“When Shlomo had finished praying all this prayer and plea to Adonai, he got up from in front of the altar of Adonai, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven…” – 1 Kings 8:54
There’s a key detail missing in the description of Solomon’s dedication prayer over the Temple.
We’re told that after he had finished praying, he stood up in front of the altar of Adonai and began blessing the people of Israel.
Then something amazing happened that can only be discovered by cross-referencing with this other part of Scripture:
“When Shlomo had finished praying,
fire came down from heaven and
consumed the burnt offering
and the sacrifices.”
– 2 Chronicles 7:1
So during the dedication ceremony, the Lord lit up the altar fire and consumed the offerings in flames instead of letting the priests light up the fire as normal.
Now lemme ask you something.
Doesn’t this bring up something familiar from our past Torah studies?
Well, it should.
Here’s a little blast from the past from the Book of Leviticus:
“Aharon raised his hands toward the people,
blessed them and came down from
offering the sin offering, the burnt offering
and the peace offerings.
Moshe and Aharon entered the tent of meeting,
came out and blessed the people.
Then the glory of ADONAI appeared to all the people!
Fire came forth from the presence of ADONAI,
consuming the burnt offering and the
fat on the altar.
When all the people saw it,
they shouted and fell on their faces.”
-Leviticus 9:22
So as I mentioned before, there’s something important I learned from Tom Bradford’s Torah Class.
You gotta pay attention to repeating patterns in Scripture.
In other words, don’t ask WHY God lit up the fire and burnt up the offerings instead of the priests.
Rather, ask WHAT or WHICH pattern is being repeated here.
We find the answer in the Book of Leviticus when the Lord consecrated the Wilderness Tabernacle.
The unchanging God followed the same pattern when He consecrated Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem as He had when He consecrated the earlier Tabernacle at Mount Sinai.
It didn’t matter that the two structures were very different.
The Tabernacle was made out of fabric, animal skins, and wood.
Solomon’s Temple was made out of stone and wood.
Yet the divine response was the same.
Through this sign, the people understood that God had accepted the Temple as His dwelling place and set it apart as holy.
Are you seeing how this pattern has repeated itself throughout history?
First, God’s glory filled the Tabernacle during Israel’s wilderness wanderings.
Then, His divine presence filled the Temple after Israel entered the land.
Now, in the New Testament era, God’s presence dwells in His people regardless of geographical location.
And here’s the kicker.
When the 3rd Temple is built (which it most surely will be)…
There ain’t no reason to believe that this event (the Lord bringing down fire from heaven) will not repeat itself.
Ya feel me here?
I mean, think about it.
If the God we worship is the same yesterday, today, and forever…
Doesn’t it make perfect sense that how He behaved in the past is…
…how He behaves today…
And is how He will behave tomorrow.
The takeaway for today is as clear as the blue sky on a sunny day.
If you really wanna understand what the Lord is doing today…
Study what He did as recorded in the very foundation of Scripture: The Torah.
That revelation given to Moses on Mount Sinai will NEVER go out of date.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Do not think that I have come
to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them
but to fulfill them.
For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter,
not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law
until everything is accomplished.
Therefore anyone who sets aside
one of the least of these commands
and teaches others accordingly
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and
teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.”
– Matthew 5:17-19
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