63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. The mention of Gods hands (lit. So yes, we pray for our needs as a church, and we ask God to meet those daily needs. When the temple was complete Solomon praised God before His people reminding them of His promises. It would be inappropriate for him to do so because he was a king and not a priest. Footnotes. With the aid of a simple acronym (ACTS), we should never forget "The Purpose Of Prayer". 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. Also when the whole people of Israel come to this place to offer their prayers, Lord hear them. Love C.S. Alas, Solomon didn't stay on this height of commitment to God. 1 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.. 2 But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.. 3 And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.. 4 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands . To God be the glory forever! 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. B. V. 20-21 A Place For Cares - As Solomon prays, he asks the Lord to here the supplications of God's people. The overseer of all is Solomon! If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. i. He humbly suggests that the Temple is the . 27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. And so Solomon begins with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. i. Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. They dont attend church; they dont spend regular time with God in the Bible and prayer; they dont seek Gods will in all their decisions. Now keep what You promised Your servant David. let Your word come true: Solomon called upon God to keep the promises that He made. 27But (I)will God indeed dwell on the earth? This referred to interpersonal disputes. 59And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each days need, 60so that all the peoples(BL) of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. No! 32:11, 12; Deut. 1 Chronicles 22:19. When such a person prays toward this place, may God hear him too. His concern for foreigners (vv. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. (If you're a human, don't change the following field), Solomons Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple. B. Solomon's prayer posture. 26:16, 25, 26; Deut. It collapses economies and replaces peace with terror. Thanks for visiting! Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple. Click here to return to the Sermons page. First we ask for Gods presence to be among us. And so we pray for God to turn our hearts that we may walk in all his ways and be obedient to his commands. Online 2013. III. In the early years of the Israelite kingdom, the Ark of the Covenant was periodically moved about among several sanctuaries, especially those of Shechem and Shiloh. We cannot dedicate things to the Lord if we have not dedicated ourselves to the Lord first. 106:46; Acts 7:10, Ex. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . That is part of the outward focus that we are to maintain as the church of Jesus Christ. Not one word has failed of all the good promises(BI) he gave through his servant Moses. But then Solomon goes on to pray this second prayer of dedication in verses 54-63. 53For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, (AM)as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.. i. All of the most skilled craftsmen in Israel are required for the construction. Though it happened 500 years before, it was just as important and real for Israel as the day it happened. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication. 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. 28:21, 22, 27, 38, 42, 52, [1 Sam. You 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.Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 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 in My law as you have walked before Me. And now, O LORD God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! After seven years the Temple is completed and the magnificence of it is stunning. And comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple: The temple grounds were used as a place to verify and authorize oaths. When the king mentions pestilence he is referring to a very contagious disease of that day (such as the black plague of the middle ages?) This is such an important prayer because it reminds us that we do not exist for ourselves but rather for Gods glory and the spreading of Gods name throughout our community and throughout the nations. The heavens, Hebrew heaven of heavens, because this language has no comparative or superlative degree cannot contain Him! But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. It is again clearly shown when the queen of Sheba comes and asks him all manner of difficult questions and he has ready answers. 30(N)And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. If there was no rain, there was no food. i. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. No place, now, under the gospel, can add to the prayers made in or towards it. 28Yet give attention to your servants prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Moreover, concerning a foreigner: The temple was in Israel but it was always intended to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. Why, or, why not? And we should pray for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. a. This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud: The cloud of Gods glory has a long association with His presence. All these prayers were offered at a time of challenge for the person praying, where the only one who could provide . Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. The old Puritan commentator John Trapp could not resist mentioning a fulfillment of this principle in his own day: Anne Averies, who, forswearing herself, a. D. 1575, February 11, at a shop of Wood Street in London, praying God she might sink where she stood if she had not paid for the wares she took, fell down presently speechless, and with horrible stink died., Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.. God honors a praying people, because a praying people honors God! And so now we are finally in a position officially to dedicate this sanctuary to God and his glory. 28Yet 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 today: 29that Your eyes may be open toward this [a]temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, (K)My name shall be (L)there, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes (M)toward this place. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. Adoration; Confession; Thanksgiving; Supplication Solomon here prays for Gods daily provision and sustenance, but he does so for a very specific purpose. 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. It would have been easy for Solomon and the people to take the credit for the work that had just been accomplished. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 . This lesson is an adaptation from the Gospel Project lesson on this Scripture passage. b. He had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). Solomon made supplication at dedication of the temple - 1 Kin 8:28-29; Jesus made supplication as He was crucified; Stephen also, as he was being stoned - Lk 23:34; Ac 7:59-60; CONCLUSION. Solomon begins his prayer with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. (BE) 53For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,(BF) just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.. How much less this temple which I have built! Solomon pleads with the Lord that the temple would be a place of prayer and that all prayers directed toward it would be heard of the Lord and answered. