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Speaker 1: Let us pray, and he said, Lord God of Israel,

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Speaker 1: there is no God like THEE in heaven above or

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Speaker 1: on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy

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Speaker 1: servants that walk before THEE with all their heart. First Kings,

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Speaker 1: Ate twenty three, My God, as I enjoy the vastness

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Speaker 1: of your glory and splendor, I will be mindful to

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Speaker 1: continue building the business, ministry, department, company, and family that

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Speaker 1: you've called me to build. As I build, I will

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Speaker 1: make sure that, like Solomon, I will construct my life

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Speaker 1: off of your blue print and the blue print 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 to day's reading in First Kings

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Speaker 1: and Second Chronicles to remind myself that you deserve nothing

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Speaker 1: less than my best. So today I commit my all

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Speaker 1: to you. I declare that you will receive nothing less

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Speaker 1: than my best in all that I do. When excellence

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Speaker 1: seems to be out of reach, I declare that you

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Speaker 1: will bring the right people into my life to elevate

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Speaker 1: everything that I touch. I acknowledge that whatever I build

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Speaker 1: will serve as a monument to you and your glory. Therefore,

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Speaker 1: I will not stop until the world sees the beauty

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Speaker 1: and splendor of what You've placed inside of me. In

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Speaker 1: Jesus name, thank you for making prayer a priority in

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Speaker 1: your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned

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Speaker 1: for today's story, brought to you by Bible in a

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Speaker 1: Year dot com. Solomon builds a temple for the Lord.

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Speaker 1: In our last story, we peered into the dreams of Solomon.

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Speaker 1: God asked him to request anything and it would be answered.

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Speaker 1: Instead of asking for riches, long life, or victory, Solomon

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Speaker 1: asked for wisdom and a kind heart to lead his people.

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Speaker 1: God granted this to Solomon and gave him more than

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Speaker 1: he could have ever asked for. Now we see Solomon

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Speaker 1: putting his wisdom to good use as he seeks to

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Speaker 1: build the Great Temple of God, inspired by the Book

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Speaker 1: of First Kings in Second Chronicles. Hello, this is Jack

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Speaker 1: Graham with the day's episode of the Bible in a Year.

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Speaker 1: In our previous episode, we heard how God appeared to

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Speaker 1: Solomon in a dream and offered to give him whatever

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Speaker 1: he desired. Rather than asked for riches or long life,

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Speaker 1: Solomon asked God to give him wisdom, and discernment so

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Speaker 1: that he could lead God's people. Well. This pleased God

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Speaker 1: so much that God promised not only wisdom, but wealth, fame,

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Speaker 1: and prosperity. Today we'll learn how Israeli experienced a time

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Speaker 1: of great peace and celebration, something they'd never really had before.

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Speaker 1: And in this new era, Solomon the Wise King was

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Speaker 1: set about accomplishing the vision his father, David had to

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Speaker 1: build a great house for the Lord. So let's listen

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Speaker 1: now to today's word. It was a time of peace

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Speaker 1: in Israel. David the Great Warrior had vanquished many of

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Speaker 1: Israel's enemies. As a result, Solomon had the privilege of

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Speaker 1: building alliances, trade, roots, and libraries. Conflict was replaced by communication.

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Speaker 1: Bloodshed was replaced by brotherhood, so much so that when

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Speaker 1: it came time for Solomon to begin building the Temple

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Speaker 1: of God, he had the aid of other nations. King

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Speaker 1: Hiram of Tire offered up his cedar beams in Cyprus

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Speaker 1: from Lebanon, as well as men to aid in construction.

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Speaker 1: All was falling into place for Solomon, and the spirit

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Speaker 1: of God was pleased with his work. Springtime waltzed into

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Speaker 1: the land like a joyful song, Solomon and his workforce

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Speaker 1: had worked day and night unto the Lord. The sun

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Speaker 1: was gentle and the breeze was kind. Spring flowers bloomed

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Speaker 1: in an array of colors and smells. It had been

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Speaker 1: four hundred eighty years since the people of Israel were

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Speaker 1: delivered out of slavery, and for the first time, Israel

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Speaker 1: began to feel permanent. The people watched as the massive

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Speaker 1: temple was built before them. This was a symbol of

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Speaker 1: their freedom. Solomon looked up at the temple. The sun

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Speaker 1: reflected off of its roof. Beautifully nearly finished, Solomon could

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Speaker 1: finally step back to appreciate the work. God spoke in

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Speaker 1: the coolness of midday. Remember what this temple means. Obey

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Speaker 1: me and I will fulfill my promise to your father.

