1 Kings 8:22-24, 37-39, 46, 48-50
SS Lesson for 09/08/2024
Devotional Scripture: Ps 34:11-22
The ceremony in 1 Kings 8 consecrated the newly built temple in Jerusalem. Temple construction had begun in 966 BC and required seven years for completion (1 Kings 6:1, 38). That completion in 959 BC marked an important transition in Israelite history, as the location of encounter with the holy God became immovable, with the temple replacing the portable tabernacle. The first half of Solomon’s 40-year reign was focused on building the temple and palace (9:10). Today’s lesson from 1 Kings 8 considers a portion of the dedication prayer at the ceremony for the finished temple, over which King Solomon presided. Several preparatory elements led up to this prayer: the temple had been completely furnished (1 Kings 7:13-51), the Ark of the Covenant had been brought into the temple (8:1-9), and the king had “turned around and blessed [the whole assembly of Israel]” (8:14). The prayer of dedication that followed (8:23-53) is the second longest prayer in the Bible, in the neighborhood of 1,000 words! (The parallel in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42 is of similar length.) Only the prayer in Nehemiah 9:5-38 is longer. But the prayer’s outsized length doesn’t mean that King Solomon merely rambled on and on (compare Matthew 6:7). Quite the opposite: the prayer is clearly organized. We see that organization in 9 of the prayer’s 31 verses selected for today’s study.
38 whatever 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: 39 then 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 know the hearts of all the sons of men),
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;
23 and he said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
24 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.
20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. 10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
28 I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."
4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
37 "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 cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;
38 whatever 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:
39 then 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 know the hearts of all the sons of men),
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
5 I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you live, the towns will be laid waste and the high places demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out. 7 Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
46 "When they sin against You (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 to the land of the enemy, far or near;
48 and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and 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:
49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause,
50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways."
9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.
10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Verses 12-21
Solomon’s address to the people 8:12-21
God previously said He would dwell in the cloudy pillar (Leviticus 16:2). Solomon hoped God would now dwell in the temple forever (i.e., from then on).
Solomon emphasized the desire of David’s heart to build the temple (1 Kings 8:17-18). God raised up Solomon to do that, as He had promised. The temple was a house for the reputation (name) of Yahweh; it made a statement about Him. "Name" occurs 14 times in 1 Kings 8:16-20. The Mosaic Covenant was the basis of Israel’s ongoing fellowship with God (1 Kings 8:21). Solomon demonstrated humility and gratitude in what he said.
"This statement reflects the strong emphasis placed on justice in the theology of the Old Testament. Since God is just, He expects His representatives to be just also. The Temple was to be a place where this was recognized." [Note: Homer Heater Jr., "A Theology of Samuel and Kings," in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, p. 128.]
Verses 22-53
Solomon’s prayer of dedication 8:22-53
This great prayer centers on the Mosaic Covenant. That is its heart. It is the longest prayer in the Bible. Solomon introduced seven petitions with a backward look emphasizing God’s faithfulness (1 Kings 8:23-26). He concluded with a forward look stressing God’s mercy (1 Kings 8:52-53).
Solomon’s posture of kneeling with open hands uplifted to heaven (1 Kings 8:52) symbolized his heart attitude, as posture often does in prayer. [Note: See Thomas L. Constable, Talking to God, pp. 72, 159-60.] He, the earthly king, placed himself in a supplicant’s position before the heavenly King, dependent and eager to receive the blessings he requested.
Seven petitions follow a general request that God would hear the prayers of His people (1 Kings 8:27-30). In these verses Solomon voiced the truth that Yahweh did not really live on earth but in heaven (1 Kings 8:27). He did not confuse the symbols of God’s presence with God Himself (cf. 1 Samuel 4:3). Solomon referred to himself often as God’s servant (1 Kings 8:28-39, et al.).
