10 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

Which is the seventh month (1 Kings 8:2)

The temple was finished in the eighth month (1 Kings 6:38), but Solomon chose the seventh month for the dedication, eleven months later.

The priests took up the ark (1 Kings 8:3)

Solomon was careful to obey what God commanded about transporting the ark of the covenant, that it was only to be carried by priests. He would not repeat the error of his father David in 2 Samuel 6:1-8.

Solomon was indeed a wise man to learn from the mistakes of others

When you learn from your own mistakes that is experience. It's not such a good way to learn.

And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place,that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:10-11)

No flesh can glory in his presence

The cloud filled the house of the LORD: This was the cloud of glory, seen often in the Old and New Testaments, sometimes called the cloud of Shekinah glory.

Praise:

“Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, (1 Kings 8:23)

Stood before the altar of the LORD (1 Kings 8:22)

Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. It would be inappropriate for him to do so, because he was a king and not a priest. The Holy Place and Most Holy Place were only for chosen descendants of the High Priest.

Chapter 8