GOD APPEARS TO HIM. Solomon mentions the fact that God has been faithful to the promise which He made to his father David. 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. Give them victory! - Solomon acknowledges that God cannot be contained in any temple. The sense that sin is all-pervading dominates, epitomised in one of the clearest biblical statements about sins universality (there is no one who does not sin, 2 Chronicles 6:36). 106:6; Dan. It was the Lord who gave Israel rest from their enemies so they could focus on the building of the temple at that time. ACT OF DEDICATION (Adapted from the Dedicatory Service at The Moody Church November 8, 1925). Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. What does it mean to dedicate a building, or a child or a home? I. Solomon's Prayer of _____ of God (1 Kings 8:22-29) 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.. This is a more general prayer of dedication and well-suited to the dedication of any home, building or business to the Lord. b. Adoration; Confession; Thanksgiving; Supplication Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. It was a prayer of such detail and texture that it offered a good match for the stunning architecture and ornamentation of the temple itself. In an age when this is frequently misunderstood, it provides a valuable resource. Next Solomon prays for Gods name to be known among the nations. The importance of wisdom goes beyond just knowledge. 28Yet give attention to your servants prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. 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. This beautiful prayer must be applied to his heart as well as to the hearts of all who read this prayer. He prays for God to meet the daily needs of the people not for their own sake but so that Gods name may be known among the nations. Let God now hear Solomon. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. 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. i. Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 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). I. Thanksgiving and praise for what God has done (54-56). (1 Kings 8:59-60). Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, 22-53), blesses the assembly again (vv. PASTOR: Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity; three Persons and one God: CONGREGATION: To you we dedicate this house. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits . And that is where we are today. that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gayest unto our fathers. He must there confess his sin so that the sin does not rest on the whole people! Not one word has failed of all the good promises(BI) he gave through his servant Moses. Otherwise they could not be defeated in this "theocracy"! 17:10]; Acts 1:24, 2 Chr. 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. It is our "faith" with its own connotation. God is the one who gave you the talents, the time, the opportunity and the strength to do whatever it is you have done. And I am always happy to do that. 2 Chronicles Chapter 6. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. The holy place and Most Holy Place were only for chosen descendants of the High Priest. 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. And then the fourth and final part of Solomons prayer is a prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. a. If there was no rain, there was no food. b. Let us then stand in awe, and sin not. How would this be possible? 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. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever." Then the king faced . This is Solomon's prayer. 1 Kings 8 - The Dedication of the Temple A. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Their attitude was: Nothing will happen to us because we have the temple! But God said, No! B. V. 20-21 A Place For Cares - As Solomon prays, he asks the Lord to here the supplications of God's people. This "fear of God" is a concept which we find frequently in the Old Testament. 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. Sign up for daily inspiration today!>. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. 33-34). When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. 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. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? And we should pray for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. Forgiveness of sins that had caused defeat in battle (vv. Dedication of the Temple of God in the city of Nauvoo. Why, or, why not? This referred to interpersonal disputes. 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. Original German (Salomo II): Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 7 (2004) 803-804. 1 Chronicles 22:19. Gods good response to our repentance comes from His grace, not from justice. 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. 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. In the second petition the king pleads with his God concerning his people when they are defeated by enemies. The overseer of all is Solomon! The heathen may think that their deities will be able to help them in certain situations, but their hopes are futile. i. Forgive(AF) and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know(AG) their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40so that they will fear(AH) you all the time they live in the land(AI) you gave our ancestors. That all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name! The prayers of Hannah (1 Samuel 1), Hezekiah (Isaiah 37), Daniel (Daniel 9) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1) spring readily to mind. How then shall this house which Solomon has built house Him? What kind of a son will now succeed him to rule over this great people? Lord, render to every man according to all his ways. King Solomon's Prayer Of Dedication Outlines The Importance Of The Temple The Jewish people do not believe in the spiritual Temple which is Jesus Christ. 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. Thanks for visiting! This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. His prayer contained nine requests: 1. Hear(N) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. Click here to return to the Sermons page. (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. The Ark has been brought in. The Temple was incomparable - just like the God who it was built for. Solomon's prayer acknowledged the greatness of the LORD, and that there was none other God like Him. True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. Solomon intercedes. The speaker speaks of each experiencing the plague of his own heart his sin. 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. 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. 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). The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! When the Lord gave him a choice of various gifts he might have, he chose wisdom. All of the most skilled craftsmen in Israel are required for the construction. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Look at verses 59-60: And 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, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. Solomon having kept the feasts of tabernacles and dedication, dismisses the people 12. Solomon's prayer at the time of the dedication of the Jewish Temple is a remarkable piece of literature. So shall sin be done away and the righteous will not suffer for the unrighteous. 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.. 1 Chronicles 29:16). (Selman). He will then not lack a son to sit upon his throne. fulfilled with his hands) really means that Gods actions have confirmed his words it is as if Gods unseen hands were active in all the human hands who contributed to the construction work (cf. He prays best in public who prays most in private. Solomon's prayer is covers important points for the people and the nation. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20). b. Solomon has no basis upon which to request anything except God's beloved mercy. God knows what is in their hearts. 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. It collapses economies and replaces peace with terror. Alas, Solomon didn't stay on this height of commitment to God. 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. b. 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. Ray Fowler. 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. ), 2Ch 2:6; Ps 139:7-16; Isa 66:1; Jer 23:24, ver 52; 2Ki 19:16; 2Ch 7:15; Ne 1:6; Ps 5:1; 31:2; 102:17; 130:2; Isa 37:17, ver 47; Lev 26:40; Ne 1:6; Jer 29:12; Da 9:4, Ps 5:8; 27:11; 107:7; Pr 11:5; Isa 45:13; Jer 6:16; 7:23; 31:21, ver 35; 1Ki 17:1; 18:1, 45; Jer 5:24; 10:3; 14:22; Zec 10:1, S Jos 22:22; S Ps 44:21; Jn 2:24; S Rev 2:23, Lev 26:33-39; S Dt 4:27; S 21:10; S 28:64; 2Ki 25:21, S ver 30; S Lev 5:5; Ezr 9:15; Ne 1:6; Jer 14:20, 1Ki 9:4; 11:4; 15:3, 14; 22:43; 2Ki 20:3; 1Ch 28:9; 29:19; 2Ch 16:9; 17:6; 25:2; Ps 119:80; Isa 38:3, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Galatians, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NIV, The Story, Hardcover, Comfort Print: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow Gods Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Lewis? Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. (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. This is Solomon's prayer. He keeps His promises and shows lovingkindness. The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud: The cloud of Gods glory has a long association with His presence. 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.. 58 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. this temple for God, so did His represented presence in the form of the Ark of the Covenant (see 2 Chronicles 5:2-10). False (True or False) Solomon carried out David's instructions concerning his enemies, establishing his kingdom in his hand. 16:7; 1 Chr. He had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). 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. 32-33) shows that he realized that Israel was to reach out and share the knowledge and blessings of God with Gentiles. Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. (1 Kings 8:62-63). From the study of Solomon's prayer after the completion of the temple, the students will discover that God keeps all His promises. Are there more ecumenical passages in the Old Testament? NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 20:9; Eccl. Now therefore, It would be inappropriate for him to do so because he was a king and not a priest. Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. God's House must ever be known as a place of prayer and His people as a people of prayer. The king is here not referring to the stranger who makes his home in Israel, but to the foreigner who comes and goes. a. (v. 3) Solomon declares that God has kept the promise that David's son would build a temple. There is suffering in every part of life. Besides war and drought, there are various other calamities which may come upon a land. The pretended gods of the nations could not compare to Him in any way. Only if they are faithful will they rule. (AO), 44When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray(AP) to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. The priests could not enter into the house of the . This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. So what does it mean to dedicate something to the Lord? Solomon's solemn sacrifice 8. The mention of Gods hands (lit. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. i. 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. One land would often invade the other, besiege its cities and take the inhabitants captive. 8:1-66 The account of the Temple's dedication ceremony is organized concentrically: Solomon gathers the assembly (), blesses it (vv. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a light in this community proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to all who will hear. This sentence has been explained in various ways. 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. 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. 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. 30Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(M) toward this place. God wanted the court of the Gentiles to be a place where the nations could come and pray. 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. Since God will not live in temples made by hands but only in temples that He constructs Himself, we that are saved have this same purpose, to be a witness of the glory of God to this world we live in! 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. 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. 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. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain: Drought was a constant threat for the agriculturally based economy of Israel. 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10], Lev. Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. By Ray Fowler. (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. By 1994 we had outgrown the older sanctuary, and so we began plans for a new sanctuary. You and the ark of Your strength. Solomon does not attribute the lack of rain to mere natural phenomena, but to the sins of the people. They were defeated because they had sinned against God! 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. 106:46; Acts 7:10, Ex. His concern for foreigners (vv. We should always begin with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. 17:6, 18; 25:21, Ezra 9:6, 7; Neh. a. That is his privilege and his duty. But understand that such a prayer of dedication only has meaning if you yourself are personally committed to the Lord. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. It was the Lord who provided all that they needed to complete the project. After placing the ark in its new home, a praise service broke out with instruments sounding out beautifully and voices raised . 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. 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. 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. 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. This recognized that the God of the temple could answer prayers made away from the temple. For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website. Even though men cannot prove the sin which has been committed by this "someone," God does know. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6:36; Ps. By Gods grace it has now been paid off in full as God has worked through his people to finish the work we started so long ago. b. Does the temple in Jerusalem have more significance than our church buildings? (1 Kings 8:54-56). 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. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. 12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 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). Recalls God's dynastic promises to David through the prophet Nathan. Prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him (61-63). Or lets talk about marriage for a moment. You have kept what You promised: Solomon first thanked and praised God for His past fulfillment of promises. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. How were the kingly and priestly offices kept separate? You can check these in your browser security settings. 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. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. And, at this point in the history of Israel, he prays that all the promises made to David may go into effect. 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. 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.