WHEN GOD'S PROMISES COME TRUE

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In Christ, Mark

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At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings - the temple of the Lord and the royal palace - King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram, king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold he wanted. But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day. Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert, within his land, as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses - whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout all the territory he ruled.

All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that is, their descendants remaining in the land whom the Israelites could not exterminate - these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon's projects - 550 officials supervising the men who did the work.

After Pharaoh's daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the supporting terraces.

Three times a year, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men - sailors who knew the sea - to serve in the fleet with Solomon's men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold which they delivered to King Solomon.

When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones - she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth, you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's goblets were gold and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years, it returned, carrying gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and baboons.

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, and spices, and horses and mules.

Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue - the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

1 Kings 9:10-28, 10:1-29

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So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

1 Kings 3:11-13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“I will give you what you have not asked for…both riches and honor…so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

These were the words of God to Solomon as He appeared to him for the first time in 1 Kings, chapter 3. Fast forward to today’s passage, following the dedication of the temple, and we see first-hand how the Lord’s promise came true in Solomon’s life.

For we read where Solomon’s kingdom grew from his rebuilding of Gezer to his building up of “Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert” as well as “all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses”. The scriptures tell us that whatever Solomon “desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory”, he ended up ruling over. Further, from everywhere that Solomon went and conquered, he enlisted “all the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites”…all those who weren’t Israelites…and “conscripted” them for “his slave labor force” to build places like the supporting terraces, which were constructed for Solomon’s daughter after she had come to him from “the city of David”.

As for the Israelites, we read that “Solomon did not make slaves” of them but instead appointed them as “his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers”. He also made some of the Israelites “the chief officials in charge of (his) projects”…“550 officials” who supervised “the men who did the work”.

Now we should note that Solomon’s expanding power was not limited to land. For the scriptures tell us that he “also built ships at Ezion Geber…on the shore of the Red Sea”, staffing them with Hiram’s men who were “sailors who knew the sea” and served “in the fleet with Solomon's men”. Using the available sea routes, Solomon’s fleet “sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold” which was delivered to Solomon, adding to his riches.

And so Solomon grew greater and greater in stature, his reputation as a wise ruler spreading well outside of Israel. We read where this news reached “the queen of Sheba” who decided to pay him a visit after hearing about his fame and “relation to the name of the Lord”. She came to him with the intent of testing “him with hard questions” as she arrived in “Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones”.

Once in Jerusalem, Sheba “came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind” and he “answered all her questions”. We read where there was “nothing…too hard for (him) to explain to her” and we see where his wisdom as well as his possessions which included the “palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord” overwhelmed Sheba, leading her to exclaim:

"The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

And with that, she gave Solomon “120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices…more than would ever be given again…and precious stones”. In return, Solomon gave her “all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty” after which Sheba “left and returned with her retinue to her own country”.

Afterwards, Solomon’s wealth only grew larger for we read where Hiram's ships continued to bring “gold from Ophir” as well as great cargoes of precious stones and almugwood which was used to “make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians”. The “weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents” which didn’t include “the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land”. Additionally, the scriptures tell us that “once every three years when the fleet returned, it came “carrying gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and baboons”.

Beyond Queens Sheba, we read where the “whole world sought audience with Solomon”, wanting to hear the wisdom that “God had put in his heart” and “year after year, everyone who came” to Israel’s king “brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, and spices, and horses and mules. The scriptures tell us where “Solomon accumulated chariots and horses…fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem”. These horses were “imported from Egypt and from Kue” and he also exported the same to “all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans”.

Finally, Solomon also made silver “as common in Jerusalem as stones” and cedar “as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills”.

The sum of all this is that “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth”, just as the Lord has promised. Once again, we see where God’s word came true because He is always true to His word.

So what do we have to gain from this breakdown of God’s blessings upon Solomon?

