Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray:
My God, I adore and thank your loving and wise Providence, manifested on every page of Sacred Scripture. You have always been close to sinful and erring humanity, and have indicated the way and given hope. Amid the shadows of error and corruption, you kindled the light of your truth; amid universal corruption, you are the Just One; amid so much idolatry, humanity in every corner of the earth has cultivated a sincere worship of you.
Let my reading today increase my trust in your goodness, your mercy, and your unfailing faithfulness.
Today's chapters are 1 Kings 7-9 and Psalm 47.
It's interesting to note that in the palace and even for the Temple, artisans crafted lions, oxen, cherubim, lilies, pomegranates, and palm trees on the walls, serving as supports, decorating surfaces. It seems that there was not a single space left unadorned with a "graven image" of some sort. The Temple follows the blueprint of the desert "tabernacle," and is the cosmos in miniature. It even has a "sea" with the practical function of providing water, but clearly also a stand-in for the oceans.
At the solemn dedication of the Temple, the dense cloud reminds us of the way God was visibly present among his people during the Exodus (Exodus 13:21; 19:9; 33:9-10). Solomon asks, "Is God indeed to dwell on earth?" This is the question the whole Bible answers with a resounding "Yes!"
A side note about King Hiram of Phoenicia (i.e. Tyre and Sidon): he is known from historic records as a builder of temples!
Start reading 1 Kings here and the Psalm here.
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