they blessed the king, and went away to their tents, glad and merry of heart, lightening the journey home with songs of joy, “for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David His servant, and for Israel His people.” Great sacrifices are often succeeded by great blessings. What we sow in tears, we reap in joy. The sacrifices of a few may contribute to the happiness of the many. The one sacrifice of the Son of God has filled earth and heaven with gladness.
LESSONS:—
1. We owe to God more than we can ever repay.
2. The most acceptable sacrifice to God is a grateful and obedient life.
3. We find our greatest happiness in our greatest sacrifices.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1 Kings 8:62-66. The Temple Dedication.
1. A thanksgiving feast (1 Kings 8:62-63).
2. A covenant feast (1 Kings 8:65).
3. A feast of great gladness.
—For great benefits men should offer great thanksgivings, and indeed should prove their gratitude by promoting the true service of God, and by benevolence to the poor and needy.—Lange.
1 Kings 8:62. A sublime spectacle.
1. A nation before the Lord consecrating a temple to His worship.
2. King and people mutually acknowledging sin.
3. King and people uniting in highest acts of devotion.
4. King and people rejoicing together.
1 Kings 8:63. Sacrifices.
1. Were offered ever since the fall.
2. Were a perpetual memorial of Jehovah’s covenant with His people.
3. An acknowledgment of Divine mercies.
4. Necessary as an expiation for human sin.
1 Kings 8:64. The Burnt Offering was so called because the victim was wholly consumed by fire upon the altar, and so, as it were, sent up to God on the wings of fire. This idea which is expressed in the account of Noah’s sacrifice, and which constantly recurs both in the Scriptures and in profane authors, is implied in the Hebrew word, which signifies to ascend. The sacrifice was a memorial of God’s covenant, and signified that the offerer belonged wholly to God, and that he dedicated himself soul and body to Him, and placed his life at His disposal. And every such sacrifice was a type of the perfect offering made by Christ, on behalf of the human race, of His human nature and will to the will of the Father. The Meat Offering always accompanied the burnt offering, for which it might be substituted by the poor. As the burnt offering signified the consecration of life to God, both that of the offerer himself and of his living property, so in the meat offering the produce of the land was presented before Jehovah, as being His gift. The Peace Offering was not an atoning sacrifice to make peace with God, but a joyful celebration of peace made through the covenant. In this part of the Mosaic ritual, more than in any other, we see Jehovah present in His house, inviting the worshipper to feast with Him. Peace offerings were presented either as a thanksgiving, or in fulfilment of a vow, or as a free-will offering of love and joy.
1 Kings 8:66. When a man has rendered unto God what is of God, he can go forth to his daily labour with joy and gladness. To praise and thank God makes the heart glad and willing to work. A good king is the joy of his subjects. When we return to our eternal home, our joy shall never end; and our King Jesus will be the theme of everlasting praise.
—As the King concluded, the cloud which had rested over the Holy of Holies grew brighter and more dazzling; fire broke out and consumed all the sacrifices (2 Chronicles 7:1); the priests stood without, awestruck by the insupportable splendour; the whole people fell on their faces, and worshipped and praised the Lord, “for He is good, for His mercy is for ever.” Which was the greater, the external magnificence or the moral sublimity of this scene? Was it the Temple, situated on its commanding eminence, with all its courts, the dazzling splendour of its materials, the innumerable multitudes, the priests in their gorgeous attire, the king, with all the insignia of royalty on his throne of burnished brass, the music, the radiant cloud filling the Temple, the sudden fire flashing upon the altar, the whole nation upon their knees? Was it not rather the religious grandeur of the hymns and of the prayer; the exalted and rational views of the Divine Nature; the union of a whole people in the adoration of one Great, Incomprehensible, Almighty, Everlasting Creator?—Dean Milman.
—“For all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant.” The heritage of the good.
1. Is transmitted to succeeding generations.
2. Bears constant testimony to the Divine faithfulness (comp. 1 Kings 8:15).
3. Demands continued obedience on the part of its possessor.
4. Is an unspeakable boon to any nation.
5. Should be earnestly coveted and faithfully preserved.