I believe the Lord wants us to see that He richly blesses us, as He did Solomon, continuously causing His word to come true in our own lives. Here are some of His blessed assurances:

1. He assures us through His Word that He is with us.

“…the Lord God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

2. He assures us through His Word that He will grant protection.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

“…the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 1 Thessalonians 3:3

3. He assures us that He will provide for our needs.

“…my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” James 1:17

4. He assures us through His Word that He will provide us guidance.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“I guide you in the ways of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” Proverbs 4:11

5. He assures us through His Word of His great love for us.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I could go on and on about the wonderful promises our God has given us through His Word but you get the point. His Word is a truth we can always bank on because He is perfectly true in every way. This gives us confidence as we walk through our lives in His service as believers for the Lord speaks into any and all circumstances we face through the scriptures, allowing us to live for Him while experiencing the richness of His goodness when His promises come true, just as Solomon did.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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"As for you, if you walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe My decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'“

"But if you or your sons turn away from Me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.'"

1 Kings 9:4-9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As chapter 9 of 1st Kings opened, we saw where God answered Solomon’s intercessory prayers lifted up during the dedication of the temple in chapter 8. Appearing to Solomon at the end of a fourteen day, celebratory festival, we found God telling Israel’s king that He had “heard the prayer and plea…made before (Him)” and “consecrated (the) temple which (Solomon)…built, by putting (His) name there forever”. Further, He promised to always have His eyes and heart in the temple.

After this, we see God continuing to address Solomon in today’s passage, setting conditions which needed followed to ensure all He (God) had promised would remain in place. These standards were meant to serve as requirements for Solomon’s success as king as well as any of his offspring who would lead afterwards. These requirements, equally applicable to Christian leaders today, included the following:

1. Integrity.

“As for you…walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness…” (v.4)

God expected Solomon – just as He expects His leaders today - to “walk before (Him) in integrity and uprightness”. In other words, the Lord wants His people to exercise absolute honesty in all they do…not just some of the time but all of the time. When believers do this, they will be living in a way that’s pleasing in His sight, a way that reflects unwavering, conscientious incorruptibility.

2. Action.

"As for you…do all I command…” (v.4)

Note the word “do” here…a single word spoken by God with the intended purpose of calling Israel’s king into action. This action was to do all that He (God) had commanded.

In this action, we see a second word we need to focus in on…the word “all”. This word is what I like to refer to as an absolute…one that is all encompassing. All means all and it doesn’t leave room for anything less than all. The Lord leaves no room for exception here. Neither Solomon or any leader called by God today have the latitude to forego what He has commanded and this can only be accomplished when there is a proactive seeking and then obedient carrying out of everything He wants, doing so with the utmost integrity and uprightness.

3. Obedience.

"As for you…observe My decrees and laws…” (v.4)

Depending on what translation you read, you’ll find the word “observe” replaced by “obey” or “keep” or variations of those two words. Regardless which is used, the intent remains the same.

God expects all His people…Solomon…the Israelites He ruled over…and believers today to be obedient to His decrees and laws. After all, that’s why He put them in place…so that they might be obeyed and conformed to without exception as they draw us to a place of integrity, uprightness, and proactive service towards carrying out all He has commanded.

And so here we see where the Lord issued three clear requirements to ensure someone would have success in serving Him and others. In summary, they were integrity, action, and obedience.

So what was Solomon to gain by exercising these qualities during his kingship…and what do we have to gain by doing likewise?

We find the answer by heading back to our scripture passage for it’s there that we find the Lord saying this:

"As for you, if you walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'“ (Vv.4-5)

Here we see God offering a classic if/then statement to Solomon. For if Solomon walked before Him (God) in integrity of heart and uprightness as his father did, doing all the Lord commanded and observing His decrees and laws, then He (God) would establish Solomon’s royal throne over Israel forever.

In other words, Solomon and his descendants would find eternal success on Israel’s throne as long as they conformed to God’s requirements.

But what if they didn’t? What would happen then?

