Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

  

2 Chronicles 6:12-21

 

May 22, 2023

 

Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.  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, 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, 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.  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.’  Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

 

In these first 17 verses, we see a young King doing it all right, Solomon begins by humbling himself before God and the people, as he knelt on his knees with raised hands before God.  On that day Solomon had set his heart to follow the example of his dad David.  Without a doubt on that day, he set his heart on obeying God’s commandments, many of us who go by the title Christian have had a day like that, and yet like Solomon, we allow the desire of our flesh, and the pride of life to steal the joy we had on that day.

 

“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!  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, 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.  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.

 

The opening sentence in the second paragraph is what we call a rhetorical question, Solomon had no doubt God was going to do everything He had said.  Solomon asked for God to be open 24-7 to the prayers of His chosen, and once more He is. If He is aware of a sparrow falling to the ground, and knows the number of hairs in your head and he does; for we are told that in Matthew 10:29-31, then have no doubt He hears our prayers.  It is always good to set our mind on the value God places on each of us, while we were enemies of God, He sent His only Son to redeem us by taking our sins on Him and covering them with His blood.  Yes, you are greatly loved by God the Father, and Jesus His Son.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice