WE WILL NOT HAVE A ZOOM CLASS ON 8 SEPTEMBER.  WE WILL RESUME CLASS ON 15 SEPTEMBER.  SORRY FOR THE INCONVIENCE


 8 September 2024 at 09:00 AM EST


 Our House is a Very Fine House

(Solomon Dedicates the Temple)
1 Kings 8:22-24, 37-39, 46, 48-50
Devotional Reading: Psalm 34:8-19
Background Scripture: 1 Kings 8:22-53
 

Daily Bible Readings

MONDAY: Sighs Too Deep for Words – Romans 8:18-28
TUESDAY: God Hears Our Cries For Help – Psalm 34:11-22
WEDNESDAY: Celebrate With Thanksgiving, Singing – Nehemiah 12:27-30, 44-47
THURSDAY: Bring Your Requests Before God – 2 Chronicles 7:12-22
FRIDAY: Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Luke 11:1-13
SATURDAY: God The Promise Keeper – 1 Kings 8:22-24, 27-30, 37, 43
SUNDAY: Hear Our Plea and Grant Compassion – 1 Kings 8:44,53


AIM FOR CHANGE:

ANALYZE the importance of a national temple for Israel.

EXPRESS gratitude for God’s faithfulness in covenant relationships; and

EMBRACE a worshipful lifestyle in light of God’s continuing goodness.

KEEP IN MIND:

"Whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the afflictions of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands toward this house; then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know—according to all their ways, for only you know what is in every human heart."  (1 Kings 8:38, 39, NRSV).


BACKGROUND:

We find the answer to the question of where God dwells through the whole history of Scriptural revelation.  The incarnation of Christ, His coming to be with men, was the greatest answer.  He came to dwell upon earth, to be a man among men.  He was called Immanuel, God with us. God about us.  God around us. God revealed in Christ, embodied with all the attributes of divinity, with all the powers of the Godhead, identified Himself with the lowliest and the poorest.  He came to identify Himself with humanity in all its forms of weakness and sorrow, that He might take humanity and raise it up with Him to the very throne of God.  He came to be with us and of us.  Christ experienced suffering, reproach, agony, torture and death that He might meet and defeat them on our behalf and to the glory of the Father. He comes to us as individuals—God with us—God with you—God with me, in our home, in our families, at all times.  Christ reveals to us the Father.  The heart of God is seen in the heart of Christ.  The affection of God the Father is manifested in the love of Christ.

In the conclusion of his prayer, Solomon invoked the entrance of Jehovah into the temple and “the ark of His strength.”  He prayed that the priests might faithfully minister and that the people gratefully receive the salvation of God.  He closed with the touching words, “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed; Remember the mercies of Your servant David “May we, as we pray today, remember the promises of the everlasting covenant which grace has made available to us in Christ and which are called the sure mercies of David (Isaiah 55:3; Acts 13:34).  This must be all our desire, all our hope and all our prayer. It is our salvation.

This prayer of Solomon includes all the elements of true prayer: adoration, confession, supplication, intercession and thanksgiving.


LESSON COMMENTARY:

Pray and Give Thanks (1 Kings 8:22-24, NRSV)

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven.
23He said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart,
24the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand.

King Solomon waited until the end of the harvest seasons, during the Festival of Booths, to dedicate the Temple (8:1).  Before the dedication of the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was transferred from the Tabernacle (tent) to the Temple.  The Temple represented a permanent place for the people to worship God.  King Solomon offered three prayers during the dedication ceremony: the first in verses 14-21; the second in verses 22-53; and the third in verses 54-61.  The first prayer concentrates on God’s promise to Solomon’s father, David, to always have an heir from his family sitting on the throne throughout eternity (2 Samuel 7:5-16).  The second prayer is the fundamental core of the dedication ceremony.

King Solomon showed reverence to God.  He entered into the inner sanctuary and knelt in front as he prayed (verse 22).  King Solomon expressed gratitude for being faithful to the covenant made with his father (2 Samuel 7:13).  God is faithful even when we may not be.  And as time passed, the people of Israel were not always faithful in keeping God’s commands.  But in spite of their (our) sinful ways, God would always have a successor to sit on the throne of Israel, which King Solomon petitioned God to fulfill (verses 25-26).  God’s promise (1 Kings 2:4) was fulfilled through the birth of the Messiah who was a part of the Davidic line.