Again, we find the Lord providing the answers, making it clear that failure would happen:

"But if you or your sons turn away from Me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.'" (Vv.6-9)

Again, here we see another if/then statement from the Lord. For if Solomon or his sons would turn away from Him, choose to not obey His commands and decrees, and go off to serve and worship other gods, then He (God) would cut off Israel from the land He gave them…the promised land…and would reject His consecrated temple. The once beloved Israel would then be disgraced…”a byword and object of ridicule among all peoples” who after asking why the fall of Israel had happened would be told:

“Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.”

And with that, God had clearly laid out His ground rules for Solomon. If he and his successors wanted to succeed, then they only needed to exercise integrity and uprightness while doing all He commanded and obediently following His decrees and laws.

The same applies to us as believers today for as we walk through life and look for how we can be successful in the Lord’s sight, we only need look to the One who will make that success possible…the One through which every good and perfect gift comes (James 1:17)…the One who requires us to show integrity as we faithfully carry out His will and way every day…a will and way that’s underscored by His decrees and laws.

What’s at stake if we fail to do this?

Well, let’s just say it would be far better for us to not force the Lord’s hand into correcting us and we can do that by learning from the mistakes of the Israelites and living in full, uncompromising obedience to what God wants. After all, He expects and requires nothing less.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ANSWERED PRAYERS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him:

"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My name there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”

1 Kings 9:1-3

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we come to the opening verses of 1 Kings, chapter 9, the construction of God’s temple in Jerusalem had been completed and dedicated by Solomon before a great assembly of Israelites. The culmination of all this was a fourteen-day celebration after which all the people returned home with joyful, glad hearts focused on all the good things the Lord had done.

In our three verses for today, we find Solomon at this point of time, having “finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace” after “he had achieved all he had desired to do”. It had to be a time of relative quiet and solitude for him as compared to the busy preparation and execution of the dedication event and festivities over the past two weeks.

It was into this time of solace that we see God entering in and speaking to His appointed and anointed king. He had been and still was walking alongside Solomon…just as He does believers like us today, a truth that should be a great comfort.

We know this wasn’t the first time that the Lord had appeared to Solomon. The scriptures make it a point to remind us of this for you’ll remember how God came to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon, shortly after he had assumed the throne. It was there that He gave Israel’s new king the following command:

“Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” 1 Kings 3:5

We had looked at prior where this opened up the opportunity for Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and his answer would have been surprising to a worldly person who may have went after material wealth or powerful status. For you’ll recall that Solomon only asked for a “discerning heart” so he could govern God’s people properly and be able to “distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). In response, the Lord answered that prayer, giving Solomon a “wise, discerning heart” (3:12), as well as “riches and honor” so that during his lifetime, he would have “no equal among kings” (3:13).

So what happened in this second meeting between Solomon and the Lord?

We see where once again, God responds to Solomon’s request and fulfills it, except this time the outcome comes in the form of answered prayer. We see the Lord validate this in the following ways within verse 3:

First, He heard Solomon’s prayer and plea.

"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me…”

Going back to 1 Kings, chapter 8, you’ll remember that Solomon asked God to hear either his pleas or the pleas of his people twelve different times under certain circumstances. In one of these intercessions, Solomon asked the Lord to “hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence this day” (v.28). And so when God tells Solomon, “I have heard the prayer and plea you made before Me”, He is essentially saying, “I have received what you said”.

Secondly, the Lord committed His eyes and heart to the temple…and promised to do it always.

“I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My name there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”

Back to chapter 8 again where we see Solomon say this right after asking that the Lord hear his prayer and plea:

“May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ so that You will hear the prayer Your servant prays toward this place” (v.29).

Here in chapter 9, we find God vowing that His eyes and heart would always be in the temple…the temple built by Solomon which He consecrated (made holy)…the temple that had been dedicated to His name which would always be there…just as His eyes and heart would be.

So thus far, we see where Solomon had two hopes found within his prayers, hopes which the Lord promised to honor and fulfill.

Indeed, God does answer the prayers of His faithful followers and this should serve to validate what we should already know…that we serve a Lord who cares for us, a Lord who is always listening and responding to our petitions in accordance with His will.

