The two records of this prayer are too long to do them justice but the beauty of the prayer and the evidence of the deep spirituality of the one who is praying will become clear. He becomes acquainted with the ways of the Israelites and with their history and he also finds out about the greatness of Israel's God. 54-61), and dismisses it (vv. 6:36; Ps. EVERYONE: 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. 1. Let us pray. How ecumenical! For this occasion Solomon has had a platform built which was five cubits wide and five cubits long and three cubits high. Standing there at the altar, he cried out for God to have mercy on His people . You and the ark of Your strength. That is his privilege and his duty. 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. Lev. The mention of Gods hands (lit. 2.F orgiveness of trespasses (vv. This is Solomon's prayer. Yes! Solomon here prays for Gods daily provision and sustenance, but he does so for a very specific purpose. 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. This was the greatest answer to prayer Israel could expect from God. There will be seven distinct petitions in this prayer of Solomon. The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. b. Israel had prospered and had been victorious under the reign of David. He knows exactly who he is praying to. The heavens, Hebrew heaven of heavens, because this language has no comparative or superlative degree cannot contain Him! Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.(Q). 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 . Mildew was another disease of the grains. He now assumes a posture in prayer of which we have not read earlier in the Biblical account. The heavens, even the highest heaven,(H) cannot contain(I) you. How were the kingly and priestly offices kept separate? Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. 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. In the last petition Solomon deals with the worst situation which can befall a people. When Solomon's construction was completed, the temple was dedicated. He will then not lack a son to sit upon his throne. Behold, heaven and the (J)heaven of heavens cannot contain You. Solomon's prayer. All these prayers were offered at a time of challenge for the person praying, where the only one who could provide . But that Temple has been destroyed for over 1900 years. This glorious Temple built under the direction of King Solomon had as one of it's purposes to be a witness to the world in that day. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. This was made of either brass or copper and Solomon took his position on this platform. 12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. I. Solomon's Prayer of _____ of God (1 Kings 8:22-29) How many people have you told about Jesus lately? If they are taken out of their land because of their sin! King David himself gathered the raw materials to build the temple and, evidently, God provided the building plans for that holy structure. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know(AM) your name and fear(AN) you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. The temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! (1 Kings 8:54-56). This prayer helps prevent us from turning inwards and from making all our decisions based on what we think is best for us. 5. (1-2) All of Israel assembles at Jerusalem. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving - for more information and an outline see here.. Solomon intercedes. Will God dwell on the earth? 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. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. Recalls God's dynastic promises to David through the prophet Nathan. God honors a praying people, because a praying people honors God! There is no other God. Now we come to the seven petitions which Solomon speaks. As Solomon was involved in doing God's work, he could expect God's blessing on his efforts. When we gather for worship, the Lord meets with us, and we Click here for more messages from the book of 1 Kings. 31-32). 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 was the son of King David and Bathsheba. 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. The Ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple. You can check these in your browser security settings. The violation of this principle made Jesus angry. Create a "special and holy" place in your classroom where children can pray and talk about how holy and special God is. He adds, "for there is no man that sinneth not.". Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! Famine came upon the land of Canaan several times during the course of sacred history despite the fact that this land was to be the land "flowing with milk and honey." If you are new here, be sure to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don't miss any future posts. How can we dedicate something to Gods glory if we are not seeking to glorify him with our lives? David and Solomon were human instruments, but the work was Gods. He does not say what manner of sin it is because that is immaterial to what he has in mind. Keep prayer at he center of all you do! "Solomon's Prayer of Dedication" . 27But will God really dwell(G) on earth? When they sin against You (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 to a land far or near; yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness; and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.. 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. We ask that he would be with us as he was with our fathers, and we pray that he may never leave nor forsake us. I have surely built You an exalted house, a. Well, yes, of course Solomon and the people all played their parts in making the temple come together, but Solomon in his wisdom recognizes that it was only possible because of the Lord. A strong church was planted here in Plantation that has been faithful in preaching Gods word and has given millions of dollars to missions around the world. This type of praying produced some marvelous results. 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.. The temple was designed for the keeping up of the correspondence between God and his people; and . Out of the land of Egypt: Solomon presses the remembrance of the Exodus. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Original German (Salomo II): Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 7 (2004) 803-804. 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. 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. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a light in this community proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to all who will hear. Dedication of the Temple - Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. Now is introduced the refrain which we will hear throughout this prayer: hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest, forgive. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. Solomon prosperously effected all he designed, for adorning both God's house and his own. 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. II. i. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Acknowledges that God is bigger than the temple. Hello and welcome to RayFowler.org. 28:21, 22, 27, 38, 42, 52, [1 Sam. After many particulars, Solomon concludes with the general request, that God would hearken to his praying people. GOD APPEARS TO HIM. 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. 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. When He came to the temple and found the outer courts the only place where the Gentile nations could come and pray more like a swap meet than a house of prayer, He drove out the moneychangers and the merchants (Matthew 21:13). This is a Bible study on prayer, focusing specifically on the prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:22-53; 2 Chronicles 6:12-42). PASTOR: Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity; three Persons and one God: CONGREGATION: To you we dedicate this house. Crafts: Draw or paint self-portraits and write out 1 Corinthians 3:16 on the picture. 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. That all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name! Solomon mentions locust and caterpillar, grasshoppers and other creatures which denude the fields of all vegetation. Wasnt it the donations of the people that made the building possible? (1 Kings 8:57-58). i. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. And they took away all those beautiful items that adorned the temple. I ask them: Why do you want Gods blessing on your marriage, but you dont want Gods blessing on your present relationship? Its not consistent. Let God now hear Solomon. God is able to send rain and He is able to withhold it. 