Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Kings Chapter 8
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 8:1-13
8:1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. 8:2And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 8:3And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 8:4And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up. 8:5And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. 8:6And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. 8:7For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. 8:8And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. 8:9There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 8:10And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, 8:11so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.
8:12Then spake Solomon,
Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
8:13I have surely built thee a house of habitation,
a place for thee to dwell in for ever.
December 13, 1908: I Kings 8:1-12
The body is made up of the accumulated thought experiences of the ages. This body is invisible; it is enfolded in the subjective consciousness of the individual. This is represented as the city of David in Zion (Sepulcher). The ark of the covenant is the agreement with Principle which has accumulated in the inner consciousness. That is, it is the sum total of results of all right thoughts and acts. When we think and act according to Principle, there is left in the subjective realm of our being a certain mental result, which may be compared to the right answers to the problems in mathematics worked out by the schoolboy. This is carried over from life to life as a sort of trial-balance, which forms the basis of each new body. When we have through many experiences in body building accumulated enough of these merit-thoughts, they form the foundation in consciousness of a more enduring structure. Instead of a transitory body (tent) that perishes at slight cause, we are entering upon the construction of a body that shall endure as the permanent temple of the Most High God. The assembling of the “elders and all of the head's of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel unto King Solomon in Jerusalem” is a drawing together in conscious unity of all the intelligent, directive powers of the spiritual self, to the standard of Peace and Harmony. This process may take place without the conscious mind understanding its import. The consciousness is made up of objective and subjective thoughts and their results. Like a chemical solution, they go through changes on the subjective side that are observed in their outer appearance only, and but dimly understood.
This feast in the seventh month, Ethanim, refers to a culmination each year of certain thought forces engendered on the natural plane. Seven always refers to material fulfillment, and twelve to spiritual. Thus the metaphysician by study and meditation learns to observe these inner changes in soul and body, and instead of calling a certain chemicalization in thought a fit of sickness, he says it is a culmination of true and error thinking. It is in reality just what this Ethanim feast represents, a celebration of a thought harvest. The Jewish feast took place at a time which covers parts of September and October. The priests and Levites are our so-called “natural religious tendencies.” These officiate in the rites and ceremonies of the tent, or tabernacle, and when the more permanent structure is to be built, they bring up all the “holy vessels” from that structure. We can thus understand why some people are naturally of a religious turn of mind, though they may be born of worldly parents. They carry over from a former tabernacle the results of exercising the mind in religious ways. These are the priests and Levites. Thus the savage with his vague understanding of Deity may, by constantly repeating certain religious ceremonies, accumulate a religious tendency that will make him “naturally religious,” when he attains a higher plane of expression. This also is the basis of the formal religion where rites and ceremonies take the place of true spirituality.
The “holy vessels” are the thoughts that lie back of and form the various organs of the body. The “brazen altar” of temple worship represents the generative life, the “table of showbread” the substance forming organs about the stomach, the “candlestick” the intelligence, and the “brazen serpent” the nervous system. There were others, but these indicate the practical character of the symbolism.
The “cherubim” were symbolic figures, representing the attributes and majesty of God. They stand for those unfettered truths of Being which must always be present in the Holy of Holies within us. If we do not have this higher realization before us constantly, we shall drop down onto the physical plane, and our religion will become a mere phenomenal display. We are told that the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered it and its staves, yet they were “not seen without,” and “there they are to this day.” Here is a true description of the omnipresence of the Principle of Being in the whole spiritual life of man, yet not outwardly visible, and its endurance regardless of appearances. At heart we all have this Holy Place and these cherubim with their wings spread over the whole ark.
It does not make any difference how great a backslider you may be, the presence of the Spirit of God is not far away from your conscious mind. Right under your heart you will find a brain that in its depths treasures up the memories of all religious experiences, engraved on the two tables of stone, or very foundations of your being. The cloud that filled the whole place when the priests came out, represents the presence of the mind of God in its visibility, that comes to us when we have dropped all formal religious exercises and are resting in the very consciousness of Deity. This brightness of understanding is so great that the priests cannot stand to minister in it; there is no place for formal religious ceremony or thought exercise. It was in this state that Jesus said, “He who hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
– UNITY magazine.
