What a sight! 35-36). 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. The violation of this principle made Jesus angry. David and Solomon were human instruments, but the work was Gods. Create a "special and holy" place in your classroom where children can pray and talk about how holy and special God is. With the aid of a simple acronym (ACTS), we should never forget "The Purpose Of Prayer". When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? We should pray for Gods continued presence and direction. 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. So yes, we pray for our needs as a church, and we ask God to meet those daily needs. 1:6; Ps. But we must always remember why we exist as a church. How would this be possible? b. When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. Click here for more messages from the book of 1 Kings. The Temple stood as a testimony of the fulfilment of God's promise to his father David. a. II. How much less this temple I have built! Let us pray. When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. 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. If God's people only repent! When we gather to worship, this is what we seek first and foremost. When the temple was complete Solomon praised God before His people reminding them of His promises. 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. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place of worship. Solomon does not attribute the lack of rain to mere natural phenomena, but to the sins of the people. 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 are glad that Solomon said this. Solomon's prayer acknowledged the greatness of the LORD, and that there was none other God like Him. It was the Lord who fulfilled all the good promises he had given through his servant Moses. Though only Jesus is God incarnate, the temple was a clear sign that God in all his being was committed to living among his people. (Selman), Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. You can also change some of your preferences. 29May your eyes be open(J) toward(K) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, My Name(L) shall be there, so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. God is the one who made it possible, and we give him all the glory. When we gather for worship, the Lord meets with us, and we Not one word has failed of all the good promises(BI) he gave through his servant Moses. What a wonderful prayer to pray! (1 Kings 8:54-56). And this applies to all dedications. It is an immense undertaking for that day to build such a building as the temple. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Click here to return to the Sermons page. a. Israel's God does make covenant. How much less this temple which I have built! We should always begin with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. The greatness of Israel's God is seen in the facts that He has made all things and that He keeps covenant! 1. There is no God to be found anywhere who may be compared to the God of Israel. SOLOMON BEGINS HIS PRAYER WITH PRAISE. False (True or False) Solomon carried out David's instructions concerning his enemies, establishing his kingdom in his hand. 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. 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. 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. His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11). This is Solomon's prayer. (v. 5) God has chose Jerusalem and David. 1 Kings 8. which revealed itself in boils. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. (v. 6) However, He has promised that His name would dwell there. "Solomon's Prayer of Dedication" . And this is really the heart of what all dedications to God are all about. How much less this temple which I have built! That is part of the outward focus that we are to maintain as the church of Jesus Christ. Outline Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple? The mention of Gods hands (lit. 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). You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Original German (Salomo II): Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 7 (2004) 803-804. The heathen may think that their deities will be able to help them in certain situations, but their hopes are futile. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord. 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. 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. 28Yet give attention to your servants prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. What kind of a son will now succeed him to rule over this great people? IV. King Solomon built a structure for God's presence to occupy in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), but Solomon's prayer points toward God's people's being the dwelling place of God. For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website. 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 the heavens are shut up and there is no rain: Drought was a constant threat for the agriculturally based economy of Israel. 2 Chron 6:12. Skilled workers were employed. Im so glad that we are committed to missions right here at home in Broward County and beyond. 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 [email protected]. There are four parts to this prayer, and all four are easily applicable to the dedication of our sanctuary to God and his glory today. 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. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. 9:5, [2 Chr. The priests could not enter into the house of the . (1 Kings 8:62-63). And we should pray for Gods people to remain fully committed to him. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of . Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Solomon begins his prayer with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. 7:20; [Rom. a. We gather to worship God in the beauty of his presence. The overseer of all is Solomon! Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. This is a God who enters into communion with His people. Prayer for Gods continued presence and direction (57-58). (1 Kings 8:59-60). 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. When David died the people of Israel could look for a big change in the government of the land. Read the Scripture: 2 Chronicles 6:12-40. 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. Though it happened 500 years before, it was just as important and real for Israel as the day it happened. Verse Concepts. His prayer contained nine requests: 1. Suddenly this great and beautiful temple becomes very small and insignificant in comparison with the One for Whom it is built. God having given testimony to Solomon's prayer by fire from heaven, 2. and glory in the temple, the people worship him 4. True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. PASTOR: Having been prospered by the good hand of our God, and enabled by his grace and power to complete this house of worship to be used for the glory of his name, we will now in his holy presence dedicate this sanctuary to him. Let God now hear Solomon. Only if they are faithful will they rule. The Prayer of Solomon is a prayer by King Solomon described in 1 Kings 8:22-53 and 2 Chronicles 6:12-42.This prayer is said to have occurred at the dedication of the temple of Solomon, which also became known as the First Temple.The wording and thinking of the prayer have much in common with the language of Deuteronomy.. A shorter prayer of Solomon is also found in some Latin Bibles at the end . (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.. However, before one petition is uttered he extols the greatness of the God to Whom he is praying. The Bible contains the record of many wonderful prayers. Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits . It was the Lord who gave Israel rest from their enemies so they could focus on the building of the temple at that time. a. Now therefore, Although we gather as a church to worship Christ, we must always be thinking of those outside the church who still need Christ. Solomons final request is that Gods people would remain fully committed to him at all times. 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. In the early years of the Israelite kingdom, the Ark of the Covenant was periodically moved about among several sanctuaries, especially those of Shechem and Shiloh. 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. (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.. 1. November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving - for more information and an outline see here.. 35When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(U) because your people have sinned(V) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinners religion. You and the ark of Your strength. THE HOUSE OF DAVID. i. As Solomon was involved in doing God's work, he could expect God's blessing on his efforts. By 1994 we had outgrown the older sanctuary, and so we began plans for a new sanctuary. The hearts determine their actions. How does Solomon overcome the difficulty of doing priestly work and not sinning by doing so? Solomon prosperously effected all he designed, for adorning both God's house and his own. So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. Solomons prayer has a global focus. That is his privilege and his duty. The second part of his prayer was for Gods continued presence and direction. The temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. a. I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised: Solomon recognized that his succession of David on the throne of Israel was a significant thing. (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. Look at verses 57-58: May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. And that is where we are today. When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.. In this refrain he speaks of the riches of the experience of faith. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site. Their attitude was: Nothing will happen to us because we have the temple! But God said, No! 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. 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. God's House must ever be known as a place of prayer and His people as a people of prayer. His concern for foreigners (vv. that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gayest unto our fathers. The first petition which Solomon utters is rather difficult to understand. 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. 5. 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. And so this message suddenly got real hard for some of us because Solomons prayer suddenly got real hard. 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. If we dont appropriate in faith, Gods promise is left unclaimed. This was the early part of the reign of Solomon - his wise period . Let God now hear Solomon. And then we not only pray for Gods continued presence but also for his direction. Sign up for daily inspiration today!>. b. That is a wonderful response, and I would affirm anyone who is seeking Gods blessing on their marriage. Last year through some generous estate gifts and through the sacrificial giving of Gods people, we were able to pay off the mortgage twelve years early.