🎉 WIN A TECH-READY FAMILY GIVEAWAY BUNDLE! 🎉

We're excited to partner with Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes to give away:

📚 A copy of Five Habits of the Tech-Ready Family: Raising Wise Kids in a Wild Digital World

📖 The Entrusted with a Child's Heart book AND video series for couples (this is the blue book, not the notebook for moms)

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a review for the Again or Dwelling Place podcasts on Apple Podcasts. Both for bonus points!
2. Complete the simple giveaway form.

BONUS ENTRIES:

⭐ Share this episode on Facebook or Instagram and tag Entrusted Ministries

⭐ Share why you enjoy Again or The Dwelling Place in a social media post

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

WHY WE'RE DOING THIS

Entrusted Ministries exists to help parents confidently pass their faith to the next generation. Every review, subscription, and share helps more moms discover biblical encouragement, practical parenting wisdom, and a deeper love for God's Word!

Giveaway closes: Saturday, June 20, 2026

Winner announced: Monday, June 22, 2026In this episode of The Dwelling Place Podcast, Stephanie Hickox walks through the breathtaking dedication of Solomon’s Temple in 8 and 4–5, inviting listeners to slow down and marvel at God’s faithfulness, holiness, and covenant love.

After years of preparation by David and more than seven years of construction by Solomon, the Temple is finally completed. As the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the house of the Lord and God’s glory fills the Temple, Solomon offers one of the longest and most beautiful prayers recorded in Scripture.

This passage reminds us that no amount of past faithfulness guarantees future obedience, making it essential for believers to continually guard their hearts and remain devoted to the Lord. Through Solomon’s prayer, we discover powerful truths about repentance, forgiveness, prayer, God’s promises, and His desire that all nations would know and worship Him.

Most importantly, this episode points us to Jesus Christ—the true fulfillment of God dwelling among His people and the greater Temple through whom we have access to God today.

In This Episode:

• 1 Kings 8 explained
• Solomon’s Temple dedication
• The glory of God filling the Temple
• One of the longest prayers in Scripture
• God’s covenant faithfulness
• The importance of repentance and forgiveness
• Why believers must guard their hearts
• God's heart for the nations
• The Ark of the Covenant and the Temple
• Old Testament connections to Jesus Christ
• Biblical prayer and worship
• Finding confidence in God's promises

Key Scriptures:

• 1 Kings 8
• 2 Chronicles 4–5
• God's covenant with David
• The Ark of the Covenant
• Solomon's prayer of dedication

Key Themes:

• God's faithfulness to fulfill every promise
• The necessity of wholehearted devotion
• Prayer, repentance, and restoration
• Worship that honors God's holiness
• God's desire for all peoples to know Him
• Jesus as God dwelling among His people

Memorable Passages:

"Not one word has failed of all His good promise."

"Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God."

"That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and there is no other."

For Christian Moms:

As we build our homes, disciple our children, and seek to remain faithful in everyday life, Solomon's prayer reminds us that God's work is never merely about buildings, accomplishments, or outward success. The Lord desires hearts fully devoted to Him. This episode encourages moms to cultivate a life of prayer, trust God's promises, and point their families toward the One who perfectly fulfilled God's plan—Jesus Christ.

Resources Mentioned:

• Animated visual of Solomon’s Temple
• Bible study resources from Entrusted Ministries

Connect with Entrusted Ministries

Learn more about Bible studies for moms, Christian discipleship resources, and Scripture-rich encouragement for families at Entrusted Ministries

Join us as we help moms study the Bible, build their homes on God’s Word, and raise the next generation to know and love Jesus Christ.

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary, Spurgeon's Treasury of David

This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

2

I'm Stephanie Hickox, and as I

prayed about how to best present 1

3

Kings chapter seven and eight, and 2

Chronicles four through five, it seemed

4

to me that since Solomon spent seven

and a half years building the temple

5

the best way that we could enter in

with its consecration and dedication

6

was to meditate on this full passage,

7

When we go through scripture at this

pace, though, we can forget all the work

8

and effort that went into something And

I think it serves as a powerful warning

9

of how diligently we need to guard our

hearts, knowing that our past devotion

10

and effort does not ensure our future

faithfulness to the Lord Solomon Offers

11

The second longest prayer

in all of scripture

12

It's beautiful and has elements

that even impact you and I today

13

also, I'm gonna link a brief

video in the show notes.

