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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 1 Kings chapter 8. 1 Kings chapter 8. It's a very 
lengthy chapter, but I do think we ought to treat it as one unit. Remember, we've been in the study 
or in the setting of Solomon building the temple. The preparation 
for the building of the temple in chapter 5, the actual construction 
in chapter 6, and then as well in chapter 7. So about 11 months 
after its completion, they dedicate the temple, and that's in 1 Kings 
8. So I'll begin reading in verse 
1. Now Solomon assembled the elders 
of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers 
of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that 
they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from 
the city of David, which is Zion. Therefore all the men of Israel 
assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, 
which is the seventh month. So all the elders of Israel came, 
and the priests took up the ark. Then they brought up the ark 
of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings 
that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought 
them up. Also King Solomon and all the 
congregation of Israel who were assembled with him. who were 
assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing 
sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 
Then the priest brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the 
most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. But the cherubim 
spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim 
overshadowed the ark and its poles. The poles extended so 
that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, 
in front of the inner sanctuary. But they could not be seen from 
outside, and they are there to this day. Nothing was in the 
ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at 
Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, 
when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, 
when the priest came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled 
the house of the Lord, so that the priest could not continue 
ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled 
the house of the Lord. Then Solomon spoke. The Lord 
said he would dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built you 
an exalted house, in a place for you to dwell in forever. 
Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of 
Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. And he 
said, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with his 
mouth to my father David, and with his hand has fulfilled it, 
saying, since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, 
I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build 
a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be 
over my people Israel. Now it was in the heart of my 
father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God 
of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, whereas it 
was in your heart to build a temple for my name, you did well that 
it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build 
the temple, but your Son, who will come from your body, He 
shall build the temple for my name. So the Lord has fulfilled 
His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of 
my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord 
promised. And I have built a temple for 
the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place 
for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He 
made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land 
of Egypt. 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 and he said, Lord God of Israel, there is 
no God in heaven above or on earth below like you, who keep 
your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before 
you with all their hearts. You have kept what you promised 
your servant David, my father. You have both spoken with your 
mouth and fulfilled it with your hand as it is this day. Therefore, 
Lord God of Israel, now keep what you promised your servant 
David, my father, saying, you shall not fail to have a man 
sit before me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take 
heed to their way, that they walk before me as you have walked 
before me. And now I pray, O God of Israel, 
Let your word come true, which you have spoken to your servant 
David my father. But will God indeed dwell on 
the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven 
of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which 
I have built. Yet regard the prayer of your 
servant in his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to 
the cry and the prayer which your servant is praying before 
you today, that your eyes may be open toward this temple night 
and day, toward the place of which you said, my name shall 
be there. that you may hear the prayer 
which your servant makes toward this place. And may you hear 
the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when 
they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven your dwelling 
place, and when you hear, forgive. When anyone sins against his 
neighbor and is forced to take an oath and comes and takes an 
oath before your altar in this temple, then hear in heaven and 
act and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing 
his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according 
to his righteousness. when your people Israel are defeated 
before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and 
when they turn back to you and confess your name and pray and 
make supplication to you in this temple, then hear in heaven and 
forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to 
the land which you gave to their fathers. When the heavens are 
shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against 
you, when they pray toward this place and confess your name and 
turn from their sin because you afflict them, then hear in heaven 
and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, that you 
may teach them the good way in which they should walk and send 
rain on your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. when there is famine in the land, 
pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, when 
their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever 
plague or whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer, whatever 
supplication is made by anyone or by all your people Israel, 
when each one knows the plague of his own heart and spreads 
out his hands toward this temple. Then here in heaven, your dwelling 
place, and forgive and act and give to everyone according to 
all his ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the 
hearts of all the sons of men, that they may fear you all the 
days that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers. 
Moreover concerning a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, 
but has come from a far country for your name's sake. For they 
will hear of your great name, and your strong hand, and your 
outstretched arm. When he comes and prays towards 
this temple, hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according 
to all for which the foreigner calls to you. That all peoples 
of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people 
Israel. and that they may know that this 
temple which I have built is called by your name. When your 
people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever you send 
them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city which you 
have chosen and the temple which I have built for your name, then 
hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain 
their cause. When they sin against you, for 
there is no one who does not sin, and you become angry with 
them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive 
to the land of the enemy, far or near, Yet when they come to 
themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and 
repent and make supplication to you in the land of those who 
took them captive, saying, We have sinned and done wrong, we 
have committed wickedness. And when they return to you with 
all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their 
enemies who led them away captive, and pray to you toward their 
land which you gave to their fathers, the city which you have 
chosen, and the temple which I have built for your name. Then 
hear and have in your dwelling place their prayer and their 
supplication, and maintain their cause. And forgive your people 
who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions 
which they have transgressed against you. And grant them compassion 
before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion 
on them. For they are your people and your inheritance, whom you 
brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, that your eyes 
may be opened to the supplication of your servant and the supplication 
of your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to 
you. For you separated them from among all the peoples of the 
earth to be your inheritance, as you spoke by your servant 
Moses when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. And 
so it was when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication 
to the Lord that he rose from before the altar of the Lord 
from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. Then he stood and blessed all 
the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the 
Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all 
that he promised. There has not failed one word 
of all his good promise, which he promised through his servant 
Moses. May the Lord our God be with us. as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake 
us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself to walk in all His 
ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, 
which He commanded our fathers. And may these words of mine, 
with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the 
Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of 
His servant and the cause of His people Israel as each day 
may require. that all the peoples of the earth 
may know that the Lord is God, there is no other. Let your heart, 
therefore, be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes 
and keep His commandments as at this day." Then the king and 
all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. And Solomon 
offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to 
the Lord, 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the children 
of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. On the same day, 
the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front 
of the house of the Lord. For there he offered burnt offerings, 
grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because 
the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive 
the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the 
peace offerings. At that time, Solomon held a 
feast and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance 
of Hamath to the brook of Egypt before the Lord our God, seven 
days and seven more days, 14 days. On the eighth day, he sent 
the people away and they blessed the king and went to their tents 
joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had 
done for his servant David and for Israel, his people. Amen. Sorry about the throat thing 
there. I've got a bit of a cold, just 
getting over it. Should have used honey, as Sue Proctor recommended. That might have soothed that 
a little bit. But this is a lengthy chapter, 
but as I said, it is definitely a unit, and the focus or the 
emphasis is on the prayer of Solomon. If you look at the structure, 
essentially you have four parts. I think the New King James does 
break it down into subsections well. There are four sections. 
