King Solomon

Dedication of the Temple and the way to forgiveness

When King Solomon dedicated the Temple to the Name of YHWH, everyone was summoned—thousands upon thousands of people. There he gave a speech in which he made some important points.

Solomon began by saying that the Temple could not contain the vastness of YHWH; but it did connect YHWH to his servants. Solomon said: 29 “for Your eyes being open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, My Name is there; to listen to the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place. 30Then You have listened to the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, which they pray toward this place; indeed, You listen in the place of Your dwelling, in the heavens.”

Another thing Solomon said was that YHWH forgives a man’s sins when he repents and turns back to God. Paul preached something entirely different: he claimed that the Jews believed that sins were forgiven as a result of sacrifices. Solomon said: 33 “In Your people Israel being struck before an enemy, because they sin against You, and they have turned back to You, and have confessed Your Name, and prayed, and made supplication to You in this house, 34then you hear in the heavens, and have forgiven the sin of Your people Israel.”

Solomon makes the same point with regard to drought. YHWH holds back rain when the people sin aganst Him, but when they turn back to Him and confess His Name, there is rain. He says that this applies also to “famine, pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, caterpillar . . . any plague, any sickness.” There is nothing about sacrifices, only repentance and turning to God.

Furthermore, this very simple and direct way to forgiveness—which, again, has nothing to do with blood sacrifices—applies to non-Jews. 41 “And also, to the stranger who is not of Your people Israel, and has come from a far-off land for Your Name’s sake— 42for they hear of Your great Name, and of Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm—and he has come in and prayed toward this house, 43You hear in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, and have done according to all that the stranger calls to You for, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name, to fear You like Your people Israel . . .”

So, contrary to the claims of Paul, or Saul, or whatever his name was, the Jewish people didn’t believe they were better than non-Jews. They simply would not change their beliefs to accomodate what seemed to them an abomination, that is, Paul’s claim that the execution of Yehoshua was a blood sacrifice ritual.

I have long suspected that Paul was sent by the Luciferians to associate Yehoshua’s name with human sacrifice, which was repellant to Jews. At the same time, Paul energetically sought to destroy the Nazarene movement lead by James, using the same tactic of infiltration and division that the Luciferians employ today.

1 Kings 8 (Literal Standard Version)

22And Solomon stands before the altar of YHWH, in front of all the assembly of Israel, and spreads his hands toward the heavens, 23and says, “YHWH, God of Israel, there is not a God like You, in the heavens above and on the earth below, keeping the covenant and the kindness for Your servants, those walking before You with all their heart, 24which You have kept for Your servant, my father David, that which You spoke to him; indeed, You speak with Your mouth, and with Your hand have fulfilled [it], as [at] this day. 25And now, YHWH, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, that which You spoke to him, saying, A man of yours is never cut off from before My face, sitting on the throne of Israel—only, if your sons watch their way, to walk before Me as you have walked before Me. 26And now, O God of Israel, please let Your word be established which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27But is it true [that] God dwells on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28Then You have turned to the prayer of Your servant, and to his supplication, O YHWH my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today, 29for Your eyes being open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, My Name is there; to listen to the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place. 30Then You have listened to the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, which they pray toward this place; indeed, You listen in the place of Your dwelling, in the heavens—and You have listened, and have forgiven,

31that which a man sins against his neighbor, and he has lifted up an oath on him to cause him to swear, and the oath has come in before Your altar in this house, 32then You hear in the heavens, and have done, and have judged Your servants, to declare wicked the wicked, to put his way on his [own] head, and to declare righteous the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.

33In Your people Israel being struck before an enemy, because they sin against You, and they have turned back to You, and have confessed Your Name, and prayed, and made supplication to You in this house, 34then you hear in the heavens, and have forgiven the sin of Your people Israel, and brought them back to the ground that You gave to their fathers.

35In the heavens being restrained, and there is no rain, because they sin against You, and they have prayed toward this place, and confessed Your Name, and turn back from their sin, for You afflict them, 36then You hear in the heavens, and have forgiven the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, for You direct them [to] the good way in which they go, and have given rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for inheritance.

37Famine—when it is in the land; pestilence—when it is [in the land]; blasting, mildew, locust; caterpillar—when it is [in the land]; when its enemy has distressed it in the land [in] its gates, any plague, any sickness— 38any prayer, any supplication that [is] of any man of all Your people Israel, each who knows the plague of his own heart, and has spread his hands toward this house, 39then You hear in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, and have forgiven, and have done, and have given to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You have known—You alone—the heart of all the sons of man), 40so that they fear You all the days that they are living on the face of the ground that You have given to our fathers.

