 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
The Dedication of the Temple4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood. 7 And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat. 8 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt. 9 And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people. If My People Pray11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’” Meditation A powerful example of answered prayer in my life concerned my sister, Katie. At age 16 the doctors told my mom Katie would not live through the night. We were led to pray. Miraculously Katie was better the next day and out of the hospital within days. God hears prayers! And God promises His ears will remain open to the prayers of His people (1 Peter 3:12). God tells Solomon, “I have heard your prayer…” (12). Solomon’s prayer for the dedication of the temple (6:12-42) was answered with fire falling from heaven and glory filling the temple (1-3). God’s intimate love is demonstrated in hearing our prayers and revealing His pleasure. “God is good and His steadfast love endures forever!” God promises to continue to hear the prayers of His people when we humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. “I will hear from Heaven and forgive…” says the Lord (14). God’s infinite rule from Heaven gives hope to our hearts knowing He will not abandon us. God promises to hear our prayers but not always to answer them the way(s) we want Him to. I am grateful my sister lived another 17 years of life before Jesus took her home at age 33, but I hoped she would live longer. The point is not to get all we want from God in prayer! But to cast on Him all our cares, trusting His goodness and experiencing His faithfulness, even in the most painful places. God has heard… and God promises He will hear the prayers of His children. Richly Dwelling -Where have you experienced God hearing your prayers in the past? How does God’s past faithfulness fuel present faith in prayer? -How does God’s engagement of King Solomon point to our greater King, Jesus, who demonstrates God’s goodness and faithfulness, inviting us to pray to the Father? -What do you need to pray for today, believing God will hear your prayers? Be specific. Key Verse 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. Comments are closed.
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