Then he requested that God would grant mercy when His people turned to Him in situations involving violations of the covenant. These included personal sins (1 Kings 8:31-32), defeat in battle (1 Kings 8:33-34), drought (1 Kings 8:35-36), and famine (1 Kings 8:37-40). He next asked for God’s grace on God-fearing foreigners (1 Kings 8:41-43), as well as on the Israelites in battle (1 Kings 8:44-45) and after captivity (1 Kings 8:46-51; cf. Daniel 6:10). All the calamities Solomon mentioned in his prayer are curses God promised to send on Israel if she broke the Mosaic Covenant (cf. Leviticus 26:16-39; Deuteronomy 28:22; Deuteronomy 28:25; Deuteronomy 28:38; Deuteronomy 28:42; Deuteronomy 28:59; Deuteronomy 31:17; Deuteronomy 31:29; Deuteronomy 32:24).
As Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10) set the tone for all that followed in 1 and 2 Samuel, so Solomon’s prayer here does the same for 1 and 2 Kings. The remainder of 1 and 2 Kings shows how God answered Solomon’s prayer. That is why this chapter is so significant theologically. The possibilities that the king mentioned here eventually took place in Israel’s history, culminating in the Babylonian Captivity. Later in Israel’s history, the writing prophets frequently alluded to conditions that Solomon mentioned in this prayer, that came to pass in the prophets’ days because of Israel’s sins.
"Solomon’s prayer is essential to comprehend the message of the book. The author of the Book of Kings intended for the words of Solomon to be heard at a key point in the relationship between God and His people, that is, at the time the temple in Jerusalem was dedicated. The following words of Solomon’s prayer [1 Kings 8:47-48] would appeal to the exiles and would be a specific plea for repentance because of the hope of returning to the motherland. This is the essence of the book’s message." [Note: Gershon Galil, "The Message of the Book of Kings in Relation to Deuteronomy and Jeremiah," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:632 (October-December 2001):408.]
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/1-kings-8.html)
One of the most puzzling features of prayer in the Bible occurs in this prayer at the dedication of the temple. Here, Solomon voiced the nation’s prayer for forgiveness as part of its ongoing life together. In this case, Solomon prayed for forgiveness of sins that had not yet been committed! In that regard, the prayer serves as a reflection on the entire history of Israel, from the time of the exodus of 1447 BC (481 years in the past as Solomon uttered this prayer) to Nebuchadnezzar’s forced removal of the citizens of Judah in 586 BC (380 years after the prayer). To understand the prayer, it is important to place it within this larger context, the story of Israel in the Promised Land, covering the entire books of Joshua through 2 Kings. Both that history and Solomon’s prayer reflect a realistic assessment of the human condition and the tendency of human beings to fail. The Bible does not try to pretend that a perfect, sinless time existed at some point after the Garden of Eden. Idolatry and oppression occurred regularly; they still do. Solomon’s prayer foreshadowed the outcome found in 2 Kings 25. Even so, Israel’s story, as recorded in the books of Joshua through 2 Kings, is not an obituary but a warning and an invitation to a better life. Solomon’s prayer rests on the assumption that God seeks to heal and forgive, even when (or especially when) sins threaten to overcome the sinners. God defends penitent people from those who would oppress them—and even from themselves. The worship by Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church celebrate the expansive nature of God’s mercy. We are thereby reminded to beware of the traps that require it. The prayer in 1 Kings 8 is, therefore, realistic but also hopeful. The dedication of the holiest spot on earth (at the time) was connected to the reality of unholiness. Solomon cast the nation of Israel as a whole on the mercy of God. In so doing, Solomon sought God’s commitment to continue working with the people continuously as part of their centuries-long process of learning and obeying. Today, the church would do well to recover the biblical practice of confession of sins, both of individuals and of the church as a whole. Part of that recovery would involve acknowledgment that the temptations to harm others or dishonor God do not go away. We will need forgiveness in the future, and we need humility in the present. Solomon’s prayer shows us a way forward.