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Speaker 1: I will live among you and will never abandon you.

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Speaker 1: Solomon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He

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Speaker 1: was content. Solomon stepped inside the temple to finish the interior.

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Speaker 1: The entire inside was paneled with fine cedar. The floors

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Speaker 1: were smooth cypress. The inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies,

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Speaker 1: was at the far end of the temple. It was

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Speaker 1: thirty feet deep and its walls were carved with immaculate

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Speaker 1: floral designs. The entire interior was then overlaid with solid gold,

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Speaker 1: and gold chains protected the entrance. Two fifteen foot cherubim

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Speaker 1: were made of wild olive wood and placed there in

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Speaker 1: the inner sanctuary. Their wingspans spread across the room valiantly.

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Speaker 1: Palm trees, flowers, and gold filled the hallways, and the

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Speaker 1: double doors were pure olive wood. Finally, after seven years

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Speaker 1: of planning, building and refining, the Temple of the Lord

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Speaker 1: was complete. It stood as a beacon of hope and

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Speaker 1: sanctuary to all who entered Israel. Solomon stood in the

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Speaker 1: temple courtyards in awe of the temple's beauty. He turned

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Speaker 1: back towards the main entrance and watched as the priests

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Speaker 1: of Israel raised the Ark of the Covenant and brought

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Speaker 1: it into the temple. The entirety of Israel gathered for

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Speaker 1: a festival and watched as the presence of God filled

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Speaker 1: the temple. In an instant, the glorious presence of the

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Speaker 1: Lord came upon the Holy of Holies like a cloud,

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Speaker 1: and the priests stood in wonder. Solomon fell to his

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Speaker 1: knees before the temple. People stood and watched as their

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Speaker 1: king bowed before him. No king in the land ever

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Speaker 1: bowed to anyone. Yet Solomon would bow to God, for

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Speaker 1: it was God who was above all. Solomon looked to

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Speaker 1: the heavens and said, here you are, Lord, your permanent home.

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Speaker 1: He then rose to his feet and turned to the people.

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Speaker 1: He raised his hand before them, smiled, and declared, Praise

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Speaker 1: the Lord, Praise the God of Israel. It was my

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Speaker 1: father's greatest wish to build this temple, but war kept

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Speaker 1: him from building it. But here it is. The crowd

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Speaker 1: erupted in cheers. Shouts of joy and praise filled the skies.

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Speaker 1: Solomon burst into laughter as he spoke, tears streamed down

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Speaker 1: his face. He looked to heaven again and said, there

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Speaker 1: is no one like you in all of heaven or

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Speaker 1: on earth. Please keep your promises to us, by your

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Speaker 1: unfailing love, carry out your promises. We know that there

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Speaker 1: is nothing that can contain you, not even this temple.

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Speaker 1: But we ask that you meet us here. Solomon placed

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Speaker 1: his hand on the altar and spoke to God. God

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Speaker 1: would continue to meet with his people in the temple,

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Speaker 1: although not even the vastness of the temple could contain him.

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Speaker 1: As for Solomon. His wealth and influence would expand beyond

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Speaker 1: any king in the East. His poetry, philosophy, and theology

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Speaker 1: would be sought after by princes and nobles from far

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Speaker 1: off lads. Peace filled the land, God filled the land.

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Speaker 1: Although struggle awaited the people of Israel, they enjoyed their

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Speaker 1: moment of bliss and the glory of their God. As

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Speaker 1: we begin today's lesson, the Kingdom of Israel is reaping

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Speaker 1: the benefits of David's many battles. Solomon rules over a

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Speaker 1: nation that, rather than engaging battles with its neighbors, is

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Speaker 1: forming alliances and establishing trade. It was an era of

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Speaker 1: hope and prosperity, and Solomon knew that the time was

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Speaker 1: right to begin building God's Temple. His father had wanted

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Speaker 1: so badly to build the House of God, but was

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Speaker 1: prevented from doing so because he had blood on his hands.