Friends, we have this blessed assurance from the scriptures and yet, how often do we act as if we’re forsaken…like we serve a God who distances himself and ignores us?

Unfortunately, too many believers feel they should be able to dictate terms to the Lord as to when and in what way He should act, treating Him as if He is some fast-food kind of God who is only there to take our orders and fill them in the quickest fashion possible. When He doesn’t move within the timeframe we deem appropriate, then we have a terrible tendency to just give up on the One who never gives up on us. In the worst case scenarios, we see where people will completely abandon God in their lives and give up praying at all, adopting a mindset that it is of no use because the Lord doesn’t listen.

The words found in these opening verses of 1 Kings, chapter 9 should serve to renew our hope in God and the way He handles our petitions. For when we pray, He does hear us and listen, responding in a way that is always right and righteous…a way that will always have our best interests in mind. He did back in Solomon’s day and He’s still doing it today.

As for our part, we need only remain patient, trusting that our Lord will indeed do as He promised, working things out for the good of those of us who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) as He answers our prayers with our best interest in mind.   

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

JOYFUL, GLAD HEARTS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord.

On that same day, the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

So Solomon observed the festival at that time and all Israel with him — a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day, he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

1 Kings 8:62-66

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Through most of the 8th Chapter of 1st Kings, we have seen God’s chosen successor to King David, Solomon, in prayer, lifting up petitions to the Lord for himself and the people of Israel. We witnessed how he first praised God for His goodness, love, promises, and unique sovereignty before moving into a series of powerful prayers of intercession…prayers that were intended to draw God’s attention to the needs of the Israelites. We saw where these intercessory pleas asked for the Lord to restore His people and while showing mercy when the people of Israel repented of their sins and turned back to Him, once again ready to be obedient to His will. Finally, we saw where Solomon blessed the entire assembly gathered before him, urging the people to adopt hearts that were fully committed to God…hearts that would be completely devoted to do whatever the Lord desired.

So what happened after Solomon finished praying and blessing the people of Israel?

Well, the scriptures tell us that he and “all Israel with him” offered “fellowship offerings to the Lord”, bringing “twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats”. All these offerings were used to dedicate “the temple of the Lord”.

Then we read that “on that same day”, Solomon “consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord” where he “offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings”.

Why did he do this in the courtyard?

We read it was because “the bronze altar…was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings”.

And with that, the festival began before the Lord with the “vast assembly” celebrating for “seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all”. Once the fourteen-day celebration ended (its believed to have coincided with the Feast of the Tabernacles), we read where Solomon “sent the people away” and as while departing, they “blessed the king” before going home “joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel”.

I loved their attitude…heading home from the celebration for they were filled with cheerful hearts filled with happiness as they considered the goodness of their God.

Friends, shouldn’t this be the end result of Christian worship when it is done properly?

For every time we gather together as a holy assembly in our churches, coming to the altar of the Lord to honor and praise His name…praying to Him and asking Him to hear our cries…petitioning that He will forgive us of our sins, restoring us to His good favor…and offering ourselves to Him fully as we celebrate His goodness and grace…shouldn’t we depart and return to our homes from all this with hearts that are filled with joy and gladness, hearts that have been reminded of all the good things the Lord has done in our lives, just as the Israelites of old did?

Further, shouldn’t we live with this attitude each and every day?

For indeed, each day God gives is a reason to celebrate so let us commit ourselves to honor Him, the One who gives us life, by surrendering our lives to Him, ever coming before Him in reverence while humbly submitting to His will and way, and constantly lifting up prayers of praise for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all He is yet to do.

For when we give thanks for every day that the Lord has made, rejoicing and glad within it (Psalm 118:24), then we will move through every second of every minute of every hour with joyful, glad hearts…fully aware and appreciative of the Lord we serve and His infinite kindness, mercy, grace, and love.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

IS YOUR HEART FULLY COMMITTED?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward Heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

"Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us. May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep the commands, decrees, and regulations He gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day's need so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time."

