And God did help them! This sentence has been explained in various ways. Seeing God always forgives upon His people's repentance, can this forgiveness become rather common place to us? The temple will be a delight to the children of Israel for many years and the impressive ceremony at its dedication will linger with them as long as they live. 28:9; Jer. (BC), 52May your eyes be open(BD) to your servants plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. One land would often invade the other, besiege its cities and take the inhabitants captive. Hear(N) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. 130:3; Prov. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. And he said: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. Nor was the interest merely temporary or local. How much less this temple which I have built! Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. First we ask for Gods presence to be among us. False (True or False) Solomon carried out David's instructions concerning his enemies, establishing his kingdom in his hand. No! How dreadful to pray a prayer of dedication over a house if you are not going to live a godly life for Jesus in that house. That is a wonderful response, and I would affirm anyone who is seeking Gods blessing on their marriage. Paul's Reference The importance of wisdom goes beyond just knowledge. Remember the kindness of David, Thy servant (2 Chron.6:42). To God be the glory forever! God sent the promise on purpose to be used. (1-2) Acknowledgement of God's presence in the cloud. That is part of the outward focus that we are to maintain as the church of Jesus Christ. 2 Chron 6:12. Since God will not live in temples made by hands but only in temples that He constructs Himself, we that are saved have this same purpose, to be a witness of the glory of God to this world we live in! No other God ever makes a covenant with the people whom he rules. His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11). It is our "faith" with its own connotation. God is the one who made it possible, and we give him all the glory. 9:2629; Neh. Solomon's dedicatory prayer makes repeated mention of praying "toward this place," a clear intimation that the temple was to become the center of a world religionthat is, the true religion God gave was to become worldwide. We cannot dedicate things to the Lord if we have not dedicated ourselves to the Lord first. His prayer contained nine requests: 1. Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple. Adoration; Confession; Thanksgiving; Supplication There are four parts to this prayer, and all four are easily applicable to the dedication of our sanctuary to God and his glory today. And spread out his hands: This was the most common posture of prayer in the Old Testament. B. Solomon's prayer posture. If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.. Even though men cannot prove the sin which has been committed by this "someone," God does know. The sense that sin is all-pervading dominates, epitomised in one of the clearest biblical statements about sins universality (there is no one who does not sin, 2 Chronicles 6:36). 1. 32:11, 12; Deut. 4. If they are taken out of their land because of their sin! b. Wasnt it the donations of the people that made the building possible? b. There are so many people who would love to come to church with you if you would just ask them. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. After all, didnt they do the work? But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? 44When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their [c]cause. He now assumes a posture in prayer of which we have not read earlier in the Biblical account. If you are going in one direction, and God wants you to go in a different direction, then you need God to turn you around. He wished the temple always to be to Israel the token that Gods memorial is that he hears prayer. (Spurgeon), Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.. Teach(W) them the right way(X) to live, and send rain(Y) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. Solomon took time to contemplate the God he was praying to. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org. We should pray for Gods continued presence and direction. 25-30). The prayers of Hannah (1 Samuel 1), Hezekiah (Isaiah 37), Daniel (Daniel 9) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1) spring readily to mind. Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed: Solomon probably meant this in reference to himself because he was the anointed king of Israel. The Lord had promised David that his would be a dynasty, i.e., his children should sit on the throne of Israel through generations if they would fear Him and keep His commandments. In an age when this is frequently misunderstood, it provides a valuable resource. a. Lord, render to every man according to all his ways. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. A. Solomon's prayer place. This splendid edifice is now completed, and will be dedicated to the Most High God on Friday, the 1st. EVERYONE: We dedicate this sanctuary now to the glory of God the Father, to the honor of Jesus Christ his Son, and to the praise of the Holy Spirit. Solomon having kept the feasts of tabernacles and dedication, dismisses the people 12. Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. There is suffering in every part of life. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Their attitude was: Nothing will happen to us because we have the temple! But God said, No! Because Solomon also prayed here: May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. (1 Kings 8:58) Notice this is primarily a prayer for God to turn you. And that is where we are today. How can we dedicate something to Gods glory if we are not seeking to glorify him with our lives? This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. (Read 1 Kings 8:54-63 and pray.). a. 1 Kings 8:54-63 (Dedication of the temple), INTRODUCTION: This morning we are going to look at King Solomons prayer of dedication when the temple was built in Jerusalem and see what principles of this prayer apply to us today as we dedicate our new sanctuary to God and his glory. Next Solomon prays for Gods name to be known among the nations. Surely, he does not mean it as an excuse. