Temple dedication (1 Kings 8:22-53)

Introduction

Biblical Timeline

United Kingdom under the Kings of Saul, David, and Solomon.

Solomon

Solomon is the 3rd King of Israel. He is the Son of David and Bathsheba.

He asked the Lord for wisdom to help him lead and judge the people of Israel.

Solomon is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that one of his sons would build him a house.

2 Samuel 7:13 (ESV)

13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Building of the Temple (1 Kings 5-9)

Building of the Temple and Palace (5-7)

Dedication of the Temple (8)

Lord appears to Solomon (9)

Dedication of the Temple (8)

Commencement of the Ceremony (8:1-11)

Solomon’ Preliminary remarks (8:12-21)

Solomon’s Prayer (8:22-53)

Solomon’s closing remarks (8:54-61)

Conclusion of the Festival (8:62-66)

We will be focusing on the Prayer of dedication (22-53).

Solomon addresses the Crowd (22)

1 Kings 8:22 (ESV)

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,

Solomon addresses the Lord (23-24)

1 Kings 8:23–24 (ESV)

23 and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;

24 you have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day.

Solomon’s plea to the Lord (25-26)

1 Kings 8:25–26 (ESV)

25 Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’

26 Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

Structure of Prayer

Prayer of God’s People

In this prayer of dedication of the Temple, Solomon prays that the Lord would hear and act as the people of Israel cry out to Him.

Solomon will pray through a series of if/then prayers. (If - 31, then - 32; When - 33, Then - 34)

Tabernacle was a place for the Priest to serve as intermediate between the Israelites and God. They would offer prayers, sacrifices, and guidance for the Israelites there. The Temple was a replacement for the tabernacle as a permanent structure and location for the service of the Priest in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. The structure and layout of the temple matched the tabernacle.

Ark of the Covenant represented the throne of God amongst his people.

“The Israelites believed the ark of the covenant was symbolically Yahweh’s throne—representing His very presence on earth.” (Sarlo, Daniel, and John T. Swann. “Ark of the Covenant.” Ed. John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016: n. pag. Print.)

1 Samuel 4:4 (ESV)

4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim.

Lord’s Response

When the people cry out to the Lord, please hear and respond to our prayers.

This is the main idea behind the if/then structure of his prayer of dedication.

Lord’s Location

“then hear in heaven your dwelling place...”(8:39) vs. “I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” (8:13)

1 Kings 8:13 (ESV)

13 I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”

1 Kings 8:39 (ESV)

39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place ...

God is the creator of the universes and dwells in the heavens.

Isaiah 66:1–2 (ESV)

1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?

2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

The tabernacle, and now the Temple, represents the presence of God with his covenant people. It was a reminder of their covenant relationship with God and the location of worship and sacrifice.

Exodus 29:45–46 (ESV)

45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.

46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Solomon and the Israelites had a clear understanding of the Lord’s dwelling in the heavens and dwelling in relationship with them through the covenant relationship. The Temple in no way limited the presence of God or localized Him in the temple.

God's People Near - Individual and National (31-40)

Individual (31-32)

1 Kings 8:31–32 (ESV)

31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house,

32 then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

Prayer to God because of Sin or Blessings.

Sin against his neighbor - Prayers of confession

Made and fulfills his vows - Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord’s response

“act and judge your servants...”

Condemn the guilty - to condemn v., to declare guilty of wickedness or immorality. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

vindicating the righteous - to acquit v., to pronounce not guilty of criminal charges. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Solomon is praying that God would act and judge individuals as they seek Him as He deems righteous.

National (33-40)

I think Solomon had the portion of the Law addressing blessings and cursing in Deut 28 because many of the topics addressed in this portion of his prayer is addressed in the that text.

Side note: When reading the OT, remember the Covenant relationship and Blessings and Curses for faithfulness or disobedience.

When we read the Narrative text, we see the blessing and curses happening because of the actions of the people. When reading the Prophets, we read messages of Covenant reminders/enforcers with a command to repent. Wisdom Literature, How to live in covenant relationship and consequences for disobedience.

War (33-34)

1 Kings 8:33–34 (ESV)

33 “When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house,

34 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.

When... they are defeated in war and cry out to the Lord, he will answer them.

Deuteronomy 28:25 (ESV)

25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Then… Forgive our sin and bring to the land again.

to forgive v., to stop blaming or taking an offense into account. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Give us victory and return back to the Land you gave us.

Drought (35-36)

1 Kings 8:35–36 (ESV)

35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them,

36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

When… there is drought because of our sin.

