And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
The temple was finished, and Israel carried the ark up to it. This verse catches the moment: the king and the whole nation move with the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers nobody counted.
The whole nation, not a chosen few
Everyone came: elders, heads of tribes, priests, and the whole nation. One writer points out that David gathered only a chosen few, and that this day has a note of finality.
H. L. RossierSolomon sets about bringing the ark up to the temple, along with all the men of Israel, all the elders, all the heads of the tribes, and the priests. It is no longer only "the chosen men of Israel" (2 Sam. 6:1), as in David's time; all the people take part in this complete and final celebration. Final indeed, for the dedication of the temple happens during the great days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast that closes the series of Jewish feasts.
One object at the centre of the crowd
Everything in the scene turns on one object. The crowd gathers to the king, yet it stands "before the ark" — and one writer finds a lesson there for worship today.
An Outline of Sound WordsHow good it was to see this great gathering united in honouring their God, with His ark at the centre of their thoughts and their movements. Our worship can only be acceptable to God when Christ is the object before the heart, directing all our movements for His pleasure.
Why the ark was worth all this
Why did one wooden chest deserve all this? The answer lay in what it was made of and what it held.
W. W. FeredayThe ark was the highest picture of Christ in that age of pictures. The acacia wood, and the gold that covered it, speak of who He is: both man and God. The mercy seat on the ark speaks of His sacrifice, for the blood of the sin offering was always on it. As the container for the tablets of the law, it expressed righteousness. Grace in God has found a way for lawbreakers to be blessed. That way is Christ and His atoning sacrifice.
Sacrifices that could not be counted
The text gives no number. One writer treats that missing number as the point.
Leslie M. GrantWhile this work was going on, King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that no one could count them (v. 6). Every one of these offerings is a picture of the one offering of Christ. Yet the number speaks of the worship of One who is worthy of unlimited adoration, because His sacrifice is of unlimited value.
A rehearsal of a coming day
The same writer looks further ahead. He reads the uncountable animals as a picture of a day still to come.
Leslie M. GrantAt this time Solomon and the people offered so many sheep and oxen that no one could count them (v.5). This seems amazing. But it is a picture of the great work of grace that God will do among His redeemed people when the Lord Jesus sets up His thousand-year kingdom. It shows how the people will value the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus at Calvary. Their praise will be almost unceasing.
The real meaning of the day
The scale of it raises a question. One writer asks it plainly, then answers it.
Warriors, Workers & WorshippersWe may well ask, why all this great ceremony and rejoicing? Was it only that the ark had reached a resting place at last? That is certainly true, but it is not the whole truth. It was that God — the God of Israel, the one living and true God — was entering His resting place on earth. This was a foreshadowing of what will happen when the Lord Jesus reigns in power and in peace over the earth.
Summary
- Centre. The crowd faced the ark, not the king. Worship is acceptable today only when Christ is the object before the heart.
- Person. Wood and gold pictured Christ as man and God. The mercy seat pictured His sacrifice, and the law inside the ark His righteousness.
- Reach. David gathered a chosen few. Solomon gathered the whole nation, at the feast that closes Israel's year.
- Immeasurable. The animals stay uncounted for a reason. One offering of Christ, of unlimited value, calls for unlimited adoration.
- Rest. The day pointed beyond itself. God was entering His resting place on earth — a preview of Christ reigning in peace, with praise that hardly stops.