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE 231 devaluation of the temple.9 The Deuteronomist, writing after the temple's destruction, purportedly recasts the temple's significance, "For him the temple is little more than a place towards which one turns in prayer."10 Similarly, Weinfeld sees Solomon's prayer as evincing the deuteronomic demythologization of . If there are, why are they so few? When Solomon's construction was completed, the temple was dedicated. It's actually three prayers and what I find most interesting about them is the balance of what is said. 20:9; Eccl. Can one who is condemned by the state to the death penalty still be a "worthy partaker of the table of His Son"? 50And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(BA) 51for they are your people and your inheritance,(BB) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. King David himself gathered the raw materials to build the temple and, evidently, God provided the building plans for that holy structure. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. In this prayer, there is plenty of evidence that Solomon understood God's purpose for Israel. Solomon: Begins by praising the God who keeps his promises. Solomon extols the faithfulness of God and exhorts the people to continue in the path of covenant obedience. He had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). It's praying until we know we have laid hold of God. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Its the very first part of our purpose statement: The purpose of the Plantation Community Church is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. We make disciples by winning people to Christ and then helping them to grow in him. All rights reserved worldwide. This Sunday's lectionary reading from the Old Testament contains a portion of King Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:22-53). And so Solomon begins with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever." Then the king faced . It was the Lord who gave Israel rest from their enemies so they could focus on the building of the temple at that time. When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. And then we not only pray for Gods continued presence but also for his direction. (1 Kings 6:37-38) Of course his father, King David, had spent many years prior to that making preparations and gathering supplies. November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving - for more information and an outline see here.. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning. The pretended gods of the nations could not compare to Him in any way. When we gather for worship, the Lord meets with us, and we We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Also when the whole people of Israel come to this place to offer their prayers, Lord hear them. The "man after God's own heart" had left the scene. Ray Fowler. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. It is a beautiful prayer which relates more specifically to the temple itself and its unique place in the history of Israel and the world. For less than $5/mo. If they in captivity come to a different insight and repent, if they acknowledge their sins before God and turn to Him with all their hearts and soul, if they then pray toward this land, toward this city and toward this house, may the Lord hear them and forgive, maintain their cause, and bring them back from captivity. So yes, we want the gospel to go to all the nations, but we also want the gospel to go to our friends and neighbors. Israel had prospered and had been victorious under the reign of David. Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. He referred to God's name Yahweh 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. 5. How does Solomon overcome the difficulty of doing priestly work and not sinning by doing so? Solomon here prays for Gods daily provision and sustenance, but he does so for a very specific purpose. Remember the mercies of Your servant David.. 32-33) shows that he realized that Israel was to reach out and share the knowledge and blessings of God with Gentiles. Through believing prayer like this, God promises and we appropriate. But the LORD said to my father David, Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart. 33(Q)When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and (R)when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their (S)fathers. Finally the king does not distinguish between the various evils which may come but sums them up by speaking of whatsoever plague or sickness there be. Didnt they make the plans, gather the materials, and oversee the building of the temple? This lesson is an adaptation from the Gospel Project lesson on this Scripture passage. He adds, "for there is no man that sinneth not.". Out of the land of Egypt: Solomon presses the remembrance of the Exodus. And that is all part of this third portion of Solomons prayer here in 1 Kings 8: a prayer for Gods name to be known among the nations. Look at verse 61: But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time. (1 Kings 8:61). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. (v. 4) Solomon reiterates that God has never asked for a city or a house or a ruler until now. 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they Previously there was not an indication of a complete captivity of His people, but that is considered in this petition. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. 25Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, (G)You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me. 26(H)And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. This is instructive to us. What is especially notable is that foreigners could know and fear God like your people Israel. This hope of equality in worship was rarely expressed in the Old Testament (e.g. Bible Stories - 1 Kings 8:22-66: Solomon's Prayer of DedicationThen Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spre. The second part of his prayer was for Gods continued presence and direction. Who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David: Solomon recognized that the temple was the fulfillment of Gods plan, not Davids or Solomons. i. He kneels as he prays and spreads out his hands to the heavens. 57May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake(BJ) us. For this reason, many observant Jews still pray facing the direction of the site of the temple in Jerusalem. Can a murderer, if he repents, be saved? By Gods grace it has now been paid off in full as God has worked through his people to finish the work we started so long ago. The temple was a beautiful place that God instructed Solomon to build to represent the holiness of his presence. When was the last time? 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 - "Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. What kind of a son will now succeed him to rule over this great people? Why, or, why not? a. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . That is his privilege and his duty. As we just read in verse 61: Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands.. However, if they pray "toward," not at this place or in this place, but in their homes with their faces toward Jerusalem, may the Lord forgive the sins of the king and of the people and send rain so that they may again be able to live in the land the Lord has given them. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You: Solomon asked God to hear the prayer of the foreigner out of a missionary impulse. 30(N)And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. So this was a long-term project. b. God answered this prayer of Solomon, and He forgave and restored His defeated people when they came in humble repentance. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. This was made of either brass or copper and Solomon took his position on this platform. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. When David died the people of Israel could look for a big change in the government of the land. So what does it mean to dedicate something to the Lord? Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You: that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. Jerusalem: The End of the Road or Just the Beginning? That all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name! You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. The Ark has been brought in. 58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. The Bible contains the record of many wonderful prayers. 55 He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: 56 Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Then he prays. How dreadful to pray a prayer of dedication for a new business if you are not going to run that business according to godly principles. Disobedience, Pride, Self-Deception, Rejection, The Sanctity of Human Life in the Womb - Psalm 139, Caring for Each Other in the Body of Christ, Determining the Dates for Easter and Passover, The Magic Dresser (A Poem for Mother's Day), The Fruit of the Spirit and 1 Corinthians 13, Click here for more messages from the book of. Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever." a. This "fear of God" is a concept which we find frequently in the Old Testament. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . Mildew was another disease of the grains. The greatness of Israel's God is seen in the facts that He has made all things and that He keeps covenant! Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. How much less this temple which I have built! This is a more general prayer of dedication and well-suited to the dedication of any home, building or business to the Lord. Here Solomon acknowledges Gods work for their fathers in the past, and he seeks Gods continued presence and direction for his people in the present. Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord or the dedication means nothing.. 35When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(U) because your people have sinned(V) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. But we must always remember why we exist as a church. When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin): This is a succinct Old Testament statement of the principle most clearly stated in Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And we should pray for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. But oh my friend, do try and use Gods promises; nothing pleases God better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, LORD, do as thou hast said. And let me tell you that it glorifies God to use his promises. (Spurgeon). It is necessary to add these words because Israel may well be over-confident at the time when it is the strongest notion in that part of the world. Now therefore, The heathen may think that their deities will be able to help them in certain situations, but their hopes are futile. 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 . In this refrain he speaks of the riches of the experience of faith. With Him hearing is forgiving and forgiving is hearing. From the study of Solomon's prayer after the completion of the temple, the students will discover that God keeps all His promises. How many people have you told about Jesus lately? Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. 106:46; Acts 7:10, Ex. 28Yet give attention to your servants prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. a. