Thoughts

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The Temple Is Completed

The Temple that King David first thought to build, but which God said he could not build because he had been a man of war, his son Solomon has now completed, as had been promised by God.

So there is a great time of sacrificing and dedication, lasting for seven days.

Can you imagine what a great time this was? How joyous the people must have been! 

God's Response To Solomon's Prayer

And then God appears to Solomon for a second time in response to the great prayer of dedication that Solomon offered in chapter six. And God said,

"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."2 Chronicles 6:12-16 WEB

Solomon had prayed that if the people ever stray from God, and suffer the consequences brought upon them by God as judgement, if they then rededicate themselves to Him, that He would forgive them. In His response, God made the promise, "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Is God's Promise For Us?

Some might say, God made this promise to Solomon at this time about the people of Israel. It doesn't apply to anyone else. Well, let us look back at Solomon's prayer of dedication in chapter six, verses 32 and 33, he said, “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 33then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name."

Beloved, we are those foreigners Solomon was talking about. And in God's response to Solomon's prayer, God began with the words, "I have heard your prayer." God will honor his promise to heal the land of people who humble themselves.

Repetition Is Good

I know I have talked about this promise time and time again on this podcast, but I believe it is important to emphasize it. We know from scripture that David and others repeated God's promises many, many times. God's promises must be repeated for our benefit, and though God does not need to be reminded, He never seems to mind when we do remind Him. I think that by repeating His promises to Him, we show that our hearts are sincere.

Yes, God's promise is for us. And when Jesus was crucified, and the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, God sent the message that we do not need the Temple to be the place where God hears our prayers or where sacrifices are made. Jesus is our High Priest, and He was the final, lasting sacrifice. 

If we humbly confess our sins, if we turn to Him, He will heal our land.