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Solomon Builds a Temple for the Lord · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no
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  Speaker 1: God like thee, in heaven above or on earth beneath,
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  Speaker 1: who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk
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  Speaker 1: before thee with all their heart. 1 Kings 8.23 My God,
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  Speaker 1: as I enjoy the vastness of your glory and splendor,
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  Speaker 1: I will be mindful to continue building the business, ministry, department, company,
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  Speaker 1: and family that you've called me to build. As I build,
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  Speaker 1: I will make sure that, like Solomon, I will construct
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  Speaker 1: my life off of your blueprint and the blueprint or
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  Speaker 1: specifications you've set for others. When the temptation comes to
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  Speaker 1: play it small or hold back from giving my all,
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  Speaker 1: I will look to today's reading in 1 Kings and
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  Speaker 1: 2 Chronicles to remind myself that you deserve nothing less
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  Speaker 1: than my best. So, today, I commit my all to you.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that you will receive nothing less than my
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  Speaker 1: best in all that I do. When excellence seems to
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  Speaker 1: be out of reach, I declare that you will bring
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  Speaker 1: the right people into my life to elevate everything that
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  Speaker 1: I touch. I acknowledge that whatever I build will serve
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  Speaker 1: as a monument to you, and your glory. Therefore, I
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  Speaker 1: will not stop until the world sees the beauty and
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  Speaker 1: splendor of what you've placed inside of me. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon builds a temple for the Lord. In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: we peered into the dreams of Solomon. God asked him
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  Speaker 2: to request anything and it would be answered. Instead of
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  Speaker 2: asking for riches, long life, or victory, Solomon asked for
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  Speaker 2: wisdom and a kind heart to lead his people. God
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  Speaker 2: granted this to Solomon and gave him more than he
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  Speaker 2: could have ever asked for. Now we see Solomon putting
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  Speaker 2: his wisdom to good use as he seeks to build
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  Speaker 2: the great temple of God, inspired by the book of
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  Speaker 2: 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: slash stress. In our previous episode, we heard how God
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  Speaker 3: appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered to give
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  Speaker 3: him whatever he desired. Rather than ask for riches or
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  Speaker 3: a long life, Solomon asked God to give him wisdom
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  Speaker 3: and discernment so that he could lead God's people well.
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  Speaker 3: This pleased God so much that God promised not only wisdom,
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  Speaker 3: but wealth, fame, and prosperity. Today, we'll learn how Israel
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  Speaker 3: experienced a time of great peace and celebration, something they'd
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  Speaker 3: never really had before. And in this new era, Solomon
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  Speaker 3: the wise king was set about accomplishing the vision his
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  Speaker 3: father David had. to build a great house for the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: So let's listen now to today's word.
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  Speaker 2: It was a time of peace in Israel. David, the
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  Speaker 2: great warrior, had vanquished many of Israel's enemies. As a result,
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  Speaker 2: Solomon had the privilege of building alliances, trade routes, and libraries.
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  Speaker 2: Conflict was replaced by communication. Bloodshed was replaced by brotherhood.
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  Speaker 2: so much so that when it came time for Solomon
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  Speaker 2: to begin building the temple of God, he had the
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  Speaker 2: aid of other nations. King Hiram of Tyre offered up
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  Speaker 2: his cedar beams in Cyprus from Lebanon, as well as
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  Speaker 2: men to aid in construction. All was falling into place
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  Speaker 2: for Solomon, and the Spirit of God was pleased with
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  Speaker 2: his work. Springtime waltzed into the land like a joyful song.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon and his workforce had worked day and night unto
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  Speaker 2: the Lord. The sun was gentle and the breeze was kind.
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  Speaker 2: Spring flowers bloomed in an array of colors and smells.
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  Speaker 2: It had been 480 years since the people of Israel
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  Speaker 2: were delivered out of slavery, and for the first time
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  Speaker 2: Israel began to feel permanent. The people watched as the
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  Speaker 2: massive temple was built before them. This was a symbol
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  Speaker 2: of their freedom. Solomon looked up at the temple. The
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  Speaker 2: sun reflected off of its roof beautifully. Nearly finished, Solomon
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  Speaker 2: could finally step back to appreciate the work. God spoke
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  Speaker 2: in the coolness of midday, saying, Remember what this temple means.