1.    Why is expressing gratitude to God important?

2.    Why is it important to obey the commands of God to ensure a better future?

3.    Why is it important in the midst of life transitions to be in a covenant relationship with God and others?

Oppressive Circumstances (1 Kings 8:37-39, 46, NRSV)

37"If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in any of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is;
38whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the afflictions of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands toward this house;
39then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know—according to all their ways, for only you know what is in every human heart—
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;

Solomon continues the land motif in this fourth petition, yet he also includes the significant notion of individual forgiveness. Until now he has stressed humanly unresolvable cases (8:31–32) and national sin and correction (8:33–36). Here he again notes the many ills that can afflict the land, such as famine, plague, blight, mildew, insects, and enemies. Each of these could occur because of national sin, as has already been stated.

Unlike 8:33, 35, which emphasizes corporate repentance, this passage recognizes the importance of the prayers of every individual worshiper.  Solomon asks God that “any of your people Israel,” that is, anyone “aware of the afflictions of his own heart,” may turn back the devastations 8:38 describes.  The prayers of individuals matter in the Old Testament.  Abraham’s prayers save Lot’s life (Gen 18:22–33; 19:29).  Moses successfully intercedes on Israel’s behalf after the golden calf incident in Exodus 32–34.  Elijah will stop a drought later in 1 Kings.  In each of these cases the individual not only represents himself but humanity and all of Israel as well.  The king hopes that such people will always be heard.

Solomon aims at an ongoing positive result.  God’s response to an individual prayer for the corporate body proves that God, and God alone, knows “the hearts of all men.”  Once this truth is understood, Solomon prays, Israel “will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.”  Fear, or respect, will lead to obedience, love, and service (Deuteronomy 10:12).  This basic attitude of worship should in turn guard against future rebellion.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation (1 Kings 8:48-50 NRSV)

48if they repent with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies, who took them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name;
49then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, maintain their cause
50and 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 their captors, so that they may have compassion on them

For his last petition, Solomon returns to an idea he mentions in 8:34.  He recalls the ultimate punishment God may use against Israel— expulsion from the very land that the Lord has given the chosen people as a major proof of their favored status (cf. Lev 26:27–35; Deuteronomy 28:36–37, 49–68).  Again, he asks that God forgive their sin and return them to the land if they recognize their errors and repent.

Besides its original significance as a warning to his own people, Solomon’s prayer takes on particular importance for the author’s audience.  Remember that 1, 2 Kings was written for people who had lost the land in the very manner Solomon describes.  For them, this seventh petition 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.  The chosen people can return to the promised land when they return to the covenant Lord who gave them the land.  In this way Solomon’s prayer redeems the time for the book’s original, hurting audience.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1.    Why is prayer vital in our relationship with God?

2.    King Solomon understood the importance of building a place where people could worship God.  What benefit would the Israelites gain from having a new national temple?  What benefits do we enjoy in coming together in a specific place for worship?

3.    The dedication of the Temple was an exciting and inspirational event in the Israelites’ lives.  What role does prayer take in our worship of God?  How would the Temple dedication influence their future?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY:

It is a blessing to have a space to worship God.  The space may or may not be in a church building.  Sometimes believers gather in hospital rooms, prisons, parks, open fields, or under trees for worship.  This does not mean God’s presence is not with them.  We have to be careful not to box God in and think God is only present in our faith community.  God is omnipresent.  God is always present with His people.  He lives in our hearts.

God has been faithful toward us.  Even when we have not done what is right, God still blesses us.  All that God requires is that we pray and repent of our sins.  God can and will restore us just like He repeatedly did for the Israelites.  It is not too late to make things right between you and God.  Today is the day.  He loves us.  Take a moment and think about all the ways God has blessed you.  Why not give thanks and worship God?  God is worthy.

NEXT WEEK’S LESSON: 15 September 2024

Hezekiah’s Prayer
(Hezekiah’s Prayer)
2 Kings 19:14-20, 29-31
Devotional Reading: Romans 8:29-39
Background Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-34
(Rev Ralph Johnson Teaching)

Sources:

Achtemeier, Paul J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. 1st ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985.

Biblical Studies Press: The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.

Brown, Raymond E., S. S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S. J.; Roland E. Murphy, O Carm. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

DeVries, Simon J., Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 12, 1 Kings. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2015

Dummelow, J. R., M.A. Rev. The One Volume Bible Commentary. New York: The Macmillan Company Publishers, 1961.

House, Paul R., New American Commentary Volume 8: 1, 2 Kings, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 995.

electronic ed. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 8).

James Orr, M.A., D.D., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Electronic Edition, Parsons Technology, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1998.

Keck Leander E., The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary Volume II: Introduction to Narrative Literature, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1& 2 Chronicles, New York: Abingdon Press, 2015

Morris, William, ed., Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: 1 Kings. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004

Strong, James, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, Electronic Edition STEP Files, QuickVerse, a division of Findex.com, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska. 2003.

Vine, W.E. Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Edited by Merrill F. Unger and William White Jr., Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.