a. When King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem in all its glorious splendor, he stood before the altar of the Lord and prayed a very long prayer. If I see a Bank of England note, it is a promise for a certain amount of money, and I take it and use it. The Ark has been brought in. a. Otherwise the child dedication has no meaning. True (True or False) Because he recognized that Solomon was given the kingdom by the Lord, Adonijah gave up his ambition to be king. 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. God knows what is in their hearts. 62-66).To this account is appended an appearance of the Lord to Solomon that balances the divine word to Solomon in the . Now is introduced the refrain which we will hear throughout this prayer: hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hearest, forgive. (v. 6) If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. The Ark of the Covenant is brought to the temple. However, if they pray "toward," not at this place or in this place, but in their homes with their faces toward Jerusalem, may the Lord forgive the sins of the king and of the people and send rain so that they may again be able to live in the land the Lord has given them. 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. THE HOUSE OF DAVID. Solomon's prayer acknowledged the greatness of the LORD, and that there was none other God like Him. We ask that he would be with us as he was with our fathers, and we pray that he may never leave nor forsake us. B. V. 20-21 A Place For Cares - As Solomon prays, he asks the Lord to here the supplications of God's people. This is Solomon's prayer. 35(T)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, 36then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may (U)teach them (V)the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. Stood before the altar of the LORD: Solomon did not dedicate the temple from within the temple. This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. There is room for petitions, but first we are to realize to Whom we come and we must also realize our own limitations. It contains an important discussion of the nature of genuine repentance. 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. (v. 4) Solomon reiterates that God has never asked for a city or a house or a ruler until now. Solomons final request is that Gods people would remain fully committed to him at all times. It is worthy of remark concerning this prayer that it is as full and comprehensive as if it were meant to be the summary of all future prayers offered in the temple. (Spurgeon), ii. But, perhaps his wisdom is nowhere shown more clearly than in the building and dedication of the temple of God. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. He referred to God's name Yahweh 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. Oh, let God now hear the prayer of His servant! Its the very first part of our purpose statement: The purpose of the Plantation Community Church is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. We make disciples by winning people to Christ and then helping them to grow in him. 1:6; Ps. The building and furniture of the temple were very glorious, but the dedication of it exceeds in glory as much as prayer and praise, the work of saints, exceed the casting of metal and the graving of stones, the work of the craftsman. Prayer for Gods name to be known among the nations (59-60). One land would often invade the other, besiege its cities and take the inhabitants captive. Through believing prayer like this, God promises and we appropriate. 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. Solomon mentions locust and caterpillar, grasshoppers and other creatures which denude the fields of all vegetation. b. Solomon having kept the feasts of tabernacles and dedication, dismisses the people 12. b. (If you're a human, don't change the following field), Solomons Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple. 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. We can only truly dedicate things to God when we have first dedicated ourselves. But I think we all need to do a better job in personal evangelism as well. The temple was one of the most beautiful structures of ancient times. He is here following an example clearly taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ in the perfect prayer. 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.". Keep prayer at he center of all you do! Let us pray. 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. a. Next Solomon prays for Gods name to be known among the nations. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. 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. 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. Prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him (61-63). Read the Scripture: 2 Chronicles 6:12-40. No other God ever makes a covenant with the people whom he rules. The first prayer is a longer prayer which is recorded for us in verses 1 Kings 8:22-53. 5. He now assumes a posture in prayer of which we have not read earlier in the Biblical account. a. Traffic and Tears on the Road to Jerusalem. Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed: Solomon probably meant this in reference to himself because he was the anointed king of Israel. 28:36, 64; 2 Kin. When we gather for worship, the Lord meets with us, and we 32:11, 12; Deut. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. He does not say what manner of sin it is because that is immaterial to what he has in mind. IV. The importance of wisdom goes beyond just knowledge. 