There is a narrative section to begin with, which records 
the movement of the ark in verses 1 to 3. Then there is a speech 
or words of thanksgiving in verses 14 to 21. And then you have the 
prayer in verses 22 to 53. And then another speech, which 
is a benediction, a pronouncement, a blessing upon the assembly 
in verses 54 to 61. And then it ends with a narrative, 
another narrative, a dedication, verses 62 to 66. So, as I said, 
it's a long unit. Our focus will be primarily on 
the prayer, but I do want to give us a sense of these other 
sections as well. So, essentially, we have the 
ark brought into the temple in verses 1 to 13, the words of 
thanksgiving in verses 14 to 21, the prayer of dedication 
in verses 22 to 53, the benediction pronounced on the assembly in 
verses 54 to 61, and then the dedication proper of the temple 
in verses 62 to 66. Note the first instance, though. 
The ark is brought into the temple in verses 1 to 13. Remember, 
the ark of the covenant is that that box, as it were, that contained 
the Ten Commandments, that's indicated here specifically. 
The two tablets of stone are indicated in verse 9. It was 
that box which was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, 
and now it has been located in the city of David, in Zion, in 
Jerusalem. Now the temple is completed, 
so the order is to bring that Ark of the Covenant, which is 
a visible or a symbolic representation of the presence of God among 
His people. Certainly, the ark represents that, and then, of 
course, the temple does, as we see in this particular passage. So they gather all of the leadership 
together, and then they move the ark. But it is intriguing 
to note the date, specifically in verse 2. It's the month here 
in Ethanim, which is probably the Canaanite version of Tishri, 
which corresponds to September or October of our calendar year, 
and this was the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. So as 
I said, the dedication comes about 11 months after the completion 
of the temple itself, and this is a key time for Solomon to 
dedicate the temple. At the Feast of Tabernacles, 
you would have a large population of Israelites present at this 
particular time. This was a party, it was a celebration, 
it was a feast, it was the dedication of the very temple of God Most 
High that they spent four years preparing to build and then 11 
years to build. So what we find, or seven years 
to build rather, 11 total, so four preparation, seven to build. 
So this is a time of great celebration, large population is assembled 
together. Now, we see the ark is moved 
from one location into the temple. Now, note specifically in verses 
4 and 5. It says, They brought up the 
ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy 
furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the 
Levites brought them up. Remember the tabernacle? was 
the temporary ark. When the people of Israel were 
in the wilderness, they did not have a temple. They didn't have 
a land. They didn't have a central sanctuary, 
so they had the tabernacle. It was a temporary place. There 
was a tent, and they would set it up the way that the temple 
here is set up. There was a holy place, and then 
a most holy place, or a holy of holies. There was a a place 
where the priest would wash, there was a place for sacrifice, 
the place obviously for atoning for the sins of Israel. So the 
priests were charged with bringing those particular things. And 
then in verse 5 it says, also King Solomon and all the congregation 
of Israel who were assembled with him were with him before 
the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted 
or numbered for multitude. You see that whenever the Ark 
of the Covenant is moved. You see it back in 2 Samuel 6.13. 
You see this sacrifice in connection with the Ark of the Covenant. 
The idea being is that God is a holy God, and the Lord God 
Most High is not to be approached or gone near to without sacrifice. And there was an event back in 
Beth Shemesh in 1 Samuel, where those men wanted to look inside 
the Ark of the Covenant, and God killed them. And they said, 
who can stand before this Holy Lord? And so when we see the 
Ark being moved, or when we see persons near the Ark... Somebody 
want to grab that? I was just thinking it might be 
about the recording there. Certainly they would offer up 
sacrifice in the presence of God in that regard. So then notice, 
what we find is that God, verse 9, tells us that nothing was 
in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there 
at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel when 
they came out of the land of Egypt. So notice, you've got 
God's presence, God's word, and God's covenant with Israel are 
inextricably linked together. The Ark of the Covenant contains 
the Word of God, the Ten Commandments. It is the Ark of the Covenant. 
So you see, Word, Covenant, and God's presence are inextricably 
tied together. You don't get one without the 
other. You get all three together. The presence of God, the Word 
of God, the Covenant that God made with His people. And then 
note, the presence of God fills the house in verses 10 and 11. 