14

This would be great for you and your

kids to watch this animated display

15

of what Solomon's Temple looked like.

16

It's not a perfect representation,

but I really appreciated

17

visualizing the construction

18

In our next episode, we'll cover a

portion of scripture that was my favorite

19

passage of the Bible for about a decade.

20

And in order to fully delight in God's

response to Solomon, I want us to

21

realize just what God was responding to

22

First Kings 8 begins with Solomon

assembling the leaders of Israel

23

and bringing the Ark of the Covenant

24

to the temple.

25

his father must have properly warned

him so Solomon does it just as he

26

should, with priests carrying the poles

27

And when the priests came out of the

holy place, a cloud filled the house

28

of the Lord, so that the priests

could not stand to minister because

29

of the cloud, for the glory of the

Lord filled the house of the Lord.

30

Then Solomon said, " The Lord has said

that he would dwell in thick darkness.

31

I have indeed built you an exalted house,

a place for you to dwell in forever."

32

Then the king turned around and blessed

all the assembly of Israel, while

33

all the assembly of Israel stood.

34

And he said, " Blessed be the Lord, the

God of Israel, who with his hand has

35

fulfilled what he promised with his mouth

to David my father, saying, ' Since the

36

day that I brought my people Israel out

of Egypt, I chose no city out of all

37

the tribes of Israel in which to build

a house, that my name might be there.

38

But I chose David to be

over my people Israel.'"

39

Now it was in the heart of David

my father to build a house for the

40

name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

41

But the Lord said to David my

father, " Whereas it was in your heart

42

to build a house for my name, you

did well that it was in your heart.

43

Nevertheless you shall not build the

house, but your son who shall be born to

44

you shall build the house for my name."

45

Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise

that he made, for I have risen in the

46

place of David my father and sit on the

throne of Israel as the Lord promised,

47

and I have built the house for the

name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

48

And there I have provided a place for

the ark, in which is the covenant of the

49

Lord that he made with our fathers when

he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

50

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the

Lord in the presence of all the assembly

51

of Israel and spread out his hands toward

heaven and said, " O Lord, God of Israel,

52

there is no God like you in heaven above

or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and

53

showing steadfast love to your servants

who walk before you with all their heart.

54

You have kept with your servant David

my father what you declared to him.

55

You spoke with your mouth and with your

hand you have fulfilled it this day.

56

Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel,

keep for your servant David my father

57

what you have promised him, saying, ' You

shall not lack a man to sit before me

58

on the throne of Israel, if only your

sons pay close attention to their way

59

To walk before me as you

have walked before me.

60

Now therefore, O God of Israel, let

your word be confirmed, which you have

61

spoken to your servant David, my father

62

But will God indeed dwell on the earth?

63

Behold, heaven and the highest

heaven cannot contain you.

64

How much less this

house that I have built?

65

Yet have regard to the prayer of your

servant and to this plea, O Lord my

66

God, listening to the cry and to the

prayer that your servant prays before

67

you this day, that your eyes may be

open day and night toward this house,

68

the place of which you have said, ' My

name shall be there,' that you may

69

listen to the prayer that your servant

offers toward this place, and listen

70

to the plea of your servant and of your

people Israel when they pray toward

71

this place, and listen in heaven, your

dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive

72

if a man sins against his neighbor and is

made to take an oath and comes and swears

73

his oath before your altar in this house,

then hear in heaven and act and judge

74

your servants, condemning the guilty by

bringing his conduct on his own head and

75

vindicating the righteous by rewarding

him according to his righteousness.

76

When your people Israel are defeated

before the enemy because they have

77

sinned against you, and if they turn

again to you and acknowledge your name

78

and pray and plead with you in this

house, then hear in heaven and forgive

79

the sin of your people Israel and bring

them again to the land that you gave to

80

their fathers When heaven is shut up

and there is no rain because they have

81

sinned against you, if they pray toward

this place and acknowledge your name and

82

turn from their sin when you afflict them

83

Then hear in heaven and forgive the

sin of your servants, your people

84

Israel, when you teach them the

good way in which they should walk.

85

And grant rain upon your land, which

you have given to your people as an

86

inheritance If there is famine in the

land, if there is pestilence or blight

87

or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if

their enemy besieges them in the land

88

at the gates, whatever plague, whatever

sickness there is, whatever prayer,

89

whatever plea is made by any man or by

all your people Israel, each knowing the

90

affliction of his own heart and stretching

out his hands toward this house, then

91

hear in heaven your dwelling place and

forgive and act and render to each whose

92

heart you know according to all his ways.