2 Chronicles 6 - Solomon's Prayer of Dedication A. Solomon blesses God. 25Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(E) you made to him when you said, You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done. 26And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(F) your servant David my father come true. When the king mentions pestilence he is referring to a very contagious disease of that day (such as the black plague of the middle ages?) How ecumenical! He kneels as he prays and spreads out his hands to the heavens. This was to be a beautiful temple built for Gods glory. His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11). And that is where we are today. The substance is Christ; whatever we ask in his name, it shall be given us. November 2020 Series on Thanksgiving - for more information and an outline see here.. 31-32). And a place for You to dwell in forever.. 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. i. 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. God is the one who made it possible, and we give him all the glory. We dedicate this sanctuary to be a place where Gods word is honored and proclaimed. Blasting refers to the singeing of the grain by the dry hot wind blowing from the desert. Lord, render to every man according to all his ways. It was the Lord who fulfilled all the good promises he had given through his servant Moses. Solomon's Temple is an example of how God used ancient Israel to point to greater realities. Solomon's prayer is covers important points for the people and the nation. How were the kingly and priestly offices kept separate? 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. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. The we come to Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. and more. i. b. 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. Let's pray that in whatever we do, that the Lord always gets the glory and ask that it will always shine through. 8:1-66 The account of the Temple's dedication ceremony is organized concentrically: Solomon gathers the assembly (), blesses it (vv. Used by permission. 10. on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month --This was the last day of the feast of tabernacles. And this is really the heart of what all dedications to God are all about. Thanks for visiting! 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. A church that loses its outward focus has lost its way. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site. (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. 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. After sacrificing a seemingly endless number of animals ( 1 Kings 8:5 ), Solomon blessed the Lord for His covenantal faithfulness (vv.12-21). 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. There is suffering in every part of life. that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gayest unto our fathers. Solomon then prayed two prayers of dedication. This wisdom is soon revealed when a mother comes to him with another woman, each claiming the same child as her own. He asks God to provide for each days need why? Mildew was another disease of the grains. As Solomon comes before the Lord with a . 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.. 30(N)And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. When a dispute came down to one word against another, Solomon asked that the temple would be a place to properly swear by. The "man after God's own heart" had left the scene. 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. 30:9]; Ezra 7:6; Ps. b. III. Want the Verse of the Day sent to your inbox? We need 2 cookies to store this setting. 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. Because really, what good does it do to commit a temple or a sanctuary or really anything to the Lord if you are not personally committed to the Lord yourself? Teach(W) them the right way(X) to live, and send rain(Y) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Solomon: Begins by praising the God who keeps his promises. They were defeated because they had sinned against God! Acknowledges that God is bigger than the temple. 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. This is a God who enters into communion with His people. No greater indication of the need for a place of atonement and forgiveness could be given. (Selman). This kind of prayer lays hold of Gods promise. Solomon declares that he's built a house for God. With Him hearing is forgiving and forgiving is hearing. Crafts: Draw or paint self-portraits and write out 1 Corinthians 3:16 on the picture. 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). God wanted the court of the Gentiles to be a place where the nations could come and pray. For less than $5/mo. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. 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. In this way he would be visible to all the people and they would all be able to hear him. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. 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. Though the temple was a house for Jehovah, Solomon realized that "the heavens, yes, the heaven of the heavens, themselves" could not contain Him. b. 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. And so Solomon begins with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. The ruler is on his knees before One who is the great Ruler of the universe (2 Chronicles 6:13)! And, at this point in the history of Israel, he prays that all the promises made to David may go into effect. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. I. Solomon's Prayer of _____ of God (1 Kings 8:22-29) Do we take the credit for it? Jerusalem: The End of the Road or Just the Beginning? 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. c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. 2 CHRONICLES 6:12-42 -- SOLOMON'S PRAYER OF DEDICATION Biblical Background: Temple construction began 2 nd month of the 4 th year of reign, 480 years after Israel came out of Egypt. 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.