When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from the sky and burned up the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The Glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
When all the Israelites saw the fire come down from heaven and the Glory of the Lord on the Temple, they bowed their faces down low to the ground on the pavement. They worshiped and thanked the Lord. They sang the song, The Lord Is Good. His Faithful Love Will Last Forever.
The priests stood ready to do their work. The Levites stood with the instruments they would use to play music to the Lord. King David made these instruments to use in giving thanks to the Lord. The priests and Levites sang the song, Praise the Lord Because His Faithful Love Will Last Forever. The priests blew their trumpets as they stood across from the Levites. And all the Israelites were standing.
King Solomon also dedicated the yard in front of the Temple. He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were used as fellowship offerings. King Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. He did this because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold them all.
So there at the Temple, King Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the festival. People came from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the border of Egypt in the south. This huge crowd of people who ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves together with the Lord for seven days.
On the eighth day they had a holy meeting because they had celebrated for seven days. They made the altar holy and it was to be used only for worshiping the Lord. And they celebrated the festival for seven days.
On the 23 day of the seventh month Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "Solomon, I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself to be a house for sacrifices.
and if my people who are called by my name become humble and pray, and look for me, and turn away from their evil ways, then I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal their land.
You must serve me with a pure and honest heart, just as your father David did. You must obey my laws and do everything that I commanded you. If you obey all I have commanded, and if you obey my laws and rules,
then I will make you a strong king and your kingdom will be great. That is the agreement I made with David your father when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by one of his descendants.
then I will take the Israelites out from my land that I gave them. And I will leave this Temple that I have made holy for my name. I will make this Temple something that all the nations will speak evil about.
People will say, 'This happened because they left the Lord their God. He brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they decided to follow other gods. They began to worship and to serve those gods. That is why the Lord caused all these bad things to happen to them.'"