1 Kings 8:22 – Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said:
“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.
“Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises 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.’ And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true.
“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
“When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.
“When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned 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, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
“When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
Solomon is dedicating the temple to the Lord and acting as prophet, priest, and king. From this point onward in human history, there will only be one other figure who is qualified to act in this fashion, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God. Solomon’s prayer of dedication is one of the most magnificent prayers recorded in the Bible and is well worth close examination. One amazing thing is that Solomon has no illusions about what may happen to Israel in the future, although he can scarcely be blamed for not foreseeing the destruction of the temple and the sacking of the temple. Let’s look at Solomon’s petitions.
- “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises 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.’ Solomon begs God to remember His promises to establish David’s throne forever. Unfortunately, several of David’s descendants do not walk faithfully before God; however, this promise is ultimately fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- “May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,” Solomon is begging God to perpetually remember Jerusalem and the prayers made in the temple and toward the temple. Later on, when Daniel is in exile in Babylon, he prayers toward the temple in Jerusalem five times a day, even though he knows that the temple has largely been destroyed. God has never removed His Presence from the temple mount.
- “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act.” This petition is a very serious one, invoking God’s judgement on anyone swearing a false oath before the altar. Any student of the Scriptures will be careful to remain truthful. One wonders how many times people swore false oaths in that temple and what happened to them as a result. Certainly, Solomon is pronouncing a strong curse on liars!
- “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors. Here Solomon is already foretelling the attacks of Babylonia and Assyria, the ensuing exile, the edicts of Cyrus, and the return of a remnant under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
- “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned 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…” Only a few generations later, King Ahab ascends the throne and the prophet Elijah calls for a three – year drought. It is the miraculous lifting of that drought that will help bring revival to Israel.
- “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple—” Nowadays, we obsess about climate change without stopping to consider our heart attitudes toward God. We will readily blame God for disasters without considering our neglect of His worship. Here Solomon is making it clear that disasters befall people who turn their backs on God, but that God will send relief to the penitent.
- “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name” Again, Solomon is moving in the prophetic. Not only do foreigners come during Solomon’s reign, but even today, thousands of years later, millions of people come from all over the world to pray at the Wailing Wall, the only part of Solomon’s temple left in Jerusalem. I have personally visited the Wailing Wall twice, and each time it has been an extremely moving experience. Even in ruins, Solomon’s temple remains a very holy place, and the presence of God is quite strong there.
APPLICATION: Don’t overlook Solomon’s prayer or discount it because of Solomon’s later behavior. At this moment in time, Solomon is the Lord’s anointed one and is acting in that capacity. Later on, it is true that Solomon becomes distracted by all his wives and concubines and eventually joins them in worshiping demons. Solomon is human and fallible. But at the time of the temple dedication, Solomon’s heart is still right before the Lord.
What about the climate disasters Solomon mentions? The Sentinel Group has a series of videos documenting the environmental changes that can take place when revival comes to an area and people turn their hearts to God. This series is called the “Transformations” series and may be accessed at http://www.sentinelgroup.org. The series documents reversal of climatic disasters in far – spread places from Guatemala to Alaska to the South Pacific. For more information, you can also check out “George Otis Junior,” the founder of the Sentinel Group.
James 5:16 tells us that “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Tomorrow we will continue to examine the rest of Solomon’s prayer. But as we do so, ask yourself this: what are you praying for? Your prayers may be far more powerful and long – acting than you realize!
PRAYER: Lord God of Israel, there truly is nobody like You in heaven or on earth. Father, help us to take our prayers seriously and to be persistent in our intercessions for others. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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