There is no God to be found anywhere who may be compared to the God of Israel. In this refrain he speaks of the riches of the experience of faith. The heavens, Hebrew heaven of heavens, because this language has no comparative or superlative degree cannot contain Him! Whenever you accomplish something, you are still to give God the glory for what he has done. When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20). In his prayer do not reject your anointed one, the king now meant himself, though in subsequent usage it would express Israels hope in the coming Messiah. (Payne), (c) 2021 TheEnduring WordBible Commentary by David Guzik ewm@enduringword.com. He sent the Babylonians and they came and ransacked the temple and burned it to the ground. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. King Solomon mentions several of them. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever." Then the king faced . III. Religion Past & Present XII (2012) 141. 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. This was made of either brass or copper and Solomon took his position on this platform. Or lets talk about marriage for a moment. David prepared for the temple in every way he could short of actually building it, and he was happy for the credit and honor for building it to go to his son Solomon. Will God dwell on the earth? The temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! As Solomon comes before the Lord with a . 30(N)And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. 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). 24 You have kept 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. 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. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. The people had taken confidence in the temple. b. And when the priests withdrew from the Holy Place where they put the ark, the glory of the Lord filled the temple and all the people worshiped God. 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. i. And so this fourth part of Solomons prayer is so important when it comes to dedicating anything to God and his glory. The good news is that God not only forgives sins but also delights in dwelling with His people (v. 50). When Solomon's construction was completed, the temple was dedicated. How does Solomon overcome the difficulty of doing priestly work and not sinning by doing so? 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. 26:34, 44; Deut. 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) 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. Let us then stand in awe, and sin not. (O), 31When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath(P) before your altar in this temple, 32then hear from heaven and act. (1-2) All of Israel assembles at Jerusalem. (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.. All these prayers were offered at a time of challenge for the person praying, where the only one who could provide . Amen. This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. The Ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple. He humbly suggests that the Temple is the . (1 Kings 8:57-58). 1 Chronicles 29:16). (Selman). a. Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength: This conclusion of prayer has Numbers 10:35-36 in mind, when Israel moved the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, and the whole camp of Israel from place to place through the wilderness during the exodus. b. b. (1 Kings 8:62-63). Solomon faces the Temple raises his hands toward heaven and begins to pray his prayer of dedication. Also when the whole people of Israel come to this place to offer their prayers, Lord hear them. Paul's Reference Solomon's prayer is covers important points for the people and the nation. i. 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. For this reason, the only way they can receive forgiveness of sins is through the physical Temple. Just because God promises does not mean that we possess. 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. When King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem in all its glorious splendor, he stood before the altar of the Lord and prayed a very long prayer. Forgiveness of sins that had caused defeat in battle (vv. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. The heavens, even the . Online 2013. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. And, at this point in the history of Israel, he prays that all the promises made to David may go into effect. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Solomon's solemn sacrifice 8. He was the first king to follow his father as a hereditary monarch. 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.. 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. O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed; This was the early part of the reign of Solomon - his wise period . 41As for the foreigner(AJ) who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name 42for they will hear(AK) of your great name and your mighty hand(AL) and your outstretched armwhen they come and pray toward this temple, 43then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. 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. Original German (Salomo II): Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 7 (2004) 803-804. Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple. Why Do You Look for the Living Among the Dead? (1-2) Acknowledgement of God's presence in the cloud. The heavens, even the highest heaven,(H) cannot contain(I) you. Do we take the credit for it? 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. At the dedication ceremony, Solomon acknowledged the feebleness of his efforts compared to an infinite God: "Will God really dwell on earth with humans? And so this message suddenly got real hard for some of us because Solomons prayer suddenly got real hard. His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11). His prayer contained nine requests: 1. It is not therefore to be wondered at that, when Solomon dedicated to the Lord the temple which he had built, his great petition was that God would hear every prayer that should be uttered in that place or toward that place. Jesus taught: Matthew 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name." Solomon's God was no dud. Thanks for visiting! 12. the Lord appeared to Solomon by The dedication of the temple must have been an occasion of intense national interest to Solomon and his subjects. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. Crafts: Draw or paint self-portraits and write out 1 Corinthians 3:16 on the picture. 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. 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. There are so many people who would love to come to church with you if you would just ask them. At the end of the prayer, we begin chapter 7, and it states, "As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. We gather to worship God in the beauty of his presence. Seeing God always forgives upon His people's repentance, can this forgiveness become rather common place to us? Solomon II. 2 Chronicles 2:1. I. Thanksgiving and praise for what God has done (54-56). 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. 8:1-66 The account of the Temple's dedication ceremony is organized concentrically: Solomon gathers the assembly (), blesses it (vv. 1 Kings 8 - The Dedication of the Temple A. This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. It was the Lord who fulfilled all the good promises he had given through his servant Moses. If you are new here, be sure to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don't miss any future posts. New King James Version (NKJV). When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. False (True or False) Solomon carried out David's instructions concerning his enemies, establishing his kingdom in his hand. 37(W)When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their [b]cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 38whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone (X)know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40(Y)that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. Its location, Mount Moriah, was where God appeared to David, and also where Abraham . We need 2 cookies to store this setting. How were the kingly and priestly offices kept separate? But then as we talk further, and I learn that they are living together before marriage, I get confused. You can also change some of your preferences. In their fasting and prayer, the people of Judah claimed the promises God had made in his covenant with Solomon at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8. We should look beyond ourselves and pray for Gods name to be known among the nations. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. How can we dedicate something to Gods glory if we are not seeking to glorify him with our lives? Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, Now, 11 months later, Solomon stands before the people, spread Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. 29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. The priests could not enter into the house of the . Mildew was another disease of the grains. God's presence and protection (vv. 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. Solomon mentions the fact that God has been faithful to the promise which He made to his father David. Solomon here prays for Gods daily provision and sustenance, but he does so for a very specific purpose. He is here following an example clearly taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ in the perfect prayer. I cant think of two more important requests of God for us as a church as we seek to fulfill Gods purposes in this community. c. When they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive: Solomon also asked God to hear Israels prayer from captivity in a foreign land. For this reason, many observant Jews still pray facing the direction of the site of the temple in Jerusalem. 106:6; Dan. He now assumes a posture in prayer of which we have not read earlier in the Biblical account. No place, now, under the gospel, can add to the prayers made in or towards it. Gods good response to our repentance comes from His grace, not from justice. 1st Kings 8:22-53: Solomon's prayer at the dedication of God's people-temple. Solomon felt his own inadequacy. 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. However, He has promised that His name would dwell there. This prayer helps prevent us from turning inwards and from making all our decisions based on what we think is best for us. We cannot dedicate things to the Lord if we have not dedicated ourselves to the Lord first. 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 . The temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! After all, didnt they do the work? New International Version (NIV). Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. Can a murderer, if he repents, be saved? But, if anyone or if the whole people turn to God in repentance, may He forgive. He does not say what manner of sin it is because that is immaterial to what he has in mind. 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. No other God ever makes a covenant with the people whom he rules. He adds, "for there is no man that sinneth not.". That is part of the outward focus that we are to maintain as the church of Jesus Christ. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. 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.. The overseer of all is Solomon! 27But (I)will God indeed dwell on the earth? Oh, let God now hear the prayer of His servant! (1 Kings 8:59-60). 16:7; 1 Chr. What a sight! Solomon begins his prayer with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. The services of the dedication will continue for three days in succession, commencing on each day at 11:00 o'clock a.m. Tickets may be had at the watch house near the . 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. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place where Gods word is honored and proclaimed. After sacrificing a seemingly endless number of animals ( 1 Kings 8:5 ), Solomon blessed the Lord for His covenantal faithfulness (vv.12-21). 14-21), utters a long dedicatory prayer (vv. That is his privilege and his duty. Let God now hear Solomon. How many people have you told about Jesus lately? this temple for God, so did His represented presence in the form of the Ark of the Covenant (see 2 Chronicles 5:2-10). 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. Forgiveness of sins that had brought on drought (vv. And so Solomon begins with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. 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. 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. The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. For less than $5/mo. He referred to God's name Yahweh 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. Prayer for Gods continued presence and direction (57-58). Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:34 9.4MB) King Solomon . Love C.S. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Now therefore, That is his privilege and his duty. Solomon prayed his prayer of dedication, and then the king and all the Israelites officially dedicated the temple to the Lord. When the Old Testament speaks of the "foreigner" it does not always refer to the same kind of people. 58May he turn our hearts(BK) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. If they are taken out of their land because of their sin! It was even worse when the defeat was because they had sinned against the LORD Himself. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. Return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, then hear from heaven: Solomon asked God to hear the prayers of a defeated, yet humble and penitent Israel. Traffic and Tears on the Road to Jerusalem. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. 2 Chronicles Chapter 6. When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. The Temple was incomparable - just like the God who it was built for. What does it mean to dedicate a building, or a child or a home? Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. 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). 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. Jesus told his disciples: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. It's actually three prayers and what I find most interesting about them is the balance of what is said. 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. And in the midst of a phenomenal celebratory service; the King of Israel prays a dedicatory prayer like none have ever heard before. i. Lord, render to every man according to all his ways. In Solomon's prayer at the temple inauguration he referred to Jehovah as the God above all, a God of loving-kindness and loyalty, the Fulfiller of his promises. a. The heathen may think that their deities will be able to help them in certain situations, but their hopes are futile. 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. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. "Solomon's Prayer of Dedication" . Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. 2.F orgiveness of trespasses (vv. The importance of wisdom goes beyond just knowledge. This sentence has been explained in various ways. Only if they are faithful will they rule. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. 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. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? 130:3; Prov. Nor was the interest merely temporary or local. This is instructive to us. Solomon intercedes. (BM) 61And may your hearts(BN) be fully committed(BO) to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.. Now keep what You promised Your servant David. let Your word come true: Solomon called upon God to keep the promises that He made. Israel's God does make covenant. Solomon extols the faithfulness of God and exhorts the people to continue in the path of covenant obedience. Let the penitent be spared. 7:20; [Rom. Solomon is praying to the creator of the universe, who already owns all and knows all. I. Solomon's Prayer of _____ of God (1 Kings 8:22-29) 1. This is the second part of Solomons prayer: a prayer for Gods continued presence and direction. Remember the kindness of David, Thy servant (2 Chron.6:42). 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. a. Whenever a people is defeated, great suffering comes upon them. (v. 6) The pretended gods of the nations could not compare to Him in any way. 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. This lesson is an adaptation from the Gospel Project lesson on this Scripture passage. From the study of Solomon's prayer after the completion of the temple, the students will discover that God keeps all His promises. Was that a major accomplishment? And there I have put the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with the children of Israel..