Why Did King Solomon Devote a Thousand Burnt Offerings to God?

We can know that King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God through 1 Kings 3:4: “The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” It is not clear if a thousand burnt offerings means the amount of time or the quantity, but it must be a massive amount of offerings. Solomon wanted to establish a relationship with God before he begins reigning over Israel.

Consequently, Solomon devoted a thousand burnt offerings on that altar with his officials and leaders in order to display to God their faithfulness at the high place at Gibeon. In addition, he prayed that God would bless him and the Israelites. A burnt offering is one that is consumed by fire and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly burnt to God. Therefore, they devote to God this burnt offering when they want to have a good relationship with God or want to give themselves to God. In this way, Solomon sacrificed on that altar at Gibeon for himself and Israel at the beginning of his reign.

However, the most notable fact is that there is no record of a thousand offerings in the Bible except this story, so this proves not only the devotion of the Israelites but also Solomon’s obedience and enthusiasm. However, some scholars comment that the thousand burnt offerings take a minimum of seven or eight days in order to devote to God. Nevertheless, some scholars claim that Solomon devoted his thousand burnt offerings over a thousand days; however, the former seems to be right when we interpret this story in this sense. In any case, it considers that a sacrifice offering means devotion and service to God like an official devotes present to a king. In conclusion, we can assume that the thousand burnt offerings signify the faith and confession of King Solomon and the Israelites in order to serve God as their real king.