There are a few things in the verses we just read that I’d like you to be aware of as we move through this chapter. One is timing, and I want to explain this by borrowing a distinction from the Greek of the New Testament between two kinds of time. One is chronos, which means time in the quantitative sense—an hour, a week, a day, how old I am, how long I’m going to preach, and so on. The other is kairos, which is time in the qualitative sense: the opportune time, the time God has appointed for a given purpose.
Chronos time is absent from this passage—we aren’t told how much time has passed since the structure of the temple was finished in 1 Kings 6—and that’s striking. The author or authors of the books of Samuel and Kings structured them deliberately with careful attention to detail, including how much time has passed . . . but not here. I think it’s safe to say the omission is deliberate; we’re meant to notice it and ask why. It makes me wonder if Solomon lost track of finishing the temple interior because he was so busy building his own house. I can’t say for sure, but put a pin in this and we’ll come back to it.
While chronos time is absent from this chapter, kairos time is highlighted. For context, the covenant God made with Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai was established at the time of Pentecost, which is a firstfruits festival—a feast to thank God that the work of plowing and planting is just beginning to yield a return. The dedication of the temple, 1 Kings tells us, took place during the Feast of Booths—which is to say, Harvest.