It came to pass when the priest came out of the holy place that 
the cloud filled the house of the Lord. This was what's called 
the Shekinah glory. This is a manifestation of God's 
presence. This is God coming and approving 
of this house that was built for His name. Gil says it was 
a token of the divine presence of God, of His taking possession 
of His house and of His taking up His residence in it. I don't 
know that we can fully understand the significance of this particular 
scene, It's very simple for us to read verses 10 and 11 and 
then just sort of move on. But this was a magnificent event 
in Israel's history. The temple is built and God now 
approves of this building project. God now comes by cloud and glory 
to dwell in the midst of His people. And His glory is such, 
according to verse 11, the priest could not continue ministering 
because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the 
house of the Lord. This is the way the book of Exodus 
ends. The glory of the Lord filled 
the house of the Lord. Moses himself could not stay 
in the presence of God. The book of Leviticus answers 
the question. How can a sinful man enter into 
the presence of a holy God? In this manifestation of God's 
glory, it is so blessed and so rich that the priests themselves 
cannot be there. And then Solomon speaks, the 
Lord said he would dwell in the dark cloud. And then Solomon 
says in verse 13, I have surely built you an exalted house and 
a place for you to dwell in forever. So this is a magnificent event 
in Israel's history. The ark is brought into the temple. 
Secondly, we have these words of thanksgiving in verses 14 
to 21. And essentially what they focus 
upon, what Solomon is thankful for here, is God's faithfulness. It's the fidelity of God, His 
covenant goodness to His people. He rehearses God's faithfulness 
in the Exodus. Notice in 16a. since the day 
that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt." This is God's 
promise to Moses to bring the children of Israel out of that 
house of bondage. He then rehearses at length the 
Davidic covenant in verse 15 and then 16b to 19. God's promise 
to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7. In many respects, 2 Samuel 
chapter 7 is foundational to everything that follows from 
that point. because God covenanted with David 
that from David's line a son would rise up that would be a 
son of David, but also a son of God that would build a house 
for God. And that is Solomon, and Solomon 
is reflecting upon that even now. So it is God's faithfulness 
that is the reason for this magnificent event. The temple is here. The 
king is in place, the glory of the Lord has filled the house 
because of the Lord Himself. He is making good on His promise. Notice in verse 20, so the Lord 
has fulfilled His word which He spoke. And I have filled the 
position of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel as 
the Lord promised. And I have built a temple for 
the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place 
for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He 
made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land 
of Egypt. We see this is a great sort of 
a pattern for us to follow when it comes to being in the presence 
of God. Thankfulness, gratitude, rehearsing 
the faithfulness of God, reminding ourselves of His greatness, of 
His promise, of His blessing, and of His presence. And then 
that moves us thirdly to consider the prayer. As I said, we'll 
spend a bit of time here. Notice, in the first place, the 
foundation of his prayer is theology proper. Now, theology simply 
means the study of God. When we say theology proper, 
we mean the study of God in particular. Right? We talk about theology 
and it's broad. There's a lot of different things 
we can talk about concerning God and his relationships to, 
you know, a whole host of things. But theology proper is a focus 
upon God specifically, on who God is. And it is intriguing. 
that as we know, David was a fantastic and a phenomenal theologian. 
He taught Solomon as well. David was a good father in instructing 
Solomon concerning the God of heaven and earth, because what 
we find in this particular prayer is some of the best theology 
that we have in all of the Bible. Now note in the first place, 
as I said, the foundation of his prayer is theology proper 
or the doctrine of God. He highlights the incomparability 
of God. I'm going to explain all these 
terms because I think it's important for us to understand who God 
is the way that Solomon understands who God is. The incomparability 
of God means you cannot compare God with anything else. You cannot 
compare the God of heaven and earth with anything else. You 
can compare men with men. You can compare dogs with men 
or dogs with dogs. You can even compare dogs with 
men because they're both creature. You can't compare anything with 
God Most High. Notice what Solomon says in verse 
23. Well, verse 22, Solomon stood 
before the altar of the Lord. It is intriguing. He begins his 
prayer standing. How does he end his prayer? Kneeling, 
with his hands outstretched. He's overwhelmed and overcome 
by the presence of Almighty God that he moves from a standing 
posture to a kneeling posture. This is what contact with the 
living God does. This idea where God is our buddy 
and he's somehow our peer and that we're somehow on his level 
and that we treat him in a way that we treat others like us 
is absolutely foreign and contrary to the word of the living God. 
The way some men talk about God, they talk about Him as if He 
is some kid down the street. But Solomon begins standing and 
he ends kneeling before the greatness of God Most High. But he spreads 
out his hands toward heaven, and then notice in verse 23, 
he said, ìLord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above 
or on earth below like You.î God is incomparable. The God 
whom we serve, the God whom we love, the God whom we are thankful 
to is a God who is without comparison. Baal and Moloch and all the idols 
that the Canaanites had, all of the gods of this age do not 
compare one whit with the living and the true God. He begins foundationally 
with a consideration of who God Most High is. This is not unique 
to Solomon. It's in the Song of the Sea in 
Exodus chapter 15. Moses says the same thing with 
the children of Israel there. It's scattered throughout the 
scriptures, this idea that God is incomparable. You cannot put 
somebody at his level. There is not anyone that holds 
a candle to who this God is. And then going on, he shows how 
or he demonstrates the incomparability of God. He says in verse 23, 
There is no God in heaven above or on earth below like you, notice, 
who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before 
you with all their hearts. So God's incomparability is seen 
in his covenant keeping. The gods of the Canaanites were 
not faithful gods. The gods of the Canaanites were 
not deities that were known for their fidelity. They would consort 
with other gods. You know, Baal had several different 
goddesses that he would have relations with. They weren't 
known for their fidelity, but the God of Israel and his incomparability 
is known for this thing, his covenant keeping and his mercy 
toward his servants. I think a second attribute that 
Solomon goes on to highlight concerning God is his faithfulness. In verses 24 to 26, God is faithful. Notice how this works in Solomon's 
prayer. You see the flow of thought in 
Solomon's prayer. He is celebrating next to the 
incomparability of God, the faithfulness of God, and he says, you have 
been faithful in the past to my father David, therefore continue 
to be faithful to us subsequent to this day. You have to appreciate 
the specifics. You have kept what you promised 
your servant David, my father. Verse 25, Therefore, Lord God 
of Israel, now keep what you promised your servant David, 
my father. The past faithfulness of God 
is the reason why in the present we pray for His future faithfulness 
to us. Because He has tried and proven 
Himself faithful, or rather we have tried and proven Him faithful 
in the past, that's the foundation for our present prayer that God 
would indeed make good on His promises in the future. David 
says, in short, act in the future as you have acted to date. Yahweh's 
fidelity in the past becomes the basis for expecting the same 
in the future. God has joined fidelity and expectancy. You see, God's faithfulness in 
our past ought to promote in us a holy expectancy of what 
He will do in the future. not in terms of prosperity and 
not in terms of houses and boats, but in terms of God's goodness 
to us in the midst of whatever situation we find ourselves in. 
