1:10; [Rom. Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. In the land of Palestine the people were totally dependent on the "former" and the "latter" rains in order that there might be crops. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they (1 Kings 8:54-56). Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. 2 Chron 6:12. 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 Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy: Many times in their history, Israel suffered defeat and could only cry out to God. The heavens, even the . If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Living together outside of marriage is direct disobedience to Gods commands, and God cannot bless disobedience. 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. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of . IV. 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.. That is his privilege and his duty. 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). Solomon's prayer reminded his people that all of them had sinned against God (vv. Will God dwell on the earth? Solomon does not attribute the lack of rain to mere natural phenomena, but to the sins of the people. Suddenly this great and beautiful temple becomes very small and insignificant in comparison with the One for Whom it is built. Though the temple was a house for Jehovah, Solomon realized that "the heavens, yes, the heaven of the heavens, themselves" could not contain Him. When Solomon's construction was completed, the temple was dedicated. II. 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. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a house of prayer. Yes! which revealed itself in boils. He is here following an example clearly taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ in the perfect prayer. 5. b. When David died the people of Israel could look for a big change in the government of the land. We cannot dedicate things to the Lord if we have not dedicated ourselves to the Lord first. a. B. Solomon's prayer posture. I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever." a. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? God's presence and protection (vv. Do we take the credit for it? 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. 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. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. 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. A few short years after Solomon's prayer, God destroyed Israel as a nation. He keeps His promises and shows lovingkindness. (True or False) Graciously, Solomon first allowed Adonijah to go free. a. 17:10]; Acts 1:24, 2 Chr. (1 Kings 8:59-60). And so finally after all the years of preparation and giving and building, the temple was complete. And in the midst of a phenomenal celebratory service; the King of Israel prays a dedicatory prayer like none have ever heard before. Rather than information alone, Solomon . The first petition which Solomon utters is rather difficult to understand. After many particulars, Solomon concludes with the general request, that God would hearken to his praying people. get to know the Bible better! 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. 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. 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. Many times people want their pastor to come and pray a prayer of dedication for their new home or their place of business. The greatness of Israel's God is seen in the facts that He has made all things and that He keeps covenant! 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. ACT OF DEDICATION (Adapted from the Dedicatory Service at The Moody Church November 8, 1925). 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. There are so many people who would love to come to church with you if you would just ask them. A. Solomon's prayer place. Nevertheless, it also reminds us of the principle in prayer of praying in the name of Jesus, the ultimate Anointed One. 1. Recalls God's dynastic promises to David through the prophet Nathan. Remember the mercies of Your servant David.. I sometimes run into this with baby dedications. When the Old Testament speaks of the "foreigner" it does not always refer to the same kind of people. Behold, heaven and the (J)heaven of heavens cannot contain You. Now therefore, When the building is now finished there is a great celebration of dedication and Solomon utters a prayer which has become a classic. The ruler of the people is going to lead the whole nation in prayer! How can we dedicate something to Gods glory if we are not seeking to glorify him with our lives? 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.. You can also change some of your preferences. New King James Version (NKJV). 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. He knew that when God mercifully answered the prayers of foreigners, it drew those from other nations to the God of all nations. Didnt they make the plans, gather the materials, and oversee the building of the temple? Blasting refers to the singeing of the grain by the dry hot wind blowing from the desert. 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. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place of worship. King Solomon ( "Shlomo Hamelech" in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. There is suffering in every part of life. Lev. Let God now hear Solomon. And this is really the heart of what all dedications to God are all about. EVERYONE: We dedicate this sanctuary now to the glory of God the Father, to the honor of Jesus Christ his Son, and to the praise of the Holy Spirit. So yes, we pray for our needs as a church, and we ask God to meet those daily needs. 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.". You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Now keep what You promised Your servant David. let Your word come true: Solomon called upon God to keep the promises that He made. b. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! God's House must ever be known as a place of prayer and His people as a people of prayer. Seeing God always forgives upon His people's repentance, can this forgiveness become rather common place to us? 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. What a wonderful prayer to pray! Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. Skilled workers were employed. 31-32). Click here to return to the Sermons page. It's praying until we know we have laid hold of God. (Read 1 Kings 8:54-63 and pray.). 35, 46-49). Even though men cannot prove the sin which has been committed by this "someone," God does know. 8:1-66 The account of the Temple's dedication ceremony is organized concentrically: Solomon gathers the assembly (), blesses it (vv. This is a God who enters into communion with His people. Known as an ambitious builder of public works, Solomon's crowning achievement was the building of the Temple. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. (v. 6) So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. Solomon is praying to the creator of the universe, who already owns all and knows all. 22-53), blesses the assembly again (vv. The temple was completed the 8 th month of 11 th year of reign. Solomon took time to contemplate the God he was praying to. 30Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(M) toward this place. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. and more. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. b. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . And a place for You to dwell in forever.. 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. Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinners religion. 37(W)When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their [b]cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 38whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone (X)know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40(Y)that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. God sent the promise on purpose to be used. Mildew was another disease of the grains. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. 