Sermon Tone Analysis

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.

13 Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it.

Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, 14 and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 15 who 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.

16 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 in my law as you have walked before me.’ 17 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

18 “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?

Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!

19 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20 that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.

21 And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place.

And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

How many of us get so caught up in the business of life, in a hectic work schedule, school and work schedule, or even as hard as it is to imaging a retirement schedule.

Not matter what stage of life we are in we would probably all admit we can get drug into the business of this world to the point we are exhausted and probably even aggravated.

This exhaustion and aggravation can ultimate lead to misappropriated affections and even all out sin and transgression.

We get so busy and distracted that all we can focus on is finding some way to satisfy our need for what we think is rest and relaxation and this is where we often get off the rails.

Whether we get to where we are devoted to traveling, golf, hunting, fishing, shopping, or some other means of self satisfaction we find that none of these things are helpful, fulfilling, or sanctifying.

This is where the prayer of Solomon can be a great lesson for us today.

Solomon has completed the temple that God had promised him and the people of Israel .

This proves to be the sacred place they needed where God’s presence would dwell with them and God’s people would be able to approach God in prayer, in praise, and even in repentance.

Ultimately God has provided His people with a place of worship and a community they were to worship with!

This was to be what they were to orient their life around.

God’s people were to gather together offer praises unto Him and then pray for His salvation, protection and sanctification.

This was to be the place where God’s people were to find ultimate peace.

As New Testament believers today God has provided us with a place and a people to worship and pray with as we seek to be make His name known.

The central focus of the life of the Christian should be knowing Christ and making Him known.

The primary way we do that as Christ’s church is gathering under the preached Word, singing praises to Him, and praying to Him.

This is the only way our lives will be rightly ordered, by gathering as His people at His sacred place to worship our Sovereign God and bring Him glory!

This morning I want us to consider the first half of Solomon’s prayer in Chapter 6.

We can learn much by understanding Solomon’s pattern of prayer.

He prays a beautiful prayer, a theologically rich prayer, and a prayer that points us to the sovereign, steadfast love of God and the sinfulness of man.

This morning I want us to focus on the Pattern and Posture of Solomon’s prayer.

Now if you are like me 2 Chronicles is not a book we spend a ton of time in, so we need to understand how we got here.

How did Solomon come to this point where he prays this prayer of praise and pleading.

Here is what has lead Solomon to this point.

In chapter 1 Solomon prays his well known prayer for wisdom as God has shown him steadfast love through keeping His covenant with his Father David.

In Chapter 2 Solomon prepares to build the temple that David desired to build, but God planned for David’s son to build.

In Chapter 3 Solomon begins to build the House of the LORD.

In Chapter 4 Solomon furnishes the House of the LORD.

In Chapter 5 Solomon finishes the House of the LORD, brings the Ark into the house, and the glory of the LORD fills the house!

2 Chronicles 5:

Can you imagine the elation Solomon and the people of God felt?

All of these years of looking forward to the fulfillment of the covenant promise of God.

All of the ups and downs of the life of King David.

His Son Solomon is finally on the throne, finally completes the House, the Temple of the LORD where the ark of the covenant will dwell.

They bring the ark in begin to sing praises to the LORD GOD of Israel, and the brightness, radiance, and majesty of the LORD descends into the temple.

The glory of God is in the house of God amidst the people of God!

How would Solomon respond?

How could he respond?

In Chapter 6 verses 1-12 Solomon proclaims blessing upon the people of God

2 Chronicles 6:4

Solomon preaches the faithfulness of God as He has fulfilled his promise to Solomon’s father David!

It is after Solomon’s sermon he turns to what is a beautiful example of a pastoral prayer pointing God’s people to their promise keeping God and who is like no other in power, presence, and protection.

Before we get into the three specific lessons we learn from Solomon’s patter of prayer, I want to give you what I believe to be the main idea of the text.

MIT: God, through His steadfast love is fulfilling the covenant he made with David which drives Solomon to seek God in prayer through praise, supplication, and confession.

Here is the first lesson we learn from Solomon’s prayer,

I. Solomon Prayed in the Presence of the Assembly (12,13)

Notice first of all the place Solomon prayed.

A. Solomon stood before the altar

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.

Solomon stood in the presence of God’s people, the assembly.

He called them to attention.

He wanted them to know that they were about to go before the throne of God.

They were about to come to worship their Sovereign LORD and Savior.

God had blessed them, and filled the temple with His glory and now it was time to worship Him!

He wants them to know the reverence and humility they must have as they go before God in prayer.

13 Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it.

He has made a beautiful place for which he could stand before God’s people.

A place where they could come together and pray to their God, the God who had created, protected, delivered, and cared for them.

When you look at the details of this platform, it is like everything else in the temple.

It is made of costly material and it has specific details by which it was constructed.

Here is what we can learn from this platform.

It took work and sacrifice to build something for us in God’s worship.

They didn’t just throw some thoughtless furniture together to use in service to God.

God has provided us details in His Word on how we are to worship, and we would be wise to stick to His form of worship!

Secondly, notice the posture with which Solomon prayed,

B. Solomon prayed in humble submission (13b)

Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven,

Think about this for a moment.

Solomon is the king of Israel, the son of David.

The wisest man in the world, not just during his day, but to this day.

But when he recognized the person and work of God, he falls on his knees and spreads out his arms in complete humility!

He the king of Israel understands all that he has and all who he is is a only because the true King has given it to him and enabled him to belong to his people and lead his people.

Now do you think we can learn from Solomon’s posture of prayer?

Do you think we can learn from the place and people in which Solomon prays?

Bodily movement in worship generally, and posture in prayer specifically, are important parts of one’s response to God because outward actions demonstrate and reinforce inward attitudes and beliefs.

Typically, kneeling symbolizes reverence, even fear, before the deity, while spreading out raised hands is an act of veneration (i.e., blessing and praise) of the deity (cf. 1 Tim.

2:8).

Absolutely, because this is not the only place we see this pattern.

Paul tells Timothy,

As people of God, saved by the blood of Christ we must come together as a body and seek the Lord of heaven and earth.

We ought to come together in humble submission to praise God for who He is and what He has done for us.

He has not saved us for personal devotion and salvation alone.

He has delivered us and rescued us to be a called out assembly of believer to come together and worship Him in spirit and truth.

One of the primary ways we do this is through approaching Him through bended knees and uplifted hands made holy by the blood of Christ.

Solomon had finally built the temple, he had made the bronze platform before the altar where he could call the people to come together to pray.

Here is the difference for me and you as New Testament believers.

Christ is our temple, this beautiful elaborate temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem was built for the presence of God to dwell.

But centuries later the Apostle John tells us,

Jesus came as God in the flesh, the second person of the Godhead came and dwelt with us.

After living a perfect life of obedience, he became the perfect Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world.

Who rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.