September 22, 1918: I Kings 8:1-11
What does the “tent” and the “house of Jehovah” mentioned in this lesson represent? A “tent,” or tabernacle, represents a transitory or perishable body built by man before he has brought forth his inherent spiritual faculties sufficiently to enable him to demonstrate eternal life. The “house of Jehovah” is the abiding, spiritualized body of man, the temple of the Most High God. This temple is the result of man's bringing forth all his spiritual powers, and when man abides in it he can say with Jesus Christ, “He who hath seen me, hath seen the Father.”
What in this lesson does the city of David (Zion) represent? The city of David (Zion), is the subjective consciousness of the individual.
What in consciousness does the “ark of the covenant of Jehovah” represent? The “ark of the covenant of Jehovah” represents the results in the inner realms of consciousness of the thoughts that have been harmonized with Principle.
Why was the “ark of the covenant” brought up out of the city of David (subconscious)? In building the abiding, spiritual body-temple it is necessary that all of the accumulated good of the inner consciousness be brought forth into expression.
Where in consciousness is the center from which this accumulated good radiates and expresses? This accumulated good radiates from the heart center, Jerusalem, the city of peace and harmony.
What are the ruling factors in this center? The ruling factors in this center are Love and Wisdom, represented by King Solomon.
What in consciousness are the “holy vessels”? The “holy vessels” are the thoughts that lie back of and form the various organs of the body.
What in consciousness do the cherubim represent? The “cherubim” represent the attributes and majesty of God. They stand for those unfettered truths of Being which must always be present in the Holy of Holies within us.
September 5, 1920: I Kings 8:1-11
What is the object of Solomon assembling the head Men of Israel together? The object is to construct, under the guiding light of Wisdom, an imperishable body. All constructive processes must be under the guidance of spiritual Wisdom. The “elders,” the “heads of tribes,” and the “princes” represent the directive powers to which the various aggregations of thoughts in the subconscious look for instruction.
What does the feast in the seventh month symbolize? It is the culmination in the body of the complete change of its atomic structure every seven months. This culmination is a feast, or an appropriation of higher ideas.
What is the meaning of the ark of the covenant? The ark of the covenant is the sum total in man's consciousness of his understanding of spiritual Truths, combined with faith affirmations and loyalty within and without, to the principles of Truth. This covenant was [unreadable phrase] the spiritual law is expressed not only in mind, but in body also.
What does the tent of meeting and the holy vessels that were in the tent represent? The tent is the spiritual body idea, which has not yet taken permanent form and substance in consciousness; the vessels are the body organs, which are intangible, yet influence the action of the physical.
What is the meaning of sacrificing sheep and oxen? It means that we must transmute to higher planes of consciousness our animal propensities and the body substance through which they express.
Give the meaning of the cherubim with spreading wings over the place of the ark? The cherubim represents divine protection, and the spreading wings symbolize the thought of freedom.
What is the meaning of the cloud which so filled the house of Jehovah that the priests could not stand to minister? In a realization of the real spiritual principles of Life, there is no necessity for ritualism or outside worship. The living Christ is all in all and through all.
September 11, 1927: I Kings 8:1-11
What is the meaning of Solomon’s assembling in Jerusalem “the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’ houses of the children of Israel,” to bring up the ark of the covenant? Solomon represents spiritual wisdom which sees the necessity for concentrating all the principal spiritual thoughts that have been gained throughout the ages, for the purpose of uniting man’s soul with God. All these assembled thoughts are identified with the ark of the covenant, which represents the pure light and life of Spirit in man.
What is represented by the feast that was given in the seventh month? Spiritually the feast represents an unusually large appropriation of substance that has gone through seven stages of refinement on the natural plane of consciousness. This appropriation of spirit substance is largely subconscious; hence the mental causes are hidden from view; that is, from outer consciousness. By meditation and by study a metaphysician discerns and heals the mental causes which, if left to germinate in spiritual substance, would culminate in ills of the flesh.
