Footnotes. God answered this prayer of Solomon, and He forgave and restored His defeated people when they came in humble repentance. And so we must always keep our outward focus as a church. 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. This is the great secret to power in prayer to take Gods promises to heart in faith, and then boldly and reverently call upon Him to fulfill the promises. There is suffering in every part of life. Why, or, why not? So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. King Solomon mentions several of them. So what does it mean to dedicate something to the Lord? He kneels as he prays and spreads out his hands to the heavens. 62-66).To this account is appended an appearance of the Lord to Solomon that balances the divine word to Solomon in the . 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). 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. In this prayer, there is plenty of evidence that Solomon understood God's purpose for Israel. Want the Verse of the Day sent to your inbox? Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever." a. True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. How would this be possible? This prayer helps prevent us from turning inwards and from making all our decisions based on what we think is best for us. Solomon having kept the feasts of tabernacles and dedication, dismisses the people 12. (v. 3) Solomon declares that God has kept the promise that David's son would build a temple. He is famous for building the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Now keep what You promised Your servant David. let Your word come true: Solomon called upon God to keep the promises that He made. EVERYONE: The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. There is no other God. The Temple was incomparable - just like the God who it was built for. The mention of Gods hands (lit. Previously there was not an indication of a complete captivity of His people, but that is considered in this petition. 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. Oh, let God now hear the prayer of His servant! Love C.S. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? What does it mean to dedicate a building, or a child or a home? 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. i. 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). 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 . God's presence and protection (vv. The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud: The cloud of Gods glory has a long association with His presence. a. After seven years the Temple is completed and the magnificence of it is stunning. 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. The Ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple. The first petition which Solomon utters is rather difficult to understand. He now assumes a posture in prayer of which we have not read earlier in the Biblical account. 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) For this reason, many observant Jews still pray facing the direction of the site of the temple in Jerusalem. 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. The second part of his prayer was for Gods continued presence and direction. i. 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. No greater indication of the need for a place of atonement and forgiveness could be given. (Selman). Solomon prayed his prayer of dedication, and then the king and all the Israelites officially dedicated the temple to the Lord. Otherwise they could not be defeated in this "theocracy"! And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. 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. And so now we are finally in a position officially to dedicate this sanctuary to God and his glory. This recognized that the God of the temple could answer prayers made away from the temple. Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord or the dedication means nothing.. (1-2) All of Israel assembles at Jerusalem. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, a. (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. But, when a segment of the people then turn to the temple and seek the name of God and ask forgiveness, may He bring each one back to the land he has received in his family inheritance. 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. When the Lord gave him a choice of various gifts he might have, he chose wisdom. The pretended gods of the nations could not compare to Him in any way. The work on this sanctuary is long completed. 1. 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. >> When you pray with others in corporate prayer, make sure your heart, mind, and soul are echoing the words that are spoken. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication. This referred to interpersonal disputes. You and the ark of Your strength. After sacrificing a seemingly endless number of animals ( 1 Kings 8:5 ), Solomon blessed the Lord for His covenantal faithfulness (vv.12-21). The king is here not referring to the stranger who makes his home in Israel, but to the foreigner who comes and goes. One is struck, moreover, with the fact that the language is far from new, and is full of quotations from the Pentateuch, some of which are almost word for word, while the sense of the whole may be found in those memorable passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. (Spurgeon). Solomon's Prayer of Dedication | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org God cannot be confined to a particular space, but He does meet with His people in particular spaces. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out . He prays best in public who prays most in private. 27But will God really dwell(G) on earth? The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. 31When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take (O)an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, (P)condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. 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. 17:6, 18; 25:21, Ezra 9:6, 7; Neh. Nor was the interest merely temporary or local. This is a God who enters into communion with His people. This wisdom is soon revealed when a mother comes to him with another woman, each claiming the same child as her own. The heavens, even the . No place, now, under the gospel, can add to the prayers made in or towards it. 26:34, 44; Deut. get to know the Bible better! How much less this temple which I have built! Do we take the credit for it? 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 temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! 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. 17:10]; Acts 1:24, 2 Chr. Remember the mercies of Your servant David.. A few short years after Solomon's prayer, God destroyed Israel as a nation. a. It collapses economies and replaces peace with terror. Crafts: Draw or paint self-portraits and write out 1 Corinthians 3:16 on the picture. 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. 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. 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. I sometimes run into this with baby dedications. At the dedication ceremony, Solomon acknowledged the feebleness of his efforts compared to an infinite God: "Will God really dwell on earth with humans? 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.. Surely, he does not mean it as an excuse. 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. Lord, render to every man according to all his ways. Thats the first part of Solomons prayer: thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. He referred to God's name Yahweh 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. For this reason, the only way they can receive forgiveness of sins is through the physical Temple. Solomon mentions the fact that God has been faithful to the promise which He made to his father David. i. (If you're a human, don't change the following field), Solomons Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple. Let us then stand in awe, and sin not. 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. When David died the people of Israel could look for a big change in the government of the land. When such a person prays toward this place, may God hear him too. He knows exactly who he is praying to. 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). Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. 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. Prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him (61-63). If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 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 the last petition Solomon deals with the worst situation which can befall a people. And this is really the heart of what all dedications to God are all about. i. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. i. 30Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(M) toward this place. So shall sin be done away and the righteous will not suffer for the unrighteous. Solomon II. First we ask for Gods presence to be among us. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. (v. 4) Solomon reiterates that God has never asked for a city or a house or a ruler until now. They were defeated because they had sinned against God! In an age when this is frequently misunderstood, it provides a valuable resource. ii. So yes, we pray for our needs as a church, and we ask God to meet those daily needs. When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them: Solomon prayed with the idea that God should answer the prayers for victory made in foreign lands towards the temple, but only when they battle as God sent them. a. When the Old Testament speaks of the "foreigner" it does not always refer to the same kind of people. 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. For less than $5/mo. The temple was designed for the keeping up of the correspondence between God and his people; and . Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple. 22-53), blesses the assembly again (vv. And this applies to all dedications. 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. 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. Are there more ecumenical passages in the Old Testament? The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. With Him hearing is forgiving and forgiving is hearing. 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.. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! Next Solomon prays for Gods name to be known among the nations. And so this fourth part of Solomons prayer is so important when it comes to dedicating anything to God and his glory. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. 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.. May You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place: Solomon asked God to incline His ear towards the king and the people when they prayed from the temple. There is no God to be found anywhere who may be compared to the God of Israel. How much less this temple which I have built! "If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our . Solomon took time to contemplate the God he was praying to. 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. B. Solomon's prayer posture. He had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). b. 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.