Fasting and Prayer: 2 Stories - Renew i. Eight years ago this sanctuary was completed and we began worshiping here but we never had a dedication service, because we didnt actually own the building yet. He had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). 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. How were the kingly and priestly offices kept separate? b. 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. (v. 1-2) Solomon blesses all of Israel. How much less this temple which I have built! This is Solomon's prayer. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out . 2 Chronicles 6 Solomon's Prayer of Dedication - Believe Trust 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 . i. His prayer contained nine requests: 1. 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.. Ray Fowler. New International Version (NIV). (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. And so we pray for God to turn our hearts that we may walk in all his ways and be obedient to his commands. Only if they are faithful will they rule. Let us then stand in awe, and sin not. 26:34, 44; Deut. Solomon's Temple Dedication Prayer and "Repentance" As Solomon comes before the Lord with a . Blasting refers to the singeing of the grain by the dry hot wind blowing from the desert. 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. Or lets talk about marriage for a moment. They always respond because they want Gods blessing on their marriage. 22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands(B) toward heaven 23and said: Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like(C) you in heaven above or on earth belowyou who keep your covenant of love(D) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 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. He speaks of a situation in which a man has sinned but the sin cannot be proved. 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. 1 Kings 8:22-66: Solomon's Prayer of Dedication | Bible Stories Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. 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. Before we try and answer that question, it is helpful to get a little background on this temple that Solomon was dedicating. 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10], Lev. You can check these in your browser security settings. 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. The hearts determine their actions. True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. 44When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their [c]cause. 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. Are there more ecumenical passages in the Old Testament? Thanks for visiting! Although we gather as a church to worship Christ, we must always be thinking of those outside the church who still need Christ. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. 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. 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. In summary: - Solomon describes the reason for the Temple, that it was in David's heart to build it, but God decided that his son should build it instead. The Characterization of Solomon in Solomon's Prayer (1 Kings 8) GOD APPEARS TO HIM. They built a larger sanctuary than they needed at the time because they trusted God would help them grow. b. 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. (1 Kings 8:59-60). Read 1 Kings 8:22-53, 2 Chronicles 6:12-42. 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. Enduring Word Bible Commentary 2 Chronicles Chapter 6 PDF The Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8:10-61 God is the one who gave you the talents, the time, the opportunity and the strength to do whatever it is you have done. Bible Outline - 1 Kings 8:1-66 - Dedication of the Temple 35, 46-49). Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, We cannot dedicate things to the Lord if we have not dedicated ourselves to the Lord first. King Solomon: The Story of His Reign and Kingdom - Chabad Solomon's prayer acknowledged the greatness of the LORD, and that there was none other God like Him. IV. 14-21), utters a long dedicatory prayer (vv. 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. Israel's God does make covenant. But I think we all need to do a better job in personal evangelism as well. Whenever you accomplish something, you are still to give God the glory for what he has done. Alas, Solomon didn't stay on this height of commitment to God. How much less this temple which I have built! In the second petition the king pleads with his God concerning his people when they are defeated by enemies. 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.. 2 Chronicles 7 - Bible Study Tools 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 mention of Gods hands (lit. The overseer of all is Solomon! And so this fourth part of Solomons prayer is so important when it comes to dedicating anything to God and his glory. 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. A few short years after Solomon's prayer, God destroyed Israel as a nation. We gather to worship God in the beauty of his presence. Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. 3 Lessons from Solomon's Prayer That Can Give Us Spiritual Wisdom To God be the glory forever! When the temple was complete Solomon praised God before His people reminding them of His promises. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? We may request cookies to be set on your device. ACT OF DEDICATION (Adapted from the Dedicatory Service at The Moody Church November 8, 1925). Recalls God's dynastic promises to David through the prophet Nathan.