93

For you, you only know the hearts of all

the children of mankind, that they may

94

fear you all the days that they live in

the land that you gave to our fathers

95

Likewise, when a foreigner who is not

of your people Israel comes from a far

96

country for your namesake, for they

shall hear of your great name and your

97

mighty hand and of your outstretched arm.

98

When he comes and prays toward this house,

hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do

99

according to all for which the foreigner

calls to you, in order that all the

100

peoples of the earth may know your name

and fear you, as do your people Israel

101

And that they may know that this house

that I have built is called by your name.

102

If your people go out to battle against

their enemy, by whatever way you shall

103

send them, and they pray to the Lord

toward the city that you have chosen

104

and the house that I have built for your

name, then hear in heaven their prayer

105

and their plea, and maintain their cause

If they sin against you, for there is no

106

one who does not sin, and you are angry

with them and give them to an enemy, so

107

that they are carried away captive to the

land of the enemy, far off or near, yet

108

if they turn their heart in the land to

which they have been carried captive, and

109

repent and plead with you in the land of

their captors, saying, " We have sinned

110

and have acted perversely and wickedly!"

111

If they repent with all their heart and

with all their soul in the land of their

112

enemies who carried them captive, and

pray to you toward their land, which you

113

gave to their fathers, the city that you

have chosen, and the house that I have

114

built for your name, then hear in heaven,

your dwelling place, their prayer and

115

their plea, and maintain their cause.

116

Speaker 28: And forgive your people

who have sinned against you, and all

117

their transgressions that they have

committed against you, and grant

118

them compassion in the sight of

those who carried them captive, that

119

they may have compassion on them.

120

For they are your people and your

heritage, which you brought out of Egypt,

121

from the midst of the iron furnace.

122

Let your eyes be open to the plea

of your servant and to the plea

123

of your people Israel, giving ear

to them whenever they call to you.

124

For you separated them from among

all the peoples of the earth to

125

be your heritage, as you declared

through Moses your servant, when you

126

brought our fathers out of Egypt,

127

O Lord God.

128

Now as Solomon finished offering all this

prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose

129

the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt

with hands outstretched toward heaven.

130

And he stood and blessed all the

assembly of Israel with a loud voice,

131

saying, " Blessed be the Lord, who

has given rest to His people Israel,

132

according to all that He promised.

133

Not one word has failed of

all His good promise, which

134

He spoke by Moses His servant.

135

The Lord our God be with us,

as He was with our fathers.

136

May He not leave us or forsake us, that

He may incline our hearts to Him to

137

walk in all His ways and to keep His

commandments, His statutes, and His

138

rules, which He commanded our fathers."

139

Let these words of mine with which I

have pleaded before the Lord be near

140

to the Lord our God day and night,

and may he maintain the cause of his

141

servant and the cause of his people

Israel as each day requires, that all

142

the peoples of the earth may know that

the Lord is God and there is no other.

143

Let your heart therefore be wholly true to

the Lord our God, walking in his statutes

144

and keeping his commandments as at this

day Then the king and all Israel with

145

him offered sacrifice before the Lord.

146

Solomon offered as peace offerings to

the Lord twenty-two thousand oxen and

147

one hundred twenty thousand sheep.

148

So the king and all the people of

Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

149

The same day the king consecrated the

middle of the court that was before the

150

house of the Lord, for there he offered

the burnt offering and the grain offering

151

and the fat pieces of the peace offerings

because the bronze altar that was before

152

the Lord was too small to receive the

burnt offering and the grain offering and

153

the fat pieces of the peace offerings.

154

Solomon held the feast at that time and

all Israel with him, a great assembly

155

from Lebohemoth to the brook of Egypt

before the Lord our God seven days.

156

On the eighth day he sent the people

away and they blessed the king and

157

went to their homes joyful and glad

of heart for all the goodness that

158

the Lord had shown to David his

servant and to Israel his people.

159

We'll continue looking at this

dedication ceremony in the next episode.

160

And Lord, incline our hearts to you.

161

That all the peoples of the earth may know

that you are God and there is no other

162

Solomon asked But will God

indeed dwell on the earth?

163

And Jesus, we rejoice that

you did and that you will, It

164

is in your name we pray.

165

Amen