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. The ruler is on his knees before One who is the great Ruler of the universe (2 Chronicles 6:13)! b. Look at verses 57-58: May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. Though it happened 500 years before, it was just as important and real for Israel as the day it happened. PASTOR: Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; our Father which art in heaven: PASTOR: Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, head of the body which is the church; head over all things to the church; Prophet, Priest and King; whose glorious appearing shall be to all people: PASTOR: Holy Spirit, our Comforter, Counselor, guide and friend: PASTOR: For comfort to those who mourn; for strength to those who are tempted; for the instruction and training of children and youth; for the sending forth of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth: CONGREGATION: To you we dedicate this house. Want the Verse of the Day sent to your inbox? Let God now hear Solomon. Keep prayer at he center of all you do! Solomon's prayer reminded his people that all of them had sinned against God (vv. Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinners religion. Solomon prosperously effected all he designed, for adorning both God's house and his own. The mention of Gods hands (lit. As the opening section of Solomon s prayer (14-20) is summarized in the closing words of the prayer, we will quote these in order to grasp its general outline: Jehovah, God, Thou must not turn back the face of Thine anointed. So shall sin be done away and the righteous will not suffer for the unrighteous. CONCLUSION: Solomons fourfold prayer is a wonderful model to us as we dedicate anything to the Lord whether a child, a marriage, a business, a church or a home. a. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Living together outside of marriage is direct disobedience to Gods commands, and God cannot bless disobedience. Besides war and drought, there are various other calamities which may come upon a land. The people had taken confidence in the temple. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a light in this community proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to all who will hear. There I have put the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD: The chief glory of the temple was that it was the resting place for the ark of the covenant, a representation of Gods covenantal presence with His people. Traffic and Tears on the Road to Jerusalem. God appearing to Solomon, gives him promises upon condition Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place of worship. 1 Kings 8:22-61 Wednesday, 17 March 2021 "And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true." -1 Kings 8:26 Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple at Jerusalem is at the centre of our reading today. i. Will God dwell on the earth? get to know the Bible better! Solomon urges God to enter into an agreement with Israel that when the people pray to God, whether to relieve a famine, or to give them victory in combat against an approaching enemy, or to grant them forgiveness from their sins against God and against one another, that God would grant their request. Blasting refers to the singeing of the grain by the dry hot wind blowing from the desert. 35, 46-49). In this way he would be visible to all the people and they would all be able to hear him. fulfilled with his hands) really means that Gods actions have confirmed his words it is as if Gods unseen hands were active in all the human hands who contributed to the construction work (cf. After sacrificing a seemingly endless number of animals ( 1 Kings 8:5 ), Solomon blessed the Lord for His covenantal faithfulness (vv.12-21). SOLOMON BEGINS HIS PRAYER WITH PRAISE. 41Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your names sake 42(for they will hear of Your great name and Your (Z)strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, (AA)that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and (AB)fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name. 1. The Ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple. Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there; and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel. Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 24You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 2 CHRONICLES 6:12-42 -- SOLOMON'S PRAYER OF DEDICATION Biblical Background: Temple construction began 2 nd month of the 4 th year of reign, 480 years after Israel came out of Egypt. 1:6; Ps. It is an immense undertaking for that day to build such a building as the temple. But then as we talk further, and I learn that they are living together before marriage, I get confused. So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. Solomons prayer has a global focus. a. I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised: Solomon recognized that his succession of David on the throne of Israel was a significant thing. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain: Drought was a constant threat for the agriculturally based economy of Israel. And, at this point in the history of Israel, he prays that all the promises made to David may go into effect. How much less this temple I have built! THE ARK BROUGHT TO THE TEMPLE (1 Kings 8:1-11) The Assembling of the Men of Israel (1 Kings 8:1-2) Those assembled by Solomon (1 Kings 8:1) Do we take the credit for it? Forgiveness of sins that had brought on drought (vv. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. 1 Kings 8 - The Dedication of the Temple A. c. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple: Though Solomon built the temple and not David, we are reminded of the extensive preparations David made for the temple. (1 Kings 8:57-58). This beautiful prayer must be applied to his heart as well as to the hearts of all who read this prayer. V. 22b Verse 54 tells us that he knelt on his knees: "when Solomon had finished praying all And so the fourth and final part of Solomons prayer is a prayer that Gods people would remain fully committed to him. It was Solomon's praise, that what he undertook, he went through with; it was by the grace of God that he prospered in it. We should look beyond ourselves and pray for Gods name to be known among the nations. This type of praying produced some marvelous results. 54When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.