If we went through some struggles in the past and God in His faithfulness 
saw us through them, then why in the world would we doubt that 
He will see us through anything in the future? This seems to 
be the same sort of thing that Paul hits on in the book of Romans 
when he says, he who did not spare his own son, but delivered 
him up for us all freely, how shall he not also with him give 
us all things in him? In other words, if God has done 
the greater in the past, then he is certain to be there for 
you in the present and in the future. And this seems to be 
the gist of Solomon's prayer. He then moves on to what we'll 
call the transcendence of God. Again, it's a word that we don't 
often use, but it simply means that God is removed from us. 
God isn't our peer. God isn't with us the way we're 
with one another. God is omnipresent, and God is 
intimate, and God is, another word we'll look at in just a 
moment, is imminent, but for now, transcendence. Notice what 
Solomon does. He adds a bit of theological 
qualification concerning God's dwelling in the temple. Notice 
in verse 27, but will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven 
and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this 
temple which I have built. Now God came and filled the temple 
with his glory. But it wasn't God in the sense 
of he is now domesticated in that place. Okay? This is what 
Solomon wants to make sure nobody fails to appreciate. God is transcendent. That means he transcends the 
creation. He is removed from it. He is 
not a part of it. He is in a different order of 
being. You've got, you know, the creature 
and then you've got the creator. He is not creature. Everything 
that is not God is creature. God is creator. And so Solomon 
qualifies this. He doesn't want the people of 
Israel, and he certainly doesn't want those pagans to think that 
Yahweh is sort of like Baal. or that Yahweh is sort of like 
Moloch, or that Yahweh is sort of like Asherah. You see, when 
the pagans or the Canaanites built a temple, say, for Dagon, 
Dagon genuinely was in that temple, wasn't he? But that's not so 
with Yahweh. Yahweh is the God of heaven and 
earth. He transcends it. He is far above. He is removed from us. And yet 
by virtue of the fact that He is omnipresent, that He is Almighty 
God, He can fill the temple with the glory of His presence. Again, 
it's not locally hedged in. It's not kept there. It's not like He wasn't in California 
at that particular time. This is Solomon's point. He is 
transcendent and he is highlighting this reality of who God is. But will God indeed dwell on 
the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven 
of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which 
I have built. Brethren, I think this is a good 
thing for us to reflect upon when we come to church on the 
Lord's Day. Certainly, the New Covenant is the place where God 
dwells with His people, but we cannot think for a moment that 
if God is here with us, He's nowhere else. If God is here 
with us, He is not in heaven. No, the idea is that God is a 
glorious being, and this glorious being is able to manifest and 
to symbolize and to represent and to demonstrate His presence 
with His people through this glory cloud. And specifically, 
the incomparability of God is seen here too. The temples of 
the idols actually contain the idols. And as well, the recognition 
by Solomon here of the infinite majesty of God. Isn't that what 
he's expressing? God's infinite majesty. This temple cannot contain you. Heaven in the heaven of heavens. 
cannot contain you. Brethren, do we really reflect 
upon this God and who He is? That's why I say Solomon's foundation 
for prayer is who God is. It's theology proper. He considers 
God. I think this is what Jesus teaches 
us as well when it comes to the Lord's Prayer. Before we run 
into the throne room and saying, God, can you give me my food 
and can you give me my forgiveness and can you give me my protection? 
What does Jesus teach us in the first place? Our Father who art 
in heaven. In other words, stop for a moment 
and consider who it is you're dealing with. Stop for a moment 
and consider who it is you are praying to. Stop for a moment 
and frame your heart aright. Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Jesus says 
think theologically, pray theologically before you get into particular 
petitions. Think about who God is, think 
about who you are relative to this God, and may that so cause 
fear and joy to penetrate your heart that you pray appropriately 
and accordingly. We need to consider who God is 
before just running into His presence and saying, give me 
food, give me forgiveness, give me protection. Those are the 
latter or man-word petitions in the Lord's Prayer, but there 
is a specific priority structure. God comes first. We think of our Father, who art 
in heaven, and the first petition in the Lord's Prayer is, hallowed 
be thy name. God's name is more important 
than our daily bread. God's name is more important 
than even our forgiveness of sins. God's name is more important 
than our protection from the evil one. Not saying those things 
aren't, but it's God's name be hallowed. God's kingdom come, 
right? Before we start thinking about 
our kingdom and about our efforts and about, you know, bless me 
in this and bless me in that, God's kingdom come. That ought 
to be our priority structure. And then God's will be done on 
earth as it is in heaven. See, we don't run into prayer 
and say, God, make my will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
We're pretty good at making our will be done on earth as it isn't 
in heaven. We need to think theologically, 
and this is what Solomon is doing. So he highlights the transcendence 
of God. But notice, fourthly, the imminence 
of God, and that means God's nearness to us. So if transcendence 
is God's being removed from us, imminence is God's presence among 
His people, His intimacy. Now, you perhaps have heard of 
two heresies that have affected not only the church, but the 
world over however many years. There is something called deism. 