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. November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving - for more information and an outline see here.. He referred to God's name Yahweh 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. The temple is dedicated and let God now arise to His dwelling place! Standing there at the altar, he cried out for God to have mercy on His people . (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. 50And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(BA) 51for they are your people and your inheritance,(BB) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. All rights reserved worldwide. Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning. Solomon: Begins by praising the God who keeps his promises. 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. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. By 1994 we had outgrown the older sanctuary, and so we began plans for a new sanctuary. Look at verses 54-56: When 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. God is the one who gave you the talents, the time, the opportunity and the strength to do whatever it is you have done. 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. 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. 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). 1 Chronicles 29:16). (Selman). The second part of his prayer was for Gods continued presence and direction. 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). Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. 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. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. 33When your people Israel have been defeated(R) by an enemy because they have sinned(S) against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,(T) 34then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors. i. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 1 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.. 2 But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.. 3 And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.. 4 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands . He sent the Babylonians and they came and ransacked the temple and burned it to the ground. New International Version (NIV). Ray Fowler. If there was no rain, there was no food. As king himself, Solomon remembered and spoke those truths at the dedication of the temple in his prayer and benediction. 106:46; Acts 7:10, Ex. God knows what is in their hearts. 35-36). 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 king is here not referring to the stranger who makes his home in Israel, but to the foreigner who comes and goes. And so this message suddenly got real hard for some of us because Solomons prayer suddenly got real hard. Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. Such an individual must then come to the altar of God. 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. And God did help them! Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. It confirms that Davids disqualification was not due to sin, but because the concept of Gods rest must be regarded as the unique and final stage in building the temple. (Selman), So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built the temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. b. When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. a. Only if they are faithful will they rule. that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gayest unto our fathers. a. 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. Previously there was not an indication of a complete captivity of His people, but that is considered in this petition. Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Alas, Solomon didn't stay on this height of commitment to God. And then we not only pray for Gods continued presence but also for his direction. If you are going in one direction, and God wants you to go in a different direction, then you need God to turn you around. 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. This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. 28:36, 64; 2 Kin. (v. 4) Solomon reiterates that God has never asked for a city or a house or a ruler until now. Nehemiah Chapter 12. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. We gather to worship God in the beauty of his presence. 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. The substance is Christ; whatever we ask in his name, it shall be given us. In the second petition the king pleads with his God concerning his people when they are defeated by enemies. Temple of Jerusalem, either of two temples that were the centre of worship and national identity in ancient Israel. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Construction of the Temple was begun in the _____ year following the Exodus., In return for cedar and fir from Lebanon, Solomon gave Hiram, king of Tyre:, The Temple required _____ years for construction. Traffic and Tears on the Road to Jerusalem. Here they are about to dedicate this beautiful temple to the Lord and Solomon says: But may your hearts be fully committed to God. I dont know if youre familiar with the rest of the history of the Israelites and the temple, but when Gods people eventually turned away from the Lord, God took the temple away from them. 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. day of May, 1846. 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. The temple was a beautiful place that God instructed Solomon to build to represent the holiness of his presence. As the opening section of Solomon s prayer (14-20) is summarized in the closing words of the prayer, we will quote these in order to grasp its general outline: Jehovah, God, Thou must not turn back the face of Thine anointed. And so your first thought should always be thanksgiving and praise to God for what he has done. However, before one petition is uttered he extols the greatness of the God to Whom he is praying. The prayers of Hannah (1 Samuel 1), Hezekiah (Isaiah 37), Daniel (Daniel 9) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1) spring readily to mind. And let Your saints rejoice in goodness. For this occasion Solomon has had a platform built which was five cubits wide and five cubits long and three cubits high. We should look beyond ourselves and pray for Gods name to be known among the nations. 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. This was the early part of the reign of Solomon - his wise period . a. It collapses economies and replaces peace with terror. Now is introduced the refrain which we will hear throughout this prayer: hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest, forgive. The speaker speaks of each experiencing the plague of his own heart his sin. 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. 7:20; [Rom. Solomon prayed his prayer of dedication, and then the king and all the Israelites officially dedicated the temple to the Lord. And so we pray for God to turn our hearts that we may walk in all his ways and be obedient to his commands. 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. 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.. Finally the king does not distinguish between the various evils which may come but sums them up by speaking of whatsoever plague or sickness there be. You and the ark of Your strength. He knows exactly who he is praying to. 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. (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. Sign up for daily inspiration today!>. 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. Solomon here prays for the faithfulness of all of his own posterity. It was the Lord who gave Israel rest from their enemies so they could focus on the building of the temple at that time. PASTOR: Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity; three Persons and one God: CONGREGATION: To you we dedicate this house. 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. (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. 33-34). Religion Past & Present XII (2012) 141. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Now we come to the seven petitions which Solomon speaks.