What do the priests and the Levites represent? The priests and the Levites represent our so-called religious tendencies. They officiate in the ceremonies of the tent (natural body) and bring up all the holy vessels, when the more permanent structure (spiritual body) is to be built (through the regenerative process). The holy vessels represent our acquired capacities to appropriate and to hold to the unadulterated Truth ideas that mold the functions of our organisms.
What is represented by the sacrificing of the sheep and the oxen “that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude”? The sacrificing of many sheep and oxen represents transmutation of the multitude of animal impulses to higher planes of consciousness.
What is represented by the cherubim’s spreading their wings over the place of the ark? The cherubim are symbolic figures that represent the attributes and the majesty of God. They represent the unfettered truths of Being that always uphold the holy of holies within us. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, covering it and its staves, yet they are “not seen without” and “there they are unto this day.” This is a true description of the omnipresence of the principle of Beings, which permeates the whole spiritual life of man, but is not visible outwardly.
What is represented by the cloud that filled the house of Jehovah when the priests came out of the holy place? The cloud represents a combination of spiritual and mental thoughts that connect the outer consciousness of the individual with the inner Spirit of God. To outer sense this combination is a cloud, but to spiritual idea it is a revelation of Divine Mind. Jehovah spoke to the children of Israel out of a cloud, or out of obscurity. So the Lord speaks to us out of a cloud which seem to obscure His presence [?] to our spiritual consciousness [?] revealed.
September 17, 1933: I Kings 8:1-11
Metaphysically, what does Solomon represent? Metaphysically interpreted, Solomon represents that state of mind established in consciousness in which the soul is unified with wisdom and love (whole, complete, concordant, peaceful).
What is signified by the assembling of the “elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes ... unto King Solomon in Jerusalem”? This signifies a drawing together in conscious unity of all the intelligent, directive powers of the spiritual self, in support of the standard of peace and harmony.
What is the Ark of the Covenant? The Ark of the Covenant, or sacred ark, represents the original spark of divinity in man's being. If is a covenant or agreement between the Father and the Son that the Son is to inherit all that the Father has.
What is the result of living according to Principle? When we think and act according to Principle, there is left in the subjective realm of our being a certain residue of mind substance, which may be compared to the correct answer to problems in mathematics worked out by the schoolboy. This residue is carried over from life to life, forming the basis of each new body.
What is the enduring body? When, through many experiences in body building, we have accumulated enough merit thoughts, these form in consciousness the foundation of a more enduring structure, the spiritual body.
What do the holy vessels represent? These are the thoughts that underlie and give form to the various organs of the body.
What are the “cherubim”? The “cherubim” are symbolic figures that represent the attributes and majesty of God. They stand for the unfettered truths of Being.
What is represented by the cloud that filled the house of Jehovah, when the priests were came out of the holy place? This cloud represents the presence of God-Mind in its visibility.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 8:14-21
8:14And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood. 8:15And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David thy father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 8:16Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. 8:17Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 8:18But Jehovah said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart: 8:19nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. 8:20And Jehovah hath established his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 8:21And there have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
May 6, 1945: I Kings 8:1,14-15
What goes into the structure of enduring peace? Our highest ideals are to be built into it by work of untiring devotion and disinterestedness. Along with these we are to use our understanding of the needs of life and our purpose to achieve dominion over our world according to the divine will and plan.
What is represented by the Ark of the Covenant? The total of our conscious understanding of Truth combined with our affirmations of faith and inner and outer loyalty to the principles of Truth are represented by the Ark.
Solomon assembled the head men of Israel to bring up the Ark of the Covenant out of Zion. What does this symbolize? All constructive processes must be under the guidance of divine wisdom. The symbolic object of Solomon's assembling the head men of Israel is to construct, under the guiding light of divine wisdom, an imperishable body.
