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. (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. 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. Are there more ecumenical passages in the Old Testament? 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. This is such an important prayer because it reminds us that we do not exist for ourselves but rather for Gods glory and the spreading of Gods name throughout our community and throughout the nations. Solomon mentions the fact that God has been faithful to the promise which He made to his father David. It was the Lord who provided all that they needed to complete the project. Solomon here prays for the faithfulness of all of his own posterity. Let us pray. b. True 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.. 33-34). Many times people want their pastor to come and pray a prayer of dedication for their new home or their place of business. I cant think of two more important requests of God for us as a church as we seek to fulfill Gods purposes in this community. 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. 9:5, [2 Chr. It would have been easy for Solomon and the people to take the credit for the work that had just been accomplished. Suddenly this great and beautiful temple becomes very small and insignificant in comparison with the One for Whom it is built. If there was no rain, there was no food. 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. 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. 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. God will then judge the one who has committed the sin and the taint of sin which exists as long as the real sinner is not known will be removed from the whole people. 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. Mildew was another disease of the grains. And so we pray for God to turn our hearts that we may walk in all his ways and be obedient to his commands. 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). Was that a major accomplishment? God's House must ever be known as a place of prayer and His people as a people of prayer. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. It would be inappropriate for him to do so because he was a king and not a priest. Solomon prosperously effected all he designed, for adorning both God's house and his own. Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 19:24-25; Zechariah 8:20-22), and even Jesus closest disciples found its fulfillment hard to take (Acts 10:1-11:18). (Selman), When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. So this was a long-term project. As king himself, Solomon remembered and spoke those truths at the dedication of the temple in his prayer and benediction. In the land of Palestine the people were totally dependent on the "former" and the "latter" rains in order that there might be crops. Verse Concepts. It was important to recognize that though God had a special presence in the temple, He was far too great to be restricted to the temple. (1-2) Acknowledgement of God's presence in the cloud. with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . 30:9]; Ezra 7:6; 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. When the Old Testament speaks of the "foreigner" it does not always refer to the same kind of people. a. Why, or, why not? He was the first king to follow his father as a hereditary monarch. Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. How much less this temple which I have built! And this applies to all dedications. King David himself gathered the raw materials to build the temple and, evidently, God provided the building plans for that holy structure. Now, 11 months later, Solomon stands before the people, spread For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website. When was the last time? David and Solomon were human instruments, but the work was Gods. >> When you pray with others in corporate prayer, make sure your heart, mind, and soul are echoing the words that are spoken. At the dedication ceremony, Solomon acknowledged the feebleness of his efforts compared to an infinite God: "Will God really dwell on earth with humans? 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. 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. A. Solomon's prayer place. Prayer for Gods people to remain fully committed to him (61-63). II. For less than $5/mo. 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. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, 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.. If they are taken out of their land because of their sin! Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.. All these prayers were offered at a time of challenge for the person praying, where the only one who could provide . Solomon has no basis upon which to request anything except God's beloved mercy. 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. The Bible contains the record of many wonderful prayers. He is famous for building the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Israel did not have a Nile river which made the whole land fruitful. Praying in the True Temple. 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. ii. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. 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. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. B. V. 20-21 A Place For Cares - As Solomon prays, he asks the Lord to here the supplications of God's people. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. What is especially notable is that foreigners could know and fear God like your people Israel. This hope of equality in worship was rarely expressed in the Old Testament (e.g. 46When they sin against You (AC)(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 (AD)to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47(AE)yet when they [d]come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, (AF)saying, We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness; 48and when they (AG)return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and (AH)pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: 49then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their [e]cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and (AI)grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for (AJ)they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, (AK)out of the iron furnace), 52(AL)that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this message provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Besides war and drought, there are various other calamities which may come upon a land. He kneels as he prays and spreads out his hands to the heavens. Prayer for Gods continued presence and direction (57-58). Website: https://www.rayfowler.org. Blasting refers to the singeing of the grain by the dry hot wind blowing from the desert. 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. Does the enormity of the sin have anything to do with the possibility of forgiveness? 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. But, perhaps his wisdom is nowhere shown more clearly than in the building and dedication of the temple of God. You can also change some of your preferences. For this reason, many observant Jews still pray facing the direction of the site of the temple in Jerusalem. Forgiveness of sins that had caused defeat in battle (vv. You and the ark of Your strength. (1 Kings 7:13) Only the best materials were used. and more. The heavens, even the . Yes! We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . 1. I have surely built You an exalted house, He is here following an example clearly taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ in the perfect prayer. They built a larger sanctuary than they needed at the time because they trusted God would help them grow. Your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord or the dedication means nothing.. which revealed itself in boils. 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. In this refrain he speaks of the riches of the experience of faith. 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. I sometimes run into this with baby dedications. 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 . There are so many people who would love to come to church with you if you would just ask them. 6:36; Ps. The king is here not referring to the stranger who makes his home in Israel, but to the foreigner who comes and goes. And comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple: The temple grounds were used as a place to verify and authorize oaths. The heavens, even the highest heaven,(H) cannot contain(I) you. 55He stood and blessed(BG) the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: 56Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest(BH) to his people Israel just as he promised. This prayer helps prevent us from turning inwards and from making all our decisions based on what we think is best for us. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Gods good response to our repentance comes from His grace, not from justice. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. He prays best in public who prays most in private. King Solomon mentions several of them. 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 . Seeing God always forgives upon His people's repentance, can this forgiveness become rather common place to us? He knows exactly who he is praying to. We can only truly dedicate things to God when we have first dedicated ourselves. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. Recalls God's dynastic promises to David through the prophet Nathan. i. The ruler of the people is going to lead the whole nation in prayer! 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. That is his privilege and his duty. 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. And we do also give ourselves individually and unreservedly to you. There will be seven distinct petitions in this prayer of Solomon. Can one who is condemned by the state to the death penalty still be a "worthy partaker of the table of His Son"? When the temple was complete Solomon praised God before His people reminding them of His promises. We should always begin with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. 24 You have kept This splendid edifice is now completed, and will be dedicated to the Most High God on Friday, the 1st. When such a person prays toward this place, may God hear him too. Solomon's prayer.
outline solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple0 comments