Solomon offered
a thousand burnt offerings on that altar (1 Kings 3:4).
Upon entering the
Promised Land, the tabernacle found a temporary home at Shiloh. There it
remained from the time of the judges through Samuel’s childhood. At some point,
probably soon after the Battle of Shiloh (1 Samuel 4), the tabernacle was moved
to Gibeon. But what’s a tabernacle without the Ark of the Covenant? After the
ark was captured by the Philistines, and then returned, it would never again be
housed in Moses’ Tabernacle. For years (throughout the reign of Saul and
beyond) it was sheltered at the house of Abinadab. When David conquered
Jerusalem, he set up a new tent for the ark called Zion, but Moses’ tabernacle
remained at Gibeon.
The Zion tabernacle
had no altar for burnt offerings so, after Solomon’s coronation, he went to
Gibeon, where he offered up a thousand sacrifices. Can you imagine how long it
would take to sacrifice a thousand burnt offerings? In return for this act of
worship, or more likely because of Solomon’s heart behind the worship, God appeared
to him in a dream and offered the new king anything he asked. Solomon could
have asked for wealth or power, but asked instead for wisdom. So in addition to
wisdom, God promised Solomon all the wealth and power he could have
asked for.
Extravagant worship.
Extravagant blessing. Could there be a connection?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Now why was it you wanted
to keep your worship safe and respectable? Pray for the courage to worship God
the way he deserves to be worshiped.
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