Perhaps you've heard of deism. Deism has a doctrine of transcendence, 
but no doctrine of imminence. In other words, for the deist, 
God is removed, but he's not intimate with his creatures. 
Deism essentially says that God is like the watchmaker or the 
clockmaker. He winds up the clock and he 
sets it upon the mantle at his fireplace and then he just leaves 
it alone. That's deism. That's this view 
that yes, God created, but God is not involved with his creation. There's another view that's just 
the opposite. It's called pantheism. Pantheism 
means that there is no doctrine of transcendence. Pantheists 
only have a doctrine of imminence. God is with us, but he is not 
removed. So for the deist, there's transcendence 
and no imminence. For the pantheist, there's imminence 
but no transcendence. But Christianity and the God 
of heaven and earth is both transcendent and imminent. He is both removed 
and present. He is both mysterious and intimate 
with his people. He is the God described herein 
by Solomon, and note this eminence is indicated in verses 28 and 
following. The Lord hears prayer. The Lord 
sees the place where his name is. The Lord hears from heaven, 
which is his dwelling place. That is the recurring theme from 
this time forth in the prayer. He continually says, here in 
heaven, your dwelling place. In other words, he wants everybody 
to understand that as glorious as the temple is, as wondrous 
as this building project has been, and as beautiful as the 
manifestation of God's presence is, in terms of that glory cloud, 
that box on earth does not contain God. God is in heaven. He hears from heaven. He is able, 
by virtue of his being God, to be removed and yet intimate and 
near and dear to his people. That's the blessing of our God. He is what Scripture sets forth 
in this particular section. He hears prayer. He sees the 
place where His name is. The Lord hears from heaven, which 
is His dwelling place. And that's interesting there 
in verse 29. It's almost as if the temple 
on earth is the place where His name is. Again, the name represents, 
it is the demonstration, it is the pointing forth to the reality 
of God's presence among them. So that's the foundation of the 
prayer, theology proper. Before he gets to petition, before 
he gets to requests, before he gets to asking from God very 
specific things, he begins with a consideration of who God is. And I submit that this is a good 
practice for us, this is a good model for us, and it's certainly 
duplicated in the Lord's Prayer by Jesus Christ, our Savior. But note, secondly, the petitions 
in the prayer. And one of the central themes 
here is forgiveness. Remember the significance of 
the temple. Certainly God dwells in the midst 
of it. But as well, it's that holy of 
holies. What's the whole basis or the 
whole reason or the whole rationale for the holy of holies? It's 
for the one day out of the year described to us in Leviticus 
chapter 16, where the high priest enters into that place to make 
atonement for the sins of Israel. You see, sin was a reality among 
the nation of Israel, all the more so because their God was 
a holy God. Probably sin wasn't a big concept 
with Baal worshippers. Sin wasn't a big concept with 
Moloch worshippers. I mean, when you're throwing 
your babies into the fire, you're not really probably convicted 
of sin to the degree that a Yahweh worshipper is, right? You see, 
sin was a reality among the children of Israel because they had a 
thrice holy God with whom they couldn't just run into His presence. 
There had to be atonement, there had to be blood, there had to 
be forgiveness, there had to be reconciliation. And so the 
petitions of the prayer are sevenfold. Now, not all of them deal specifically 
with forgiveness, but you see that theme run through. Notice. the end of verse 30, I think 
this paves the way for the petitions that follow. In verse 30, he 
says, And may you hear the supplication of your servant and of your people 
Israel when they pray toward this place, here in heaven, your 
dwelling place, and when you hear You see that? We have a God who is all that 
He has described, and He's a God of mercy. He's a God of kindness. 
He's a God of goodness who does forgive His people. So Solomon 
in the first place asks that God would adjudicate in civil 
matters. verses 31 to 32. Solomon was 
a wise man and Solomon had shown himself able in that case of 
the prostitutes and the living baby. Solomon had a wisdom and 
he was fit for that service in terms of adjudicating affairs 
in Israel. But he wasn't omniscient, he 
wasn't sovereign, he wasn't absolutely able, and so he prays to God 
that in the civil government, or rather in the civil polity 
in Israel, may God indeed shine the light of justice upon these 
people. It really is an amazing statement 
in verses 31 and 32. I wonder if in our prayers we 
ever think this way. When anyone sins against his 
neighbor and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes 
an oath before your altar in this temple, then hear in heaven 
and act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing 
his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according 
to his righteousness. This is the way a civil state 
operates. This is the way the civil polity 
of Israel would know joy and blessing in the land, is if the 
guilty were punished and the innocent were vindicated. And 
this was a difficult task to be sure for a, you know, only 
human government. And so Solomon prays that God 
Most High would intervene in cases so that the body politic 
in Israel would run well. See, it was never God's intention 
for societies to look the way societies look. Now, unfortunately, 
Israel didn't last long. I mean, they prayed this, or 
Solomon prayed this, but by the time we move a little bit further 
to the right, we see society as a mess. But God's intention, 
and something we ought to pray for, is that civil society would 
run in such a way that guilty, vile, wretched men are punished. 