41And also, to the stranger who is not of Your people Israel, and has come from a far-off land for Your Name’s sake— 42for they hear of Your great Name, and of Your strong hand, and of Your outstretched arm—and he has come in and prayed toward this house, 43You hear in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, and have done according to all that the stranger calls to You for, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name, to fear You like Your people Israel, and to know that Your Name has been called on this house which I have built.

44When Your people go out to battle against its enemy, in the way that You send them, and they have prayed to YHWH [in] the way of the city which you have fixed on, and of the house which I have built for Your Name, 45then You have heard their prayer and their supplication in the heavens, and have maintained their cause.

46When they sin against You (for there is not a man who does not sin), and You have been angry with them, and have given them up before an enemy, and they have taken captive their captivity to the land of the enemy far off or near; 47and they have turned [it] back to their heart in the land to where they have been taken captive, and have turned back, and made supplication to You in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned and done perversely—we have done wickedly; 48indeed, they have turned back to You with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and have prayed to You [in] the way of their land, which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your Name: 49then You have heard in the heavens, the settled place of Your dwelling, their prayer and their supplication, and have maintained their cause, 50and have forgiven Your people who have sinned against You, even all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and have given them mercies before their captors, and they have had mercy [on] them— 51for they [are] Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the midst of the furnace of iron— 52for Your eyes being open to the supplication of Your servant, and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them in all they call to You for; 53for You have separated them to Yourself for an inheritance, out of all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke by the hand of Your servant Moses, in Your bringing out our fathers from Egypt, O Lord YHWH.”

54And it comes to pass, at Solomon’s finishing to pray to YHWH all this prayer and supplication, he has risen from before the altar of YHWH, from bending on his knees and [having] his hands spread out to the heavens, 55and he stands and blesses all the assembly of Israel [with] a loud voice, saying,

56“Blessed [is] YHWH who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He has spoken; not [even] one word has fallen of all His good word, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Moses. 57Our God YHWH is with us as He has been with our fathers; He does not forsake us nor leave us; 58to incline our heart to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and His statutes, and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers; 59and these, my words, with which I have made supplication before YHWH, are near to our God YHWH by day and by night, to maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel, the matter of a day in its day, 60that all the peoples of the earth may know that He, YHWH, [is] God; there is none else; 61and your heart has been perfect with our God YHWH, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commands, as [at] this day.”

62And the king and all Israel with him are sacrificing a sacrifice before YHWH; 63and Solomon sacrifices the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he has sacrificed to YHWH: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all the sons of Israel dedicate the house of YHWH. 64On that day the king has sanctified the middle of the court that [is] before the house of YHWH, for he has made the burnt-offering, and the present, and the fat of the peace-offerings there; for the altar of bronze that [is] before YHWH [is] too small to contain the burnt-offering, and the present, and the fat of the peace-offerings.

65And Solomon makes, at that time, the festival—and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entering in of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt—before our God YHWH, [for] seven days and seven [more] days—fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he has sent the people away, and they bless the king, and go to their tents, rejoicing and glad of heart for all the good that YHWH has done to His servant David, and to His people Israel.

There are a few different kinds of offerings. A burnt offering is first slaughtered, then disemboweled and the intestines cleaned, then dismembered, then placed on the altar. It is burned slowly until the entire carcass is consumed.

Most of a peace offering is eaten, which explains how 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep were disposed of. This was without a doubt the largest assembly ever held in Israel, and it lasted 14 days. I’m doubtful that all of the attendees were within Jerusalem’s walls. The Cambridge Bible explains this very well.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

62–66. The great sacrifice and festival (2 Chronicles 7:4-11)

63. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings] It is ordered in the Law (Leviticus 7:15) that the greatest part of such peace offerings shall be eaten at the time of the offering. The fat and certain internal portions of the victim are to be consumed in the fire on the altar, but all else is to go for food. This explains in part the enormous number of animals mentioned in this verse. Not only among the Jews, but among all ancient nations, sacrifices were feasts, sometimes on a very large scale. Homer supplies abundant instances. The dedication of the Temple was an event for which all who could come were sure to assemble, and for the support of such an enormous crowd for fourteen days (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:8-9) the supply here mentioned need not be thought excessive. Great multitudes can assemble in Eastern climates, where the shelter of a roof at night is not a necessity, with less preparation, except for actual food, than is required in western lands. Josephus says “all the Hebrews feasted with their wives and children, moreover also the king celebrated the feast which is called the feast of Tabernacles grandly and magnificently before the Temple, feasting together with all the people.”

two and twenty thousand oxen Contrary to his custom Josephus gives here a smaller number than that in the Hebrew text. He says twelve thousand oxen, but keeps the same number, one hundred and twenty thousand, for the sheep.