God is able to send rain and He is able to withhold it. 24You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled itas it is today. 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). 30:9]; Ezra 7:6; Ps. 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. There is room for petitions, but first we are to realize to Whom we come and we must also realize our own limitations. If this king will continue in this way, he may be sure that the Lord his God will remember His covenant and all the loving kindness which He had promised David. Yes! No place, now, under the gospel, can add to the prayers made in or towards it. Want the Verse of the Day sent to your inbox? How ecumenical! The good news is that God not only forgives sins but also delights in dwelling with His people (v. 50). Eight years ago this sanctuary was completed and we began worshiping here but we never had a dedication service, because we didnt actually own the building yet. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Religion Past & Present XII (2012) 141. a. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 1 Kings 8 - The Dedication of the Temple A. 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. He knew that when God mercifully answered the prayers of foreigners, it drew those from other nations to the God of all nations. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. King Solomon mentions several of them. And so this fourth part of Solomons prayer is so important when it comes to dedicating anything to God and his glory. God having given testimony to Solomon's prayer by fire from heaven, 2. and glory in the temple, the people worship him 4. 4. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! 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. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. But then Solomon goes on to pray this second prayer of dedication in verses 54-63. This sentence has been explained in various ways. Remember the mercies of Your servant David.. How much less this temple which I have built! This "fear of God" is a concept which we find frequently in the Old Testament. Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. This was to be a beautiful temple built for Gods glory. We also notice why Solomon is praising God. Can one who is condemned by the state to the death penalty still be a "worthy partaker of the table of His Son"? But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? How many people have you told about Jesus lately? The Ark has been brought in. 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. Solomon here prays for the faithfulness of all of his own posterity. The king is here not referring to the stranger who makes his home in Israel, but to the foreigner who comes and goes. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. b. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. Teach(W) them the right way(X) to live, and send rain(Y) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. 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. Let the penitent be spared. This was the greatest answer to prayer Israel could expect from God. Outline Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple? b. I. Thanksgiving and praise for what God has done (54-56). 37When famine(Z) or plague(AA) comes to the land, or blight(AB) or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,(AC) or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israelbeing aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands(AD) toward this temple 39then hear(AE) from heaven, your dwelling place. He speaks of a situation in which a man has sinned but the sin cannot be proved. That is his privilege and his duty. This lesson was prepared for older elementary students and can be adapted for . And they took away all those beautiful items that adorned the temple. The ruler is on his knees before One who is the great Ruler of the universe (2 Chronicles 6:13)! Let us pray. b. The heavens, even the highest heaven,(H) cannot contain(I) you. Solomon's prayer reminded his people that all of them had sinned against God (vv. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Such an individual must then come to the altar of God. 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. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:34 9.4MB) King Solomon . Sign up for daily inspiration today!>. 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. What kind of a son will now succeed him to rule over this great people? It took seven years for King Solomon to actually build the temple. Jesus promised his disciples: For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20) And so when we gather to worship God in Jesus name, we can be assured that Christ is with us, that he is present with us and brings us into Gods glorious presence as we lift up the name of Jesus and worship God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! No! 3. 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. 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. He must there confess his sin so that the sin does not rest on the whole people! Original German (Salomo II): Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 7 (2004) 803-804. And then the fourth and final part of Solomons prayer is a prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinners religion. On that platform King Solomon stood and then knelt, as the description of this very impressive occasion tells us in the preamble to Solomon's prayer, in 2 Chronicles 6:12-17: Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands. For this occasion Solomon has had a platform built which was five cubits wide and five cubits long and three cubits high. We may request cookies to be set on your device. 26:16, 25, 26; Deut. 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. This is Solomon's prayer. The heathen may think that their deities will be able to help them in certain situations, but their hopes are futile. If I see a Bank of England note, it is a promise for a certain amount of money, and I take it and use it. 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. If His people go to battle against their enemies, whether at home or in other countries, when they pray toward this place, may God hear them and maintain their cause. The speaker speaks of each experiencing the plague of his own heart his sin. How much less this temple I have built! 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. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, 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 . This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. So shall sin be done away and the righteous will not suffer for the unrighteous. 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. Solomon intercedes. 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 . Prayer for Gods name to be known among the nations (59-60). For less than $5/mo. Paul's Reference The Temple was incomparable - just like the God who it was built for. You can also change some of your preferences. (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. Hello and welcome to RayFowler.org. 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. In the land of Palestine the people were totally dependent on the "former" and the "latter" rains in order that there might be crops. 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. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. He adds, "for there is no man that sinneth not.". I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever." Then the king faced . 17:10]; Acts 1:24, 2 Chr. The temple was a beautiful place that God instructed Solomon to build to represent the holiness of his presence. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. It was the Lord who gave Israel rest from their enemies so they could focus on the building of the temple at that time. Solomon: Begins by praising the God who keeps his promises. As long as this did not slip into a superstitious misunderstanding, it was good to recognize a special place to come and meet with God. The greatness of Israel's God is seen in the facts that He has made all things and that He keeps covenant! As king himself, Solomon remembered and spoke those truths at the dedication of the temple in his prayer and benediction. Was that a major accomplishment? By 1994 we had outgrown the older sanctuary, and so we began plans for a new sanctuary. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. 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. When a couple comes and asks me to marry them in the church, I always ask them why they want to get married by a pastor in the church rather than, say, a judge at the courthouse. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. 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. 2 Chronicles 6 - Solomon's Prayer of Dedication A. Solomon blesses God. When was the last time? 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.

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