I don't know why Christians struggle with this whole concept of praying 
to God Almighty to bring judgment to bear upon the enemies of Yahweh 
and the enemies of God's people. I just don't get it. We just 
need to love and we just need to forgive. But that doesn't 
argue against the reality that the civil state should punish, 
with death if necessary, men that continue to violate the 
civil order. This is righteous, it's godly, 
it is to image the Lord most high. I would submit that this 
Christian fascination with forgiving unrepentant criminals is simply 
not Christian. It is an abandonment of biblical 
principles of jurisprudence, justice, and it is to reject 
the very image of God that we maintain and bear. It's righteous 
for God to punish with vengeance those who violate. And this is 
where Solomon begins. Solomon is a king governing a 
people, and it's, I guess, not surprising, because in his role, 
this is something he would meet with each and every day. Make 
sure the wicked are condemned, and justify the righteous by 
giving him according to his righteousness. Notice the second thing, and 
for 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, and 4, Solomon is praying according to Leviticus 
26 and Deuteronomy 28. Solomon is praying according 
to the book of the curses of the covenant. He is praying according 
to that covenant document where God said, if you go into the 
land and you do what you're supposed to do, blessings will come upon 
you. But if you go into the land and 
you don't do what you're supposed to do, cursings will fall upon 
you. So Solomon, in a sense, is not 
only reflecting what Moses already wrote concerning Israel's future, 
but Solomon is somewhat foreshadowing Israel's future. He is praying 
prospectively. You know what retrospection is? 
It's when we look back. Prospectively means to look forward. Solomon, in his prayer, reflects 
the idea that Israel's going to have problems. And this isn't 
unique to Solomon. You see it all the way back in 
the plains of Moab in Deuteronomy chapter 30. God essentially says 
to Israel through Moses, you're going to go, you're going to 
sin, you're going to be exiled, but I'm going to bring you back. 
So God is a realist and has communicated these things to his people, and 
here Solomon the king is praying with this in mind. The second 
petition, it's this defeat by enemies in verses 33 and 34. 
This is Leviticus 26.17 and Deuteronomy 28.25. God in the curses of the 
covenant said, when you go and you violate my law, this is what 
you can expect. But notice verse 33, when your 
people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned 
against you, And when they turn back to you and confess your 
name and pray and make supplication to you in this temple, then hear 
in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring 
them back to the land which you gave to their fathers. You see, 
he sees not only the curse, but with this God who brings the 
curse, with this God who brings the chastening, with this God 
who brings the judgment, there is nevertheless mercy, there 
is nevertheless forgiveness, there is nevertheless the ability 
to appeal to Him in the midst of misery, in the midst of defeat, 
in the midst of these battles lost to enemies that God Almighty 
sent to chasten us, We can, as we have learned, to say, nevertheless 
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. It really is amazing. And as 
we move through the history of Israel, we see this played out 
time and time again. Yes, God visits them with judgment, 
according to Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. But there's a nevertheless, 
or there's a but, or there's a I will deliver you. This God 
is relentless in mercy. Even when He brings chastening 
upon His people that they desperately deserve, He is there to pick 
them up when it's all over again. He really is a gracious God and 
very merciful. The third petition is the drought 
sent by God. When the heavens are shut up 
and there is no rain because they have sinned against you. 
This wasn't a drought, you know, according to some natural forces. 
It wasn't, you know, a heat wave or that sort of thing. They sinned 
against God and God sent drought. This was a reality promised to 
them in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. When this drought comes, 
when this plague comes, or when this difficulty comes, and then 
they turn from their sin because you afflict them, then here in 
heaven. Notice verse 35, isn't that beautiful? Turn from their sin because you 
afflict them. gives new insight to Psalm 119 
when David says, it was good for me that I was afflicted. 
You see, afflictions drive us from ourselves to God. Afflictions 
are a blessing in the Christian life. I know we try and escape 
them, we try to run from them, but brethren, we ought to appreciate 
that God sends afflictions to get our attention and to bring 
us back to Him. That's what verse 35 says. and 
turn from their sin because you afflict them. If God never afflicts 
us, we won't turn from our sin. If God never afflicts us, we 
won't run to His lap. If God never afflicts us, we 
will most likely forget about Him. Blessed be the God who sends 
affliction. Blessed be the God who sends 
the trials and the tribulations. Now, brethren, they're difficult 
and they're hard, and I'm certainly not saying, please, Lord, send 
them upon us now. But there is a remedial end for 
the afflictions that God's people have. It is to turn them from 
their sin to the true and the living God. And then the fourth 
petition is with reference to famine and pestilence and other 
disasters, again, indicated very frequently in the books of Leviticus 
and Deuteronomy. But with the same idea, then, 
after they turn, Here in heaven, verse 39, your dwelling place 
and forgive and act and give to everyone according to all 
his ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the hearts 
of all the sons of men, that they may fear you all the days 
that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers. You 
see that theme as well in the Psalter. What does God's forgiveness 
produce in the hearts of those forgiven? If thou, O Lord, shouldst 
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness 
with thee, that thou mayest be feared. You see, the forgiveness 
of God promotes the fear of God, and this is a good thing. That 
thou mayest be feared. That's the connection here. When 
they repent, when you forgive, that they may fear you all the 
days that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers. 