May 6, 1945: I Kings 8:1,14-15
The making of peace is a much greater work than the mere cessation of strife. Peace is a structure as well as the realization of an existing state. The peace of God is a universal state that is without beginning and without end, but before we can realize it we must build up in our mind the things that make realization of the universal possible. Into this building process many things enter. Our highest ideals (the elders of Israel) must be collected, for ideals are our chief constructive power. As we put them to work under the guiding light of divine wisdom (Solomon), we build a permanent peace structure. Our directive powers (the “elders,” the “heads of the tribes,” and the “princes”) are the dominant motives growing out of our understanding of the needs of life and our purpose of achieving dominion over our world according to the divine will and plan.
Before the Temple could be dedicated a vast building program had to be completed. Once the materials were collected and prepared, this work went on in silence. The task of incorporating peace into the individual consciousness is a silent one, but the preliminary work of getting together the things that make peace requires unceasing vigilance and devotion. For peace is no easy, natural state that comes of itself. It would be both easy and natural if the sense self did not so continually try to disrupt it. The desire to know peace must be stronger than any selfish desire for the gratification of the senses. It must be such as to cause us to make sacrifices in order to realize it and to dedicate ourselves to its quest. We must be willing to do some difficult thinking and some devoted work, for the coming of peace requires both.
When Solomon blessed the assembly of Israel he began with the words “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel.” We cannot bless others except in the consciousness of God. It is commonly thought that we cannot reach others until we know God and have consciousness of God. This is true, but neither can we know God until we are conscious of others as one with us. The relation of oneness is that of interdependence.
– UNITY magazine.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 8:22-53
8:22And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; 8:23and he said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart; 8:24who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day. 8:25Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me. 8:26Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
8:27But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! 8:28Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day; 8:29that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof thou hast said, My name shall be there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. 8:30And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive.
8:31If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house; 8:32then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
8:33When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: 8:34then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
8:35When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: 8:36then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
8:37If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 8:38what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 8:39then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 8:40that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
8:41Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake 8:42(for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house; 8:43hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by my name.
8:44If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way thou shalt send them, and they pray unto Jehovah toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name; 8:45then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
8:46If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near; 8:47yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly; 8:48if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: 8:49then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause; 8:50and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them 8:51(for they are thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron); 8:52that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto thee. 8:53For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 8:54-61
8:54And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. 8:55And he stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
8:56Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. 8:57Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us; 8:58that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. 8:59And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require; 8:60that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah, he is God; there is none else. 8:61Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 8:62-66
8:62And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Jehovah. 8:63And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto Jehovah, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. 8:64The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before Jehovah was too little to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings.
8:65So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 8:66On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David his servant, and to Israel his people.
November 8, 1896: I Kings 8:54-63
8:54And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. -- “And it was so,” that having found the fruition of good through the law of the Good in prayer,
8:55And he stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, -- We see and experience only Good in all our world (“blessed all the congregation of Israel”), and we affirm (“with a loud voice”) that “All is Good.”
8:56Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. -- Since we know that “God is Good,” all Good flows to us, because by the law of prayer we open the channels for the free inflowing of “all that the Father hath.”
8:57Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us; -- This law of prayer obeyed brings us into conscious at-one-ment with God (“the Lord be with and not forsake us”).
8:58that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. -- And his conscious indwelling “inclines our hearts to walk in his ways, and keep his commandments.”
8:59And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day shall require; -- These ten principles of prayer are statements of the unfailing Law of the Lord, by which the high standard of righteousness is maintained in consciousness, sufficient for all occasions, or “as the things of a day in its day shall require.” – R.V. Margin.
8:60that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah, he is God; there is none else. -- The practical application of this law of prayer brings all the mental forces to the worship of the One and Only God.
8:61Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. -- That the perfect life may be lived by everyone, who is seeking his highest good.
8:62And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Jehovah. 8:63And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto Jehovah, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. -- “The king and all Israel {the individual in his kingdom of this consciousness} offers unto the Lord a sacrifice of peace offerings,” that is, thanksgiving commensurate with the abundance of Good acknowledged, or unto full satisfaction. The completeness and sufficiency of this thanksgiving offering is indicated by the symbolic terms, “22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.” Thus we as king in this harmonious consciousness of Understanding, dedicate our body as the “house of God.”
– UNITY magazine.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-05-2014