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Speaker 1: He had been a man of war. Though God had

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Speaker 1: prevented David for accomplishing the task, he promised that his

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Speaker 1: son would build the temple. So now, in the fourth

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Speaker 1: year of his rule, Solomon began to fulfill that vision.

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Speaker 1: Because of Israel's alliances with neighbors and the peace they

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Speaker 1: were experiencing, Solomon was able to enlist labor and materials

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Speaker 1: from other nations. King Hiram of Tire sent the best

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Speaker 1: seater in Cyprus woods to begin the construction, along with

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Speaker 1: laborers who worked alongside of Solomon's own men to erect

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Speaker 1: the temple. And what an impressive temple this would be.

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Speaker 1: It was so much more than just a building. It

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Speaker 1: was a symbol, a sanctuary for the people, a sign

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Speaker 1: of God's presence and their freedom, a freedom that God

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Speaker 1: promised and delivered to them. It was a precious thing,

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Speaker 1: but the people and Solomon needed a reminder not of

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Speaker 1: what it symbolized, but who it was for. So God

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Speaker 1: spoke to Solomon, saying in First King six verses twelve

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Speaker 1: and thirteen, concerning this house that you were building, if

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Speaker 1: you walk in my statutes and obey my rules, and

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Speaker 1: keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I

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Speaker 1: will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David,

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Speaker 1: your father, and I will dwell among the children of Israel,

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Speaker 1: and will not forsake my people Israel. God is a

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Speaker 1: holy father. He knows his children, and he knows that

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Speaker 1: these children of Israel needed to remember him in the

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Speaker 1: newfound prosperity that they had been given unless they once

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Speaker 1: again turn away into their own desires and interests and

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Speaker 1: even idols. As impressive as it was from the outside,

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Speaker 1: this temple was even more so on the inside. Filled

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Speaker 1: with gold and finest wood and the best craftsmanship, it

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Speaker 1: was truly a home befitting the most High God. And finally,

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Speaker 1: after seven years of building, the Great House of the

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Speaker 1: Lord was completed. God's presence, the Ark of the Covenant,

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Speaker 1: was brought into the temple. All that was left to

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Speaker 1: do was to celebrate this momentous occasion with a great stable.

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Speaker 1: God displayed his awesome presence by entering the Holy of

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Speaker 1: Holies like a cloud. The people and the priest were

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Speaker 1: filled with wonder and awe. Solomon then bowed before the Lord,

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Speaker 1: demonstrating that he was just an earthly king and that

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Speaker 1: the one true King, the one worthy of praise and submission,

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Speaker 1: was God Almighty. It was something truly amazing for a

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Speaker 1: king to do, as no other nations king would dare

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Speaker 1: bow to another. But Solomon, like his father, understood that

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Speaker 1: God was above all and worthy of all praise and adoration.

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Speaker 1: In humility, he asked God to come and meet his

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Speaker 1: people in that place, the house that he had built

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Speaker 1: for God. He also knew that the temple, though great

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Speaker 1: and glorious, was not enough to contain God's greatness. One day,

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Speaker 1: God's presence would come in an even more remarkable way,

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Speaker 1: opening the door for him to dwell not in a

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Speaker 1: house of gold and cedar, but in the heart of man.

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Speaker 1: Dear God, thank you for this powerful passage of scripture,

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Speaker 1: for your presence in our lives. Just as you endwelt

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Speaker 1: your temple so long ago, may we now the temple

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Speaker 1: of your spirit be a sanctuary for your presence. Lord Phillis,

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Speaker 1: with your spirit, that we might live for your glory

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Speaker 1: in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's

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Speaker 1: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.

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Speaker 1: Download the Prey dot com app and make sure that

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Speaker 1: prayer and Bible reading is a priority in your life.

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Speaker 1: it with someone you love, and let's get the word

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Speaker 1: of God out to many, many people. And if you

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Speaker 1: want more resources as to how you can learn and

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