After he had finished praying fire came down from heaven. Fire is often a sign of God's presence. Elijah brought down fire. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptise with fire. Not surprisingly the people all found this very dramatic and bowed down to the Lord. They worshipped and gave thanks. While it is true that there should be order in worship, we also need to be open to the unexpected. Sometimes God will make His presence known in a deeper way than normal.
Many sacrifices were offered to the Lord. There was also great worship of the Lord.
The whole festival went on for seven days. After that the people went home "joyful and glad of heart". Sometimes there are special worship services or prayer meetings, or some other event, and we feel especially close to God. But afterwards we go home, we are to take the joy and peace to our homes, to our everyday lives.
After Solomon had completed the temple and his palace the Lord appeared to him. For all of us there is the public office, and there is the private times. God will meet with us in the private times. The message from God is both gloomy and hopeful. There is a recognition that the people will sin and suffer the consequences, but there is also the promise that if they repent and turn to the Lord He will heal them.
It is noteworthy that God says that "this is a temple for sacrifices". It is the sacrifice of Jesus that opens the way to the Father for us. It is because of His blood that we can be confident that our prayers will be answered.
Finally there is a warning of what will happen if Solomon and his successors turn away from God and to idols. Disaster would come upon the nation, and this is indeed what happened.
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