“And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’” vv.21-22
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Continued celebrating and feasting went on for a week for the dedication of the house of the Lord. When all was said and done Solomon sent everyone back to their homes as well as himself and the Lord appeared to him in answer to his prayers. God's answer is a reminder that He will be with Solomon and the children of Israel but that they must continue to follow and fear Him alone. God says that if they sin that if they repent He will forgive, but if they do not they will be given over to calamity. Idolatry is what is warned of which becomes their downfall. And with this downfall the house of the Lord that was just built and celebrated would one day be destroyed to the ground and would be seen among other nations "as a clear message of sin and its costs" (NKJV Study Bible notes). This was all a warning at this time while Solomon and the people were joyful of the One True God. As they partook and experienced true faith and the Lord's presence one would "find his godly sorrow enlarged, his hatred of sin increased, his soul made more watchful, and his life more holy" as Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary notes. I wonder if this time was like a spiritual high people get when they go on retreats with their church or Christian organization and are more attentive to the Lord back at home for a while, unfortunately it usually fades for many. When have you experience a "spiritual high" seeing things of God more clearly that later faded? Why do you think that did?
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