All you had to do was remain faithful

From I Kings 8-11:

1. When the Israelites gathered together to "commission" the temple, the bible says that so many sheep and cattle were sacrificed that they could not be counted. Wow!

2. The bible records that there was nothing inside the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had brought down from Mount Horeb. I wonder what happened to the jar of manna and the budding staff of Aaron that had been in there before.

3. The fact that the cloud filled the temple, displaying God's presence to such a degree that the priests could not perform their duty is really cool.

4. Perhaps it is my psychoanalytical nature to do this, but I wonder about the comment that Solomon made when he saw the cloud. He said, "I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you,..." If it were me, I think that I would not dare to say this, because obviously heaven has to be much more magnificent. (Though I guess that later in his prayer he kind of redeems himself by saying that nothing can contain God)

5. It sounds a little like the king of Hiram, who had helped build the Lord's temple by providing Solomon with the cedar, pine and gold that was needed, was not happy with the towns he was given as reward for his gift. I wonder why Solomon did not try to mend this relationship (or at least why it is not mentioned here if he did).

6. During the reign of Solomon, all of the other people groups who were in the land promised to the Israelites were forced to be the labor force for the building of the temple and the palace. It says that Solomon did not make any of the Israelites to be slaves; rather, they were his fighting men, officials, officers, and commanders. If this is true, I wonder why the people complained later to Rehoboam about the heavy weight that Solomon had imposed upon them.

7. I wonder how the queen of Sheba knew of the Lord. I mean, she came to Solomon because she "heard about the fame of Solomon AND HIS RELATION TO THE NAME OF THE LORD". I also wonder about the hard questions she was going to ask. According to the account given, he was easily able to answer all that she asked.

8. If only Solomon had been wise in his dealings with women! It is interesting to note that God raised up enemies to contend with the house of David because of Solomon's sin of forsaking God and following after the gods of his many wives. It is also interesting to note that Ahijah stated very clearly to Jeroboam why ten tribes would become followers of him instead of the house of David. Ahijah also gave him a promise from God that he would build him a dynasty as enduring as the one that David had if he would only walk in God's ways. This illustrates that all of mankind struggles with faithfulness to God.