Festal Worship in the Temple of Solomon
Three national festivals were celebrated yearly in the temple: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
Three national festivals were celebrated yearly in the temple: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
Family worship at the temple included the rite of circumcision and various sacrifices and offerings for tithe, personal vows, sin, and sickness.
The furnishings of the sanctuary proper and its surrounding courts all contributed to the grandeur of the worship of the Lord. The sanctuary proper, including the Holy of Holies, contained the ark of the covenant, the lampstands the altar of incense, and the table of shewbread. The great altar of sacrifice stood in the court, outside the sanctuary, together with the bronze sea.
The temple as the focal point of Israelite worship served as a protection against idolatry. It stood for the covenant between the Lord and Israel and was the place where God might be approached in celebration and propitiation.