Fire, Dedication and Warning

"Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house." "And… all the children of Israel… bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."

Seven days of dedication and seven of feasting; "the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king had made."

"I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." But if they turn away, "this house… shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it."

Fire from heaven

The fire is not in 1 Kings 8; it recalls the fire at the tabernacle's dedication (Leviticus 9:24) and on Ornan's altar (1 Chronicles 21:26), and the fire on Carmel (1 Kings 18:38).

7:14

The promise "If my people…" appears only in Chronicles. It sums up the book's theology of repentance: Rehoboam, Manasseh and others "humble themselves" and are restored. It is widely quoted today, often applied to modern nations; in context it is addressed to Israel and the temple.