1 Kings 8:54-61

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Over the last two messages, we have focused on the matter of prayer…first examining places that we can lift up our prayers before seeing how believers can use prayer in a way that intercedes for others in need.

That brings us to today and I would like to conclude this three part series by looking at the state of mind we should be in when we pray. We learn about this in our passage today from our continuing study of 1 Kings, chapter 8. Look again at these words from Solomon:

When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward Heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

"Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us. May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep the commands, decrees, and regulations He gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day's need so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time." Vv.54-61

Here we find Solomon ending his prayer of dedication for the newly constructed temple of God in Jerusalem. The scriptures tell us that after finishing “all (his) prayers and supplications to the Lord”, he (Solomon) then “rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward Heaven”. Once on his feet, we see where Solomon began to bless “the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice”.

Now, before we get to Solomon’s words of blessing on his people, let’s pause for a moment and check out his demeanor as he prayed. For we see how Israel’s king came before the God of the universe…the omnipotent, almighty, powerful Maker of everything in Heaven and on earth by kneeling before the altar with his hands spread out toward Heaven.

He did this at the altar because that was the place to bring offerings so to worship and pay proper tribute to the Lord.

He knelt as an act of humility and submission to God, bowing down in respect and reverence to the One who was the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Finally, with his hands spread out toward Heaven, Solomon adopted a posture that showed he was open to receive whatever God chose to send, fully submitting to His will and trusting He would provide.

Indeed, as believers today we can learn a lot about how to come before God in prayer by learning from Solomon and seeing how we need to approach our Lord with an attitude and spirit of worship, postured humbly in complete submission to the Lord who is our Master.

So what did Solomon close with? What was his final exhortation to the Israelite people?

We see him saying this:

“…your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands…”

Note here that all the people of Israel needed to commit their hearts fully to their God because He expects nothing less. He wants His followers to be all-in for Him just as He is all-in for them… 24 hours a day, seven days a week…instead of just when it’s convenient.  

Friends, God’s Word today intends to lead us to a place of self-reflection regarding our devotion to Him. We should all consider the following questions:

Do I show the Lord in my life that I am totally committed to Him?

When He examines the way I live, does He see that I am as dedicated to Him as He is to me?

Are my prayers lifted up to God with the right mindset and attitude?

If we’re honest, I think we’ll see that improvement could be made when it comes to how we submit ourselves to our Lord and change can indeed happen if we’re willing to rid our lives of anything that might steal our attention and loyalty from Him. This requires a willingness to sacrifice but we need only look to the cross of Calvary to see how the God we serve gave up His only Son so that we might be saved because that’s how much He cared about us.

With this, one final question to ponder:

For if God could lay so much aside for our eternal good, is there anything we can’t surrender for Him?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

BLESSED INTERCESSION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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"When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before Your altar in this temple, then hear from Heaven and act. Judge between Your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.”

"When Your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, praying and making supplication to You in this temple, then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and bring them back to the land You gave to their fathers.”

"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and when they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin because You have afflicted them, then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live and send rain on the land You gave Your people for an inheritance.”

"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of Your people Israel - each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart and spreading out his hands toward this temple - then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does since You know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men) so that they will fear You all the time they live in the land You gave our fathers.”

"As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name - for men will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm  - when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You as do Your own people Israel and may know that this house I have built bears Your name.”

"When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city You have chosen and the temple I have built for Your name, then hear from Heaven their prayer and their plea and uphold their cause.”

"When they sin against You - for there is no one who does not sin - and You become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive and repent and plead with You in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to You with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive and pray to You toward the land You gave their fathers, toward the city You have chosen and the temple I have built for Your name; then from Heaven, Your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea and uphold their cause. And forgive Your people, who have sinned against You; forgive all the offenses they have committed against You and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; for they are Your people and Your inheritance whom You brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.”

"May Your eyes be open to Your servant's plea and to the plea of Your people Israel, and may You listen to them whenever they cry out to You. For You singled them out from all the nations of the world to be Your own inheritance, just as You declared through Your servant Moses when You, O Sovereign Lord, brought our fathers out of Egypt."

1 Kings 8:31-53

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Thus far in our study of the Old Testament scriptures, we have seen over and over again how God’s people found themselves in a place of trouble, consequences often caused by their own wrongdoing as the willfully chose to sin against Him through disobedience. In many of these instances, we also have seen the Lord’s chosen leaders stepping in and interceding for the Israelite people…praying for deliverance by way of God’s mercy and grace and love returning to His people.

As we turn to our passage for today from Solomon’s temple dedication message, we find him speaking about a litany of scenarios which follow a repetitive framework. First, he uses a hypothetical prelude - “when someone or some people do something” – before entering a plea for intercession that starts with…”then do this”.

Let’s take a look at some of the things Solomon brings up that would require the Lord’s forgiveness and pardon:

1. "When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before Your altar in this temple, then hear from Heaven and act. Judge between Your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.”

The sin mentioned here was simply stated as a man wronging his neighbor. We don’t know the exact nature of the offense but it obviously led the perpetrator to come to the altar and swear an oath.

So what does Solomon ask for while interceding for the wrongdoer?

First, he asks God to hear from Heaven…and then act, judging the situation at hand and then ensuring that the guilty are condemned while the innocent are found not guilty.

Solomon knew that God…the one true God of Israel…was a just God whose rendered perfectly right determinations. And so when Solomon asked for justice, he knew in advance that the Lord would deliver.

2. "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, praying and making supplication to You in this temple, then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and bring them back to the land You gave to their fathers.”

Up to now in our study of the Old Testament, we have read about many Israelite victories over various foes but these wins didn’t come from their own might but rather because they had a mighty God on their side. When He wasn’t, then we saw how His people suffered defeat because they weren’t living in a way that He favored.

What did Israel do when they got in trouble?

We have seen repeatedly how they realized the wrongs of their ways and turned back to God, confessing their sins while seeking restoration to His good graces which left to Him returning to them.

Solomon was asking for this to continue…for the Lord to hear His people from Heaven and render forgiveness before bringing them back to the land given to their fathers…the land He had promised to His people.

3. "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and when they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin because You have afflicted them, then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land You gave Your people for an inheritance.”

As we have seen in the history of the Israelite people up to this point, judgment didn’t always come through defeat at the hands of an enemy for there were other forms of punishment that God levied against His people. One instance of this was found in the times when the Lord stopped the rain from falling, causing a severe drought to strike the land. In those instances, believers would be brought to a place of repentance and confession…and once again, in those instances, we see where Solomon asked God to hear the cries of His people and teach them the right way to live before sending the rain to quench a dry and thirsty land.

4. "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of Your people Israel -  each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart and spreading out his hands toward this temple - then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does since You know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear You all the time they live in the land You gave our fathers.”

Go back to the Book of Exodus and you’ll remember what happened to the Pharaoh and the people of Egypt when they oppressed the Israelites and held them hostage. Refusing to release His people, God sent a series of plagues that punished them until the Egyptian leader finally let the Israelites go under the leadership of Moses. These plagues included turning the water into blood; sending an onslaught of frogs, gnats, flies, and locusts; striking the livestock with a deadly disease; ruining crops through a wicked hailstorm; afflicting all the people with boils; sending complete darkness across the land; and killing every firstborn child in the country. Indeed, the Lord showed he had infinite power manifested in a variety of ways which could be used to exercise judgment on whoever He desired.   

Solomon was well aware of this and so we find him interceding for the Israelites in advance of anytime where they might stoke the flames of God’s anger, leading Him to send some form of consequence upon them. If the people of Israel prayed out of repentance, pleading for relief, Israel’s king asked for the Lord to hear them from Heaven and deal with them according to what they had done with grace and mercy, forgiving and restoring them so that they could come to know and respect His awesome strength and fear Him to the extent that they would be afraid to surrender to sin.

5. "As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name - for men will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm - when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your name.”

