Solomon- And the Seven Annual Sabbaths

"And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." I Kings 6:1

"In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it." I Kings 6:37-38

After all of the preparations had been made and the Temple silently built (I Kings 6:7) the Temple was finally completed. When Solomon made preparations for the dedication of the Temple Solomon, wisely, chose the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in the 7th month. II Chronicles 5:2-3; I Kings 8:2. This was the time of the 3rd groupings of the 7 annual Sabbaths.
In Exodus 23:14-19 God had instructed Israel that they were to meet with God three times at Jerusalem. In these three meetings all of the males were to leave their homes, trusting in the protection of God, and come to Jerusalem to participate in these three annual pilgrimages. The three annual meetings were called The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering. These three festivals covered all of the harvest issues of the land, and were also symbolic of the ministry of God throughout history.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread covered the first three of the 7 annual Sabbaths – Passover – the death of the Sacrificial Lamb, the Feast of Unleavened Bread -–to have an investigative judgment to testify that there was no leaven of malice or error in the camp, and then the Wave Sheaf when the first sample of the harvest was waved before the Lord and then the harvest could begin. This Wave Sheaf offering was completed by Christ when He went to heaven to meet with His Father to be sure that His sacrifice had been accepted and that all of the criteria established by the Godhead had been satisfied. John 20:17

The Feast of Harvest is also called Pentecost and it was to take place 50 days after Wave Sheaf. This was to be another phase of the harvest ceremonies and was a day of gratitude for the harvest just received. In addition it was the time used by God to testify to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a harvest of 3000 souls testified to the true meaning of the harvest of God. Acts 2:41

The Third, and final, festival was that of the Feast of Ingathering. During this Feast were incorporated the final three of the Annual Sabbaths – Feast of Trumpets which was to announce the Day of Atonement, The Day of Atonement when all of the sins of Israel were ceremonially removed from Israel, and the Temple, and placed on the head of the Scapegoat and the Scapegoat was released into the wilderness. In celebration of this wonderful event the Feast of Tabernacles was given that all Israel would testify of the wonderful grace and provision of God for them. This final celebration took place between the 1st day and the 22nd day of the 7th month. See Leviticus 23:26-27,39-44. These annual Sabbaths were additional times of celebration besides the weekly Sabbaths. Leviticus 23:37-38

Solomon chose the Feast of Ingathering as the most suitable time to celebrate the completion of the Temple and would give the people an extra event for this time of rejoicing. Hopefully, they would also gather the idea that there was more to the Temple of God than that of a place to testify that He was good for granting them a fruitful literal harvest. God also wanted them to remember that the true harvest of God is the hearts and minds of people and that God wanted His house to be a house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:1-7