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Will God Live in the Temple?
God's Conditional Presence
1 Kings 6:11-13 interrupts a long description of the temple.
We do well to pay attention to this interruption because it makes a shocking point.
God's presence isn't guaranteed to be in the temple forever.
As we've seen in previous studies, the narrator of 1 Kings repeatedly foreshadows the problems the monarchy will face later in the story. (see other guided studies).
So, let's look at this brief interruption to the temple construction.
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11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying 12 “Concerning this house you are building — if you will walk in my statutes and you will do my justice, and you will observe my commands by walking in them — then I will exalt my word with you which I spoke to your father David. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and I will not forsake my people Israel.
God’s conditional statement in 1 Kings 6:12 recalls a similar statement found in 1 Kings 3:14. Solomon’s status with God is, in some sense, conditioned on his obedience to God.
1 Kings 3:14 (NRSV)
If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”
In 1 Kings 3, God’s commitment to the Davidic promise writ-large is at stake. In 1 Kings 6, Solomon’s obedience (or lack thereof) will determine if God lives in the temple.
The beauty of 1 Kings 6:13 is that God agrees to dwell in the temple and, consequently, among the Israelites. This promise is good news when compared to God’s initial hesitancy about the temple project as expressed in 2 Samuel 7.
However, there is a negative implication by God’s statement in 1 Kgs 6:13. God will not be confined to the temple. If Solomon proves to be unfaithful, the LORD reserves the right to walk away and leave the temple behind.
We should not lose sight of how shocking this statement is in its larger context. Even as 1 Kings celebrates the temple’s majesty, we are reminded that God’s presence there is not guaranteed.
A well-known 20th-century theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously warned Christians about the dangers of ‘cheap grace.” By this phrase, he meant a type of Christian living that was not accompanied by fruitful action for the Lord.
God’s comments in 1 Kings 6:11-13 warn Solomon about taking advantage of God’s gracious decision to live among his people. God cannot be confined by human constructs. He can and will do as he pleases and deems necessary.
This blog post is a part of the Passage of the Week. Join the email list to get guided study notes sent to your inbox every Monday and Friday.
Here are a couple of commentaries you might find helpful on the book of Kings.
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