The Dedication of the Temple

1 Kings 8

            Solomon’s prayer of dedication is a great piece for understanding how God works. Solomon completely understands the omnipresence of God, that He is everywhere, that a temple made with human hands cannot possibly contain Him. Yet, Solomon also knows that the Lord graciously condescends to dwell in the temple, and He does so so that Israel will always know where to find His gracious presence. Solomon’s line in verse 29 sums it up: “May your eyes be open toward this place.”

            God is indeed everywhere, but His gracious character is not revealed everywhere. Many people love the outdoors and say they feel closest to God there. But the outdoors is a brutal place. A few years ago I was hiking at Pike Lake and I came across a veritable explosion of feathers. It was clear what had happened. A predator, most likely a coyote, had attacked and killed a turkey. I have a biography of President James Garfield on my desk. He was born and raised in Ohio’s Western Reserve, a place that today is beautiful to visit but in those days was a dangerous and trackless wilderness. Martin Luther, walking home in a thunderstorm was so scared for his life that he promised God he would become a monk if he lived. The point is, nature is not place of safety, peace, and grace.

            So, yes, of course, we can feel the presence of God in nature. But He graciously descends and dwells with us in the place where He specifically says. Jesus says in Matthew 18 “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them.” Christians have always understood that to mean the New Testament equivalent of the Temple: the Church. At Divine Service, God speaks His words of forgiveness; At Divine Service, Jesus promises to be truly present with His body and blood. That is the place where ‘God’s eyes are always open toward us.’

            No wonder, then, that St. Paul calls the Church the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)!