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  Speaker 2: Obey me and I will fulfill my promise to your father.
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  Speaker 2: I will live among you and will never abandon you.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He
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  Speaker 2: was content. Solomon stepped inside the temple to finish the interior.
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  Speaker 2: The entire inside was paneled with fine cedar. The floors
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  Speaker 2: were smooth cypress. The inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies,
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  Speaker 2: was at the far end of the temple. It was
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  Speaker 2: thirty feet deep, and its walls were carved with immaculate
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  Speaker 2: floral designs. The entire interior was then overlaid with solid gold,
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  Speaker 2: and gold chains protected the entrance. Two fifteen-foot cherubim were
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  Speaker 2: made of wild olive wood and placed there in the
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  Speaker 2: inner sanctuary. Their wingspans spread across the room valiantly. Palm trees, flowers,
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  Speaker 2: and gold filled the hallways, and the double doors were
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  Speaker 2: pure olive wood. Finally, after seven years of planning, building,
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  Speaker 2: and refining, the temple of the Lord was complete. It
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  Speaker 2: stood as a beacon of hope and sanctuary to all
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  Speaker 2: who entered Israel. Solomon stood in the temple courtyards in
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  Speaker 2: awe of the temple's beauty. He turned back towards the
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  Speaker 2: main entrance and watched as the priests of Israel raised
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  Speaker 2: the Ark of the Covenant and brought it into the temple.
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  Speaker 2: The entirety of Israel gathered for a festival and watched
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  Speaker 2: as the presence of God filled the temple in an instant.
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  Speaker 2: The glorious presence of the Lord came upon the Holy
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  Speaker 2: of Holies like a cloud, and the priests stood in wonder.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon fell to his knees before the temple. People stood
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  Speaker 2: and watched as their king bowed before him. No king
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  Speaker 2: in the land ever bowed to anyone, yet Solomon would
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  Speaker 2: bow to God, for it was God who was above all.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon looked to the heavens and said, Here you are, Lord,
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  Speaker 2: your permanent home. He then rose to his feet and
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  Speaker 2: turned to the people. He raised his hand before them, smiled,
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  Speaker 2: and declared, Praise the Lord! Praise the God of Israel!
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  Speaker 2: It was my father's greatest wish to build this temple,
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  Speaker 2: but war kept him from building it. But here it is!
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  Speaker 2: The crowd erupted in cheers. Shouts of joy and praise
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  Speaker 2: filled the skies. Solomon burst into laughter as he spoke.
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  Speaker 2: Tears streamed down his face. He looked to heaven again
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  Speaker 2: and said, There is no one like you in all
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  Speaker 2: of heaven or on earth. Please keep your promises to
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  Speaker 2: us by your unfailing love. Carry out your promises. We
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  Speaker 2: know that there is nothing that can contain you, not
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  Speaker 2: even this temple, but we ask that you meet us here.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon placed his hand on the altar and spoke to God.
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  Speaker 2: God would continue to meet with his people in the temple,
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  Speaker 2: although not even the vastness of the temple could contain him.
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  Speaker 2: As for Solomon... His wealth and influence would expand beyond
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  Speaker 2: any king in the east. His poetry, philosophy, and theology
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  Speaker 2: would be sought after by princes and nobles from far
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  Speaker 2: off lands. Peace filled the land. God filled the land.
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  Speaker 2: Although struggle awaited the people of Israel, they enjoyed their
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  Speaker 2: moment of bliss and the glory.
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  Speaker 3: Of their God. As we begin today's lesson, the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of Israel is reaping the benefits of David's many battles.
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  Speaker 3: Solomon rules over a nation that, rather than engage in
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  Speaker 3: battles with its neighbors, is forming alliances and establishing trade.
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  Speaker 3: It was an era of hope and prosperity, and Solomon
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  Speaker 3: knew that the time was right to begin building God's temple.
