Why could the priests not stand to minister?

Because the cloud of the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD (1 Kings 8:10–11).

Free Bible lesson for kids · The Kings

The Glory Fills the Temple

King Solomon finished building a beautiful house for the LORD in Jerusalem. The priests carried the ark of the covenant into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubims, and the cloud of the glory of the LORD filled the house so that the priests could not stand to minister. Then Solomon spread forth his hands toward heaven and prayed, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee,” and asked God to hear and forgive His people when they prayed.

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: 1 Kings 8:1–11 · 8:22–30
Big idea: There is no God like our God, and He hears us when we pray.
Memory verse: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Psalm 122:1 (KJV)
Ages: Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time: About 45 minutes
Included, free: Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

When King Solomon had built the LORD’s house, the priests carried the ark of the covenant into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubims (1 Kings 8:6, 13). Inside were only the two tables of stone that Moses put there (1 Kings 8:9). Then a cloud filled the house, and the priests could not stand to minister, “for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD” (1 Kings 8:10–11).

Solomon spread forth his hands toward heaven and prayed, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath” (1 Kings 8:22–23). He knew that even heaven cannot hold God, much less a house built by people (1 Kings 8:27). Yet he asked God to hear from heaven when His people prayed toward that place, and to forgive (1 Kings 8:29–30).

Read it in the Bible: 1 Kings 8:1–11 (KJV)

¹Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. ²And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. ³And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. ⁴And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up. 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 told nor numbered for multitude. ⁶And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. ⁷For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. ⁸And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. ⁹There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, ¹¹So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

Questions to ask

What was inside the ark of the covenant?
Nothing but the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb (1 Kings 8:9).
Why could the priests not stand to minister?
Because the cloud of the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD (1 Kings 8:10–11).
What did Solomon say about God when he prayed?
“There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath” (1 Kings 8:23).

What this story teaches

There is no God like the LORD in heaven or earth (1 Kings 8:23).
God is so great that heaven cannot contain Him (1 Kings 8:27).
God keeps His promises, just as He did for David (1 Kings 8:24).
God’s glory is so great that the priests could not stand (1 Kings 8:11).
God hears His people when they pray, and He forgives (1 Kings 8:30).

Jesus Shows Us God’s Glory

God’s glory filled the temple in a cloud. Then Jesus came and lived among us, and people saw God’s glory in Him.

John 1:14

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God that there is no one like Him, and that He hears our prayers.
10 min	The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 min	Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “There is no God like our God, and He hears us when we pray.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say Psalm 122:1 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 min	Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 min	Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.

Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes

Fill the House

You need: Cotton balls as clouds, a box as the temple for each team, spoons

Teams carry “clouds” one spoonful at a time to fill their temple.
No hands!
When the box is full, the team shouts, “The glory of the LORD filled the house!”

When Solomon’s temple was finished, the cloud of the glory of the LORD filled it.

For youth group · game · indoors · about 20 minutes

Card Temple

You need: Decks of playing cards or index cards

Teams build the tallest “temple” they can out of cards.
Patience wins.
Talk: Solomon took seven years to build the temple. Now God’s people are His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).

God filled the temple with His glory. Today His Spirit lives in everyone who trusts Jesus.

Pray

Thank God that there is no one like Him, and that He hears our prayers.