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. A couple will come to me and want me to dedicate their child to the Lord, and yet they are not living for the Lord themselves. In this refrain he speaks of the riches of the experience of faith. All rights reserved. 7:20; [Rom. Skilled workers were employed. a. 29May your eyes be open(J) toward(K) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, My Name(L) shall be there, so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 1 Chronicles 29:16). (Selman). It's actually three prayers and what I find most interesting about them is the balance of what is said. The Ark has been brought in. He does not say what manner of sin it is because that is immaterial to what he has in mind. 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. Now, 11 months later, Solomon stands before the people, spread Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.. Israel did not have a Nile river which made the whole land fruitful. Prayer for Gods name to be known among the nations (59-60). We can only truly dedicate things to God when we have first dedicated ourselves. And I am always happy to do that. THE HOUSE OF DAVID. 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. In this article: If we dont appropriate in faith, Gods promise is left unclaimed. We should look beyond ourselves and pray for Gods name to be known among the nations. Whenever you accomplish something, you are still to give God the glory for what he has done. 25Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(E) you made to him when you said, You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done. 26And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(F) your servant David my father come true. No greater indication of the need for a place of atonement and forgiveness could be given. (Selman). And this applies to all dedications. Didnt they make the plans, gather the materials, and oversee the building of the temple? When all the work for the temple was finished, the last step was bringing the Ark of the Covenant and placing it in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, putting it beneath the wings of the cherubim. Thats the first part of Solomons prayer: thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. When we gather for worship, the Lord meets with us, and we i. God is able to send rain and He is able to withhold it. How much less this temple which I have built! 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. Hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants: Solomon asked the God who can see what man cant who knows the hidden heart of man to enforce from heaven the oaths made at the temple. 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) Its location, Mount Moriah, was where God appeared to David, and also where Abraham . Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning. Just because God promises does not mean that we possess. It was the Lord who provided all that they needed to complete the project. Only if they are faithful will they rule. 3. 26:34, 44; Deut. But then as we talk further, and I learn that they are living together before marriage, I get confused. When they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven: Solomon doesnt take it for granted that God would forgive and hear His repentant people. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. 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. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. 35, 46-49). 33-34). Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven); and he said: LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10], Lev. Then he prays. 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. This kind of prayer lays hold of Gods promise. b. If they are taken out of their land because of their sin! Im so glad that our church has such a strong commitment to missions and to the spread of the gospel to all the nations. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain: Drought was a constant threat for the agriculturally based economy of Israel. It is worthy of remark concerning this prayer that it is as full and comprehensive as if it were meant to be the summary of all future prayers offered in the temple. (Spurgeon), ii. King David himself gathered the raw materials to build the temple and, evidently, God provided the building plans for that holy structure. Solomon used the phrasing of that passage to emphasize that the ark of the covenant and the symbol of Gods presence would wander no more and had finally come to its final resting place. There is no God to be found anywhere who may be compared to the God of Israel. It was even worse when the defeat was because they had sinned against the LORD Himself. Solomon here prays for the faithfulness of all of his own posterity. 46When they sin against You (AC)(for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive (AD)to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47(AE)yet when they [d]come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, (AF)saying, We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness; 48and when they (AG)return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and (AH)pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: 49then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their [e]cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and (AI)grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for (AJ)they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, (AK)out of the iron furnace), 52(AL)that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! day of May, 1846. 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.. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site. Hanukkah, (Hebrew: "Dedication") also spelled anukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. 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. What a sight! We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place where Gods word is honored and proclaimed. There is room for petitions, but first we are to realize to Whom we come and we must also realize our own limitations. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:34 9.4MB) King Solomon . So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. 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. Their attitude was: Nothing will happen to us because we have the temple! But God said, No! Please include the following statement on any distributed copies: His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11). When the Old Testament speaks of the "foreigner" it does not always refer to the same kind of people. Although we gather as a church to worship Christ, we must always be thinking of those outside the church who still need Christ. (1 Kings 8:62-63). They built a larger sanctuary than they needed at the time because they trusted God would help them grow. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. In this prayer, there is plenty of evidence that Solomon understood God's purpose for Israel.
Castle Rock Studios Culver City,
St Georges Ditchling Common Fishing,
Articles O