The fifth petition is in verses 41 to 42, and this envisions 
Gentile inclusion in the promises of God Most High. Gentile inclusion 
in the promises of God Most High. Notice what Solomon says in verses 
41 to 43. When the foreigners come to see 
the temple, let's throw them out on their ear. No, this is 
the purpose. The temple is the dwelling place 
of God, not just with Israel, but with all the nations. Remember 
God's promise to Abraham in Genesis? It doesn't just include the Israelites. It is a promise that all the 
nations of the earth will be blessed. So verse 41, moreover 
concerning a foreigner who is not of your people Israel, but 
has come from a far country for your name's sake. For they will 
hear of your great name, and your strong hand, and your outstretched 
arm. When he comes and prays toward 
this temple, hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according 
to all for which the foreigner calls to you, that all peoples 
of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people 
Israel. and that they may know that this 
temple which I have built is called by your name." You see, 
there was in the people of Israel, the remnant, the faithful, the 
real believers, they knew that Gentiles were going to be included 
in the covenant promises of God. They knew that Yahweh was the 
God of heaven and earth, not just of Israel. And so in this 
petition, he is praying for the day when the nations will stream 
to Zion, when the nations will come to be taught of God Most 
High. He is speaking of new covenant 
realities here and pointing us toward the Lord Jesus Christ. The sixth petition is essentially 
God's presence in battle. Lord, when we go out to battle, 
we don't want to lose. And in order for us not to lose, 
we want you to be with us. That's the Jim Butler translation 
of verses 44 and 45. You see, that is a great prayer 
by the King of Israel to the God of Israel. When we enter 
into the forays of battle with these competing nations, we don't 
want to lose. And the way that we're going 
to secure victory is if Yahweh is with us. And then in verses 
46 to 51, it's the prospect of exile. The prospect of exile. Again, something that will certainly 
happen, and unfortunately, 1 Kings and 2 Kings ends in exile. Right? That's what happens. I mean, it's an unfortunate reality, 
but Solomon prays this prayer, and not long after, the northern 
tribes are exiled by Assyria. Not long after that, the southern 
tribes are exiled into Babylon. So Solomon, as I said, is praying 
prospectively. He is saying, when they end up 
in one of these cities, may they turn their face to Jerusalem, 
and may they pray, and may you hear their voice, and may you 
restore them. This is intriguing because this 
is precisely what we find in the book of Daniel. Doesn't Daniel 
turn himself to Israel, toward Jerusalem, and he prays? And 
then in Daniel chapter 9, how does Daniel pray? Before we get 
to that prophecy concerning the 70 weeks, you know what he does? 
He confesses sin. He confesses wickedness to the 
living and true God. He does precisely what Solomon 
is suggesting in this particular section of the prayer. Exile 
would be a reality that would face the children of God, or 
that would face the children of Israel. And we need to remember 
this. Notice in verse 51, okay? He's 
rehearsed what may happen in terms of exile. And then in verse 
51, he says, for they are your people and your inheritance whom 
you brought out of Egypt out of the iron furnace. The implication 
seems to be this. If God is able to bring Israel 
out of Egypt, that iron furnace, then certainly he's able to bring 
them out of whatever land they find themselves in. whether it 
be under bondage through Assyria, whether it be through Babylon, 
whatever other foreign invader may capture Israel, we trust 
in the living God that he is able to bring us out. But as 
well, who was the primary audience for the books of 1st and 2nd 
Kings? It was the exiles. It was the children of Israel 
when they were in exile. It was the children of Israel 
while they were in Babylon. Chronicles comes after the exile. That's why Chronicles is typically, 
or it tends to be a little more positive and upbeat, because 
Chronicles is for the people after they've come out of the 
exile when there's hope, and there's brightness, and there's 
light, and there's this idea that they're getting restored 
and whatnot. So you'll see some emphases in 
Chronicles that you don't necessarily see in Kings. You'll see some 
emphases in Kings that you don't necessarily see in Chronicles. 
There's no discrepancies. There's no contradictions. People 
see a different account or the same account related differently, 
and they cry contradiction. No, you need to cry theology. 
The chronicler and the author of Kings had a theology, and 
they are driven by theology in the presentation of their facts. 
But here specifically, if you were sitting in exile and you 
were reading Solomon's prayer, what would you be inclined to 
do? turn your face to Jerusalem and start to cry out in repentance, 
wouldn't you? This is the practical application 
for the first readers of this particular prophecy. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's what it 
is. In fact, House says, for them, then, the seventh petition, 
talking about the exiles, acts as a call to repentance and a 
program for prayer. It teaches the readers how to 
restore their relationship with God. At the same time, it provides 
hope that exile is not God's final word for Israel. See, this 
would be an encouragement, too. You're reading this, and Solomon 
prays, God, when you hear, and you will restore them. Let's 
pray, brethren. He goes on to say, the chosen 
people can return to the promised land when they return to the 
covenant Lord who gave them the land. So that's the prayer of 
dedication. Fourthly, by way of a large concern, 
benediction pronounced on the assembly, verses 54 to 61. This 
is a blessing pronounced upon the people. Notice this too. 
Notice the language. Let's see, first of all, in verse 
15, just get a quick look at something here. Blessed be the 
Lord God of Israel. And then over here in verse 56, 
blessed be the Lord who has given rest. If you go through the book 
of Psalms, you'll see that a lot. It's called blessed be the Lord, 
and then it gives reasons why the Lord should be blessed. It's 
called a barakah. The word berekah means blessing 
in Hebrew. Isn't this precisely what Paul 
does in Ephesians 1? Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Blessed be this God 
and then fill out the reasons why he is to be blessed. Paul 
didn't make that up. It's a convention that is utilized 
throughout Scripture to shine the light upon the glory of God 
Most High. So here Solomon gives reasons 
why God should be praised, because he has provided rest to his people, 
verse 56a, and because of God's faithfulness to his people in 
verse 56b. And then he rehearses the blessings. Now he's giving a benediction. 
He's speaking a good word. That's what benediction means. 