Deuteronomy 28:23–24 (ESV)

23 And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.

24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

The Lord would cause a drought in the Land when his people are living in sin. Theses are all consequences for their sin or convictions God uses to bring them to repentance.

Then... Hear, forgive, and teach.

Land (37-40)

If… Famine, pestilence, plague, or sickness.

1 Kings 8:37–38 (ESV)

37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house,

Pestilence - plague n., any epidemic disease with a high death rate. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Sickness - disease n., an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Deuteronomy 28:21–22 (ESV)

21 The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.

Then… forgive and act and render

1 Kings 8:39–40 (ESV)

39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),

40 that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

Do to them what you see as just so they may accurately fear you to keep them in your presence.

to fear (reverence) v., to regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

God's People Far off - Individual and National (41-51)

Individual (41-43)

1 Kings 8:41–43 (ESV)

41 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake

42 (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house,

43 hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

foreigner The Hebrew word used here, nokhri, describes a foreigner who dwells abroad but visits Israel, not the “resident alien” (ger) who lives in the land. (Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)

Called by your Name In the ancient Near East, proclaiming one’s name over a person, place, or thing indicated ownership. (Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)

“peoples of the earth” - That the fame of the Lord would spread around the world so all would come to revere the Lord.

National (44-51)

War (44-45)

1 Kings 8:44–45 (ESV)

44 “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,

45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

If… Go to Battle.

“If your people go out to battle. The sixth petition, like the second, is concerned with war, but this time the focus is not on defeat as a result of sin but on victory in God’s cause (whatever way you shall send them).” (Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print.)

Success in Battle.

Then… Maintain their cause,

Give them victory in the Battles they are fighting.

Captivity (46-51)

1 Kings 8:46–47 (ESV)

46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near,

47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’

if… they are taken captive in battle and lead away in captivity.

“they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy,”

Defeat in war because they sin against God and He gives them into the hands of their enemies.

Deuteronomy 28:49 (ESV)

49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, (cf. 28:49-57)

Deuteronomy 28:64 (ESV)

64 “And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.

Repent and pray in the land of their captors.

“47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors.”

Then… forgive and compassion from the oppressors.

1 Kings 8:49–51 (ESV)

49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause

50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them

51 (for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace).

“grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them.”

to show compassion v., to show kindness or forgiveness toward. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

May God cause their captors to show them kindness.

Heritage - inheritance n., any piece of property that passes by law to an heir on the death of the owner; sometimes regarding God’s promises to His people, like the land of Israel or a heavenly kingdom (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

The People of Israel is the heritage of God that is why he delivered them from Egypt and brought them to Himself.

Psalm 94:14 (ESV)

14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; (cf. Pss 28:9; 94:5, 14; 106:4–5, 40)

Because Israel is your heritage, then forgive them and bring them back into the Land.

Lord’s attention to every prayer (52-53)

1 Kings 8:52–53 (ESV)

52 Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you.

53 For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”

Lesson from Dedication Prayer

In the dedication of the Temple prayer, Solomon focused on Their covenant relationship with God is relation to individuals/National both Near and Far.

Sin and live in the consequences of them causes us to come to the realization of them. Through suffering and conviction, we come to that realization and should turn from them to God.

When we are in sin, we need to realize the nature of God and that He is loving, merciful and faithful. We need to realize the truth of our relationship with God and repent and turn to him to forgive and restore us.

Solomon is emphasizing this to all Israel that they are in relationship with the God who created the Universe and dwells in the heavens is also the one who is in covenant relationship with them. Whether they are Near to the Temple or far away, they are in relationship with God and should cry out to Him.

Lets pray: When we are unfaithful and turn away from You Lord and are living in the consequences of our sin and when we come to realize our sin and who You are and our covenant relationship with you and then we repent, pray and return to you, please hear from heaven and forgive or sins and restore us to a right relationship with you. in Jesus Name, Amen.

Benediction

“May we love God. May we love Thee, O Savior. May we love the people of God as being members of one body in connection with Thee. May we love the guilty world with that love which desires its salvation and conversion and may we love not in word only, but in deed and in truth. May we help the helpless, comfort the mourner, sympathize with the widow and fatherless, and may we be always ready to put up with wrong, to be long-suffering, to be very patient, full of forgiveness, counting it a small thing that we should forgive our fellow-men since we have been forgiven of God. Lord, tune our hearts to love and then give us an inward peace, a restfulness about everything.” (Charles Spurgeon, an excerpt from Spurgeon’s prayer on holiness)