We should take note here that Solomon also interceded for those who were not Israelites…those who were considered foreigners but nonetheless worshiped and prayed to their God. In those incidents, we see Israel’s king asking the Lord to hear the prayers of the foreigners, granting their requests so that “all the peoples of the earth may know” His name.

Of course, this came to full fruition at the cross of Calvary and then the empty tomb as Jesus brought the promise of eternal life to all people, whether Jew or Gentile. All they had to do was simply place their belief in Jesus as Savior.

Indeed, God answered the intercessory prayer of Solomon in a big way because truly “all the peoples of the earth” could have the opportunity to know and be saved by Him through His Son.

6. "When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city You have chosen and the temple I have built for Your name, then hear from Heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.”

"When they sin against You - for there is no one who does not sin - and You become angry with them and give them over to the enemy who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive and repent and plead with You in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to You with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to You toward the land You gave their fathers, toward the city You have chosen and the temple I have built for Your name; then from Heaven, Your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive Your people, who have sinned against You; forgive all the offenses they have committed against You and cause their conquerors to show them mercy; for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.”

Solomon knew well that there would still be times when Israel would have to face an enemy head on to defend themselves. In those instances, we see him asking God to hear their prayers before and during battle while upholding “their cause”.

But what about when Israel sinned against God and thus He punished them by handing them over to their enemies, sometimes leading to Israel being taken captive?

In those instances, we find Solomon still asking God to listen to the prayers and pleas of the people but only if they had a change of heart that resulted in expressed regret over their transgressions…a turning back to God with their heart and soul. When that happened, Solomon asked the Lord to hear His people, uphold their cause, forgive their offenses, and cause their conquerors to show mercy. We will see this play out fully after the Israelites suffer through a seventy year Babylonian captivity and exile.

7. "May Your eyes be open to Your servant's plea and to the plea of Your people Israel, and may You listen to them whenever they cry out to You. For You singled them out from all the nations of the world to be Your own inheritance, just as You declared through Your servant Moses when You, O Sovereign Lord, brought our fathers out of Egypt."

Here, we find Solomon finishing his prayers of intercession by asking the Lord to hear his (Solomon’s) prayers as well as the prayers of Israel. As we have seen in this message, he (Solomon) asked God to hear His people from Heaven in many different instances, restoring them when they had sincerely turned their hearts and souls from sin and back toward Him. This restoration was very important because of the covenant God had made with Israel’s forefathers…those He had delivered from Egypt. This covenant included the forefather’s dependents gaining the inheritance of what was promised them.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, today we hold the same power of intercession that we see Solomon exercising nearly 3,000 years ago…and we need to exercise it for we live in a world where there is a multitude of people who are afflicted physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, or any combination of these. In so many of these cases, people either have never known the Lord in their lives or they did and turned away from Him. But like the Israelites of old, many people have realized the wrongs of their ways, repenting while praying and pleading to God for forgiveness and restoral.

The good news is that our Lord still hears these prayers in Heaven, listening to the petitions of those who lift up their needs to Him…and the prayers of those who seek to interceded for them. These prayers will most definitely incorporate many of the words that Solomon used…asking God to hear…to judge with justice…to uphold…to teach…to forgive…and to restore as they are shaped to conform to the specific circumstances of the person who needs prayer.

God’s Word is a beacon that leads a Christian believer to intercede with its Author for anyone and in that Word, we are exposed to Jesus, the greatest Intercessor…the only Son of God who willingly came to bear the sins of the world and purchase the pardon of anyone who would believe and trust in Him. For those who received Him and the salvation He brings, eternal life is guaranteed, their sins washed away by the precious blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God (Revelation 7:14).

When it comes to the matter of stepping into the gap and lifting up others to the Lord, we need only look to Jesus to see how God responds to those in need of intercession. He answers the cries of those under His New Covenant with deliverance and restoration and forgiveness because they chose to place their trust in the only One who could make them right and righteous before the judgment seat of God the Father…the One who was and is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)…now and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.