It means a good word. It is being spoken to the children 
of Israel. It's a pronouncement of blessing 
upon them. And then the particular blessings 
rehearsed, the things desired, what Solomon wants for not only 
himself, but for the children of Israel are indicated in verses 
57 to 60. In the first place, he wants 
the presence of God. This ought to be the first thing 
we seek in terms of prayer. May the Lord, our God, be with 
us as He was with our fathers. That ought to punctuate our prayers 
on the Sabbath. May the Lord God be with us. Revelation chapter 1, where is 
Christ? He's in the midst of the lampstands. That's where we want Him, in 
the churches, communing and walking with His people. So the first 
petition or the first thing that he wants by way of blessing for 
the children of Israel, may the Lord our God be with us as He 
was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake 
us. Now notice secondly, the holiness of His people. Verse 
58, that He may incline our hearts to Himself to walk in all His 
ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments 
which He commanded our fathers. Notice that intimate connection 
between God's presence and our holiness. You see why it's important 
that you read your Bible and you pray? You see why it's important 
that you come to Bible study and you come to church? Because 
without God, you're not going to be holy. Without God, you're 
not going to walk in the commandments of God. Without God, you're not 
going to pursue the things that are pleasing to God. We must 
have God if we want to live a godly life, right? This is perhaps 
the rationale behind Romans 8.13. If by the Spirit you mortify 
the deeds of the body. You see, biblical holiness isn't 
just behavior modification. There's a whole lot of people 
out there that stop smoking. There's people out there that 
stop being homosexual. There are people out there that 
stop doing some heinous things. It doesn't make them holy if 
by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body. In other words, 
Christian holiness is absolutely dependent upon and intertwined 
with communion with God. If you are not battling sin the 
way you once battled sin, I would trace it back a little bit further 
and suggest you're probably not spending time with God the way 
you once spent time with God, right? I don't think that's a 
stretch, brethren, and I think that's the connection. May the 
Lord our God be with us, verse 58, that He may incline our hearts 
to Himself. You see, the idea being is that 
when we commune with this God, His presence influences us. If we are not communing with 
this God, His presence does not influence us, right? So you neglect 
your Bible, you neglect prayer, guess what you're going to be 
privy to in the next step? Well, you're going to start sinning. 
You're going to start doing those things that you know you ought 
not to do. So yes, stop doing the wickedness, 
but also cultivate the communion with God. That's what we most 
desperately need. As well, the third thing that 
he wants by way of blessing is the maintenance of king and country. 
Verse 59, and may these words of mine, with which I have made 
supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day 
and night, that he may maintain the cause of his servant and 
the cause of his people Israel as each day may require." So 
the maintenance of king and country. But notice, not just in the big 
things, not just in battle, not just in exile, not just in drought, 
not just in blight or mildew or locusts, But look at what 
the end of verse 59 says, as each day may require. God, we need maintenance of king 
and country as each day may require. Not just when there's huge battles 
going on over here with Canaanites, but when there's, you know, small 
battles and getting out of bed and showing up at work on time. 
We need God's maintenance and presence in our lives as each 
day may require. Some days when we're fighting 
Canaanites, we may need the presence of God in a way that we may not 
need the presence of God when we're just cleaning out our garage. But we still need God in our 
lives when we're cleaning out our garage, you see. He is the 
God of the big and the God of the little, as each day may require. And then the fourth blessing, 
he hopes, is Israel's, is the manifestation of God's being 
and glory. That all the peoples of the earth 
may know that the Lord is God. There is no other. He finishes 
this section with an exhortation, let your heart therefore be loyal 
to the Lord our God to walk in his statutes and keep his commandments 
as at this day. And then finally, quickly, the 
dedication of the temple. That was a lot of sacrifices, 
wasn't it? You might imagine that some commentators 
say there's no way they could have done all that. Well, think 
about this. It was the Feast of Tabernacles. As I've suggested, 
that meant that the large population was there in Jerusalem at that 
time, and it was 14 days. Right? The whole thing took 14 
days. We're not talking about, you 
know, an hour. Imagine that, you get tired at, you know, I 
go over five minutes. Imagine day 14, you're dying, 
okay, we just can't do this anymore. But that wasn't the way it was. 
God was there, so they were glad, they had joyful hearts. You see, 
the sacrifices were offered up and the feasting was celebratory. Now, what were they feasting 
on? Well, these were peace offerings. And with reference to the peace 
offering, the fat and the entrails were offered up to Yahweh. The 
flesh was feasted upon by the worshipers. This was a party, 
it was a celebration. God Almighty has come down and 
glory has filled our temple. There's an old black spiritual 
song. Heaven came down in glory, filled my soul, filled my soul. It's a beautiful song. Well, 
this is what happened on that day, and as a result, they rejoiced, 
they sacrificed, they held a feast, a great assembly from the entrance 
of Hamath to the brook of Egypt before the Lord our God, seven 
days and seven more days, 14 days. Now notice, on the eighth 
day, he sent the people away, that perhaps may mean that a 
bulk of people left, but then there were just the intimates. 
Those, not just the intimates, but there was probably a whole 
host of people still, but not everybody. But notice, when they 
went away, they blessed the king and went to their tents joyful 
and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for 
his servant David and for Israel, his people. So it was a time 
of joy, a time of thanksgiving, and a time to rehearse God's 
faithfulness to the children of Israel. Well, let's close 
in prayer. Our Father, we thank You for 
this prayer of dedication. We thank You for the instruction 
that it affords to us. Help us to take from this passage 
of Scripture a commitment to consider You consider Your glory 
and Your majesty, to rehearse Your attributes, to celebrate 
Your goodness to us, and to consider Your faithfulness in our lives. 
As well, God, help us to see the necessity to commune with 
You in our daily Christian walk. We will not be holy men and women, 
and we will not be putting to death sin apart from a lively 
communion with the God of heaven and earth. I ask that you would 
go with us now and watch over us and bring us together on the 
Lord's Day, and may we indeed see your glory fill this place, 
and may you be pleased to save sinners and strengthen your people, 
and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.