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  Speaker 3: His father had wanted so badly to build the house
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  Speaker 3: of God, but was prevented from doing so because he
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  Speaker 3: had blood on his hands. He had been a man
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  Speaker 3: of war. Though God had prevented David from accomplishing the task,
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  Speaker 3: he promised that his son would build the temple. So
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  Speaker 3: now in the fourth year of his rule, Solomon began
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  Speaker 3: to fulfill that vision. Because of Israel's alliances with neighbors
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  Speaker 3: and the peace they were experiencing, Solomon was able to
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  Speaker 3: enlist labor and materials from other nations. King Hiram of
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  Speaker 3: Tyre sent the best cedar and cypress woods to begin
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  Speaker 3: the construction, but along with laborers who worked alongside of
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  Speaker 3: Solomon's own men to erect the temple. And what an
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  Speaker 3: impressive temple this would be. It was so much more
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  Speaker 3: than just a building. It was a symbol, a sanctuary
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  Speaker 3: for the people, a sign of God's presence and their freedom,
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  Speaker 3: a freedom that God promised and delivered to them. It
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  Speaker 3: was a precious thing, but the people and Solomon needed
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  Speaker 3: a reminder, not of what it symbolized, but who it
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  Speaker 3: was for. So God spoke to Solomon, saying in 1
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  Speaker 3: Kings 6, verses 12 and 13, Concerning this house that
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  Speaker 3: you are building, if you walk in my statutes and
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  Speaker 3: obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk
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  Speaker 3: in them, then I will establish my word with you,
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  Speaker 3: which I spoke to David your father. And I will
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  Speaker 3: dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake
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  Speaker 3: my people Israel. God is a holy father. He knows
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  Speaker 3: his children. And he knows that these children of Israel
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  Speaker 3: needed to remember him in the newfound prosperity that they
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  Speaker 3: had been given. unless they once again turn away into
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  Speaker 3: their own desires and interests and even idols. As impressive
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  Speaker 3: as it was from the outside, this temple was even
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  Speaker 3: more so on the inside. Filled with gold and finest
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  Speaker 3: wood and the best craftsmanship, it was truly a home
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  Speaker 3: befitting the Most High God. And finally, after seven years
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  Speaker 3: of building, the great house of the Lord was completed.
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  Speaker 3: God's presence, the Ark of the Covenant, was brought into
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  Speaker 3: the temple. All that was left to do was to
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  Speaker 3: celebrate this momentous occasion with a great festival. God displayed
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  Speaker 3: his awesome presence by entering the Holy of Holies like
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  Speaker 3: a cloud. The people and the priests were filled with
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  Speaker 3: wonder and awe. Solomon then bowed before the Lord, demonstrating
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  Speaker 3: that he was just an earthly king and that the
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  Speaker 3: one true king, the one worthy of praise and submission,
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  Speaker 3: was God Almighty. It was something truly amazing for a
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  Speaker 3: king to do. as no other nation's king would dare
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  Speaker 3: bow to another. But Solomon, like his father, understood that
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  Speaker 3: God was above all and worthy of all praise and adoration.
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  Speaker 3: In humility, he asked God to come and meet his
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  Speaker 3: people in that place, the house that he had built
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  Speaker 3: for God. He also knew that the temple, though great
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  Speaker 3: and glorious, was not enough to contain God's greatness. One day,
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  Speaker 3: God's presence would come in an even more remarkable way.
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  Speaker 3: opening the door for him to dwell not in a
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  Speaker 3: house of gold and cedar, but in the hearts of men.
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  Speaker 3: Dear God, thank you for this powerful passage of Scripture,
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  Speaker 3: for your presence in our lives. Just as you indwelt
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  Speaker 3: your temple so long ago, may we now, the temple
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  Speaker 3: of your Spirit, be a sanctuary for your presence. Lord,
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  Speaker 3: fill us with your Spirit that we might live for
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  Speaker 3: your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before we go,
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: I want to let you know about a unique e-book
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: Free from Stress. And my prayer is that it will
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: help you conquer the daily task and pressures and burdens
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org. dot org slash stress.