A house of Responsibility (1 Kings 9:1-9)

1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, 2 that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

Let me ask you a question this morning: What happens when the Lord shows up to inspect your life? What will He find? In 1 Kings 9, we find Solomon fresh off a great spiritual high. The temple is complete. Worship has been glorious. God's presence had filled the temple so strongly that the priests couldn’t even stand to minister. But after the glory, God comes with a word—and it’s not just praise. It’s inspection time.

I. Promise (vv.1-3)

A. The Lord appeared to Solomon

As God had done at Gibeon, the Lord now appeared to Solomon and spoke the Word that he needed to hear. He assured the king that He had heard his prayer and would answer it. His eyes would be on the house Solomon had built and dedicated, and His ears would be alert to hear the prayers of His people.

The people and their king had dedicated the house to the Lord, but now He would sanctify the house and make it His own. God’s name was on the house, God’s eyes were watching, and His ears listening. It was indeed the house of the Lord.

B. Worship gets God's attention, but so does the walk that follows.

Solomon had made in his prayer, and the Lord promised to answer every request. He was willing to forgive His people when they sinned if only they would humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their sins.

God has never made a covenant with any other nation but Israel, but since Christian believers today are God’s people and called by His name, they can claim this promise.

II. Obedience (vv. 4–5)

A. God blesses obedience.

The Lord made the matter very personal and spoke specifically to Solomon, referring to the covenant God had made with his father, David. The Lord reaffirmed the terms of the covenant and assured Solomon that David would always have a king on the throne so long as his descendants obeyed the law and walked in the fear of the Lord.

God says: “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.” Here’s the truth: God blesses obedience. Not perfection. David wasn’t perfect—but his heart was bent toward God. When he sinned, he repented. When he fell, he got back up. His compass pointed to God!

B. God’s blessings aren’t random. They’re relational and conditional.

Solomon couldn’t expect God’s blessing just because David was his father and he had obeyed David and built the temple. Solomon had to be a man like his father, a man after God’s own heart, a man of integrity.

It’s interesting that the Lord said nothing about David’s adultery, deception, and plot to murder Uriah. These had been serious transgressions for which David had paid dearly, but David had confessed them and the Lord had forgiven him.

III. Warning (vv. 6–9)

A. God had given the Jewish people His Word

God gave them His word, and He expected them to obey it, and the king had to practice the law and set the example for others. It’s tragic that after the death of Solomon the nation divided and both kingdoms gradually declined until they were destroyed.

The kingdom of Judah did turn to idols, disobey the Lord, and invite His chastening. The Babylonian army devastated the land, destroyed Jerusalem, and robbed and burned the temple Solomon had dedicated. Instead of being a blessing to all the nations of the earth, the ruined city and temple would shock visitors from other nations and move them to ridicule.

B. God's Blessings Are Not Blank Checks

Solomon had just built the temple, but God isn’t impressed with buildings if hearts aren’t surrendered. God reminds Solomon that he must obey God by keeping the divine commands and decrees. Solomon’s obedience, however, must be motivated by “integrity of heart,” not by a mere external observance of God’s word.

Before we pass judgment on David’s royal line, let’s consider how many local churches, schools, denominational agencies, and other Christian ministries have abandoned the true faith and ceased to bring glory to the Lord. We could honestly write “Ichabod—the glory has departed” on many churches in which Christ was once honored and from which the gospel of Jesus Christ was sent out to a lost world.

Conclusion: A Call to Inspection

Church, it’s inspection time.

If God showed up today and walked through the temple of your heart:

Would He find obedience?

Would He find integrity?

Would He find a heart like David’s, or a life drifting?

Today, God is calling out to us.

Some of us have been building beautiful temples but neglecting our walk.

Some of us are standing at the crossroads between obedience and rebellion.

And some of us just need to meet Jesus. God is calling out to you, and now it’s your time to respond.