Read 1 Kings 8I love this passage! 1 Kings 8 describes the dedication of the Temple which Solomon built for the Lord. As you might remember, building a Temple for the Lord was originally David's idea. However, because David was a man of war/bloodshed, the Lord did not want him to be the one to build His house. Instead, He chose David's son, Solomon, to build the Temple. After 7 years of building this elaborate and exquisite place of worship, Solomon then assembles the people of Israel, publicly dedicating the Temple to God and voicing a beautiful prayer to the Lord. The prayer is one of praise and thanksgiving as well as supplication (humbly asking for something). Here are a few things about the passage that stand out to me:
v.10-11: The glory of the Lord filled the Temple in the form of a cloud that was so great, the priests weren't even able to perform their duties! What a magnificent sight that must have been!
v.22/54: As Solomon prayed, he was on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven. I love this humble yet worshipful position Solomon assumes. Believe it or not, the posture we take when we pray can really make a difference in our prayers.
v.23: Solomon proclaims there is no one like our God! His faithfulness and lovingkindness have no comparison.
v. 27: Even though Solomon went to all this trouble and expense to build the Lord the most beautiful and costly Temple money could by, he admits that it can't begin to contain the Lord. He humbly states that the highest heavens couldn't even contain the Lord, much less this dwelling place he has built for God.
v. 30, 34, 36, 39, 49, 50: He repeats the same theme throughout the prayer: hear and forgive. He is asking the Lord to respond with forgiveness to the cries of repentance that will be voiced in this Temple and to hear the requests the Israelites send to Him.
v. 41-43: Though the temple has been built for the Israelites, Solomon has compassion on the foreigners and asks God to listen to prayers that they offer up as well. Solomon knows that the news of the greatness of God will spread and that many will come to the Temple to learn about His great name. Solomon asks God to answer the foreigners' prayers so that they will know Him and fear Him just like the Israelites do.
v. 56: Solomon is asking for all of these things from God (for Him to hear their prayers and answer them, for Him to forgive their sins, etc), because this is what God has always done. God is faithful, and His character is unchanging, and "not one word has failed of all His good promise." Don't you love the fact that we serve a God who is constant and true to His promises?
v.58: This verse would be a great verse to pray for yourself. He asks that God would "incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and ordinances." Why not pray that God would incline your heart to Him, so that you would follow Him always? What a great prayer!
v. 48, 61: Solomon stresses a wholehearted devotion to God. We are not to have one foot in the church and one foot in the world, changing how we act when we are around certain people. God wants total obedience to Him 100% of the time, not someone who sways back and forth with no solid commitment to the Lord. Our hearts should be for Him alone.
v. 66: This was one joyful prayer meeting! After days of worshiping God, the people went home full of joy, encouragement, and excitement. Don't you just love that high you get after an amazing time of worshiping the Lord? I know I do!
This is a great moment for King Solomon, showing his love and passion for God as he erects this beautiful Temple in His honor. Unfortunately, his love for God fades later on in life. Next time we'll look at his downfall and see what we can learn from it. For now, I encourage you to meditate on this beautiful passage of prayer and to worship the Lord wholeheartedly, as Solomon did all those years ago~