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. First we ask for Gods presence to be among us. 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. 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. And so I ask them: How can you stand up in front of the church and promise to raise your child in the Lord when you arent following God yourself? It is a wonderful thing to want to dedicate your child to the Lord, but God wants you to dedicate yourself to him first. How would this be possible? Verse Concepts. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.". Solomon intercedes. By Ray Fowler. 2 Chronicles 6 - Solomon's Prayer of Dedication A. Solomon blesses God. 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. B. V. 20-21 A Place For Cares - As Solomon prays, he asks the Lord to here the supplications of God's people. God will then judge the one who has committed the sin and the taint of sin which exists as long as the real sinner is not known will be removed from the whole people. 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 BEGINS HIS PRAYER WITH PRAISE. i. Jerusalem: The End of the Road or Just the Beginning? 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). This sentence has been explained in various ways. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. Although we gather as a church to worship Christ, we must always be thinking of those outside the church who still need Christ. God wanted the court of the Gentiles to be a place where the nations could come and pray. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. We should always begin with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. Does the enormity of the sin have anything to do with the possibility of forgiveness? We should look beyond ourselves and pray for Gods name to be known among the nations. 13 Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. 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. b. I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever: Solomon rightly sensed that the presence of the cloud meant that God dwelt in the temple in a special way. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 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 . That is a wonderful response, and I would affirm anyone who is seeking Gods blessing on their marriage. III. Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. No other God ever makes a covenant with the people whom he rules. Whenever a people is defeated, great suffering comes upon them. (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.. 35(T)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, 36then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may (U)teach them (V)the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. i. Let the penitent be spared. And so the fourth and final part of Solomons prayer is a prayer that Gods people would remain fully committed to him. (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. His prayer contained nine requests: 1. From prior statements, such as his statement in 2 Chronicles 6:1-2, we might have thought that Solomon drifted towards a superstitious idea that God actually lived in the temple to the exclusion of other places. B. Solomon's prayer posture. But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? b. and more. 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. This was to be a beautiful temple built for Gods glory. Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. 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. Prayer for Gods name to be known among the nations (59-60). Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. When David died the people of Israel could look for a big change in the government of the land. It took seven years for King Solomon to actually build the temple. 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. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. Through believing prayer like this, God promises and we appropriate. 35, 46-49). If there be famine, often the result of drought, or if there be pestilence, blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar, siege by an enemy or any other plague or sickness if they repent and ask for forgiveness, may the Lord hear them. 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. If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy: Many times in their history, Israel suffered defeat and could only cry out to God. Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. 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. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place of worship. Solomon's solemn sacrifice 8. i. Prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him (61-63). And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Next Solomon prays for Gods name to be known among the nations. 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. They were defeated because they had sinned against God! Why, or, why not? Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Solomon II. 30:9]; Ezra 7:6; Ps. The Temple was incomparable - just like the God who it was built for. Besides war and drought, there are various other calamities which may come upon a land. a. By 1994 we had outgrown the older sanctuary, and so we began plans for a new sanctuary. Their attitude was: Nothing will happen to us because we have the temple! But God said, No! 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. Israel's God does make covenant. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? 28:36, 64; 2 Kin. 28Yet give attention to your servants prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Does the temple in Jerusalem have more significance than our church buildings? When the temple was complete Solomon praised God before His people reminding them of His promises. 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. 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). It was even worse when the defeat was because they had sinned against the LORD Himself. It's praying until we know we have laid hold of God. New International Version (NIV). 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. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord's musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, "His love endures forever." 28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of . Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. God knows what is in their hearts. You have kept what You promised: Solomon first thanked and praised God for His past fulfillment of promises. And so now we are finally in a position officially to dedicate this sanctuary to God and his glory. That is part of the outward focus that we are to maintain as the church of Jesus Christ. 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. b. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. a. They always respond because they want Gods blessing on their marriage. And so your first thought should always be thanksgiving and praise to God for what he has done. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . For less than $5/mo. And so finally after all the years of preparation and giving and building, the temple was complete. True Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 24 You have kept How much less this temple which I have built! There are so many people who would love to come to church with you if you would just ask them. After seven years the Temple is completed and the magnificence of it is stunning. And we should pray for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. Those who begin with the service of God, are likely to go on successfully in their own affairs. This wisdom is soon revealed when a mother comes to him with another woman, each claiming the same child as her own. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 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. (AQ), 46When they sin against youfor there is no one who does not sin(AR)and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive(AS) to their own lands, far away or near; 47and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead(AT) with you in the land of their captors and say, We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly;(AU) 48and if they turn back(AV) to you with all their heart(AW) and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray(AX) to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple(AY) I have built for your Name;(AZ) 49then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Solomon has no basis upon which to request anything except God's beloved mercy. (1 Kings 8:59-60). Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning.