1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. ~ 1 Kings 8:1-11
It was during Sukkot (the Feast of Booths) that Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Holy of Holies in the newly built Temple. According to 1 Kings 6:38, the Temple of Solomon was finished in the eighth month. That means that King Solomon waited an entire year (eleven months to be exact) to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. Why? I think it was symbolic of the fact that the Feast of Booths foreshadowed not only the Millennial Reign of Christ but would be fulfilled in the LORD dwelling on Earth for all eternity with His people after creating a New Earth for His people to dwell with Him on.
No longer would the LORD dwell in just a tent, as the people of Israel had dwelt in tents as they wandered; now the LORD had a permanent dwelling place on Earth to be with His people. How beautiful is that? King Solomon waited for just the right moment to bring the Ark of the LORD, which symbolized the presence of the LORD, into the newly built Temple. There was no rushing. No, we gotta get this done now. No, the Temple is built; bring it in. No, King Solomon willingly waited almost an entire year before bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple.
Could he have just brought it in when it was completed? Yes. Would it have been a sin? No. It would’ve been good, but it was better to wait. There are things in life that would be good to do now, but better to wait. So, don’t rush anything you do. Do all things to the glory of God and let it be done in His timing.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Wait For The Right Time.