Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud; I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.” Solomon apparently did not notice the contradictory nature of his statement. The LORD lives “in the dark cloud” and is not about to be limited or constrained by human factors. Solomon wanted God at his beck and call living right next door to the palace. The temptation to want a god who does what we want is perennial. The challenge for Solomon, and for us, is to do what God wants. When the temple was destroyed four hundred years after these events God’s people had to learn to find the manifestations of God which were all around them.
