Solomon begins his prayer with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. a. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. It was Solomon's praise, that what he undertook, he went through with; it was by the grace of God that he prospered in it. And a place for You to dwell in forever.. Solomon's Temple Dedication Prayer and "Repentance" Teach(W) them the right way(X) to live, and send rain(Y) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. 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. PDF 2 CHRONICLES 6:12-42 -- SOLOMON'S PRAYER OF DEDICATION - Ptwente with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the people . 31-32). 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 had kept covenant with His people, and promised mercy to those who would walk in obedience ( 6:14 ). c. There is no God in heaven or on earth like You: Solomon recognized that God was completely unique. 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. 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. The greatness of Israel's God is seen in the facts that He has made all things and that He keeps covenant! 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. Why Do You Look for the Living Among the Dead? 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. All rights reserved. But, if anyone or if the whole people turn to God in repentance, may He forgive. Im so glad that we are committed to missions right here at home in Broward County and beyond. Solomon's prayer acknowledged the greatness of the LORD, and that there was none other God like Him. Solomon took time to contemplate the God he was praying to. 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. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. As king himself, Solomon remembered and spoke those truths at the dedication of the temple in his prayer and benediction. 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. 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. And we do also give ourselves individually and unreservedly to you. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site. Let God now hear Solomon. The hearts determine their actions. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org God cannot be confined to a particular space, but He does meet with His people in particular spaces. Didnt they make the plans, gather the materials, and oversee the building of the temple? 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. Solomon's prayer at the time of the dedication of the Jewish Temple is a remarkable piece of literature. There is no God to be found anywhere who may be compared to the God of Israel. 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. When was the last time you invited someone to go to church? The importance of wisdom goes beyond just knowledge. Paul's Reference b. I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever: Solomon rightly sensed that the presence of the cloud meant that God dwelt in the temple in a special way. Here are 3 key lessons from Solomon's prayer for wisdom that can give us spiritual wisdom, as well: 1. 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. Acknowledges that God is bigger than the temple. Hello and welcome to RayFowler.org. But we must always remember why we exist as a church. The Dedication of the Temple | Learn The Bible | LearnTheBible.org 58May he turn our hearts(BK) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord's musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, "His love endures forever." Although we gather as a church to worship Christ, we must always be thinking of those outside the church who still need Christ. 20:9; Eccl. And so this fourth part of Solomons prayer is so important when it comes to dedicating anything to God and his glory. Solomon's dedicatory prayer makes repeated mention of praying "toward this place," a clear intimation that the temple was to become the center of a world religionthat is, the true religion God gave was to become worldwide. 1 Kings 8:22-66: Solomon's Prayer of Dedication | Bible Stories The pretended gods of the nations could not compare to Him in any way. 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. He is here following an example clearly taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ in the perfect prayer. He keeps His promises and shows lovingkindness. With the aid of a simple acronym (ACTS), we should never forget "The Purpose Of Prayer". SOLOMON BEGINS HIS PRAYER WITH PRAISE. Oh, let God now hear the prayer of His servant! Create a "special and holy" place in your classroom where children can pray and talk about how holy and special God is. The heavens, Hebrew heaven of heavens, because this language has no comparative or superlative degree cannot contain Him! Bible Lesson: Solomon Builds Temple and Prays (1 Kings 8:1-13) A DEDICATED PRAYER - Articles 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. The substance is Christ; whatever we ask in his name, it shall be given us. 2 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. 24 You have kept He sent the Babylonians and they came and ransacked the temple and burned it to the ground. Im so glad that our church has such a strong commitment to missions and to the spread of the gospel to all the nations. which revealed itself in boils. 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. This king does priestly work without violating the office of the priest as Uzziah later did. Sunday School Lesson (January 19, 2020) Solomon's Dedication Prayer Living together outside of marriage is direct disobedience to Gods commands, and God cannot bless disobedience.