Word of Encouragement (03/26/2024)
"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. (1 Kings 8:27-29)
Solomon acknowledged that God was too great to dwell in the temple he had built. Yet he goes on to ask the LORD to listen to the prayer he offers toward the temple. On what basis? What right did he have to ask of this? Was it his position as king? But who made him king? Was it not the LORD, who is King of kings and Lord of lords? Should God have any regard for the kings and princes of the world, who are but worms in His sight? Was it the grandeur of the temple and the quality of the materials used? Did Solomon not confess that it was too puny for God, the Maker of heaven and earth, to dwell in? Or was it the kind of effort he put into building the temple? It might have been sincere and robust, but what was it in the sight of God? Should God be impressed with even the best effort any of us can give? If God should take delight in what we do, it is not because of its merit but because of His condescending (the act of stooping low) compassion (which flows out of the merit of Jesus’ perfect righteousness).
No, the only reason that Solomon could be so daring in his petition was God’s own promise. In Deut. 12:10-11, Moses said, “But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, then to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the LORD.”
Why did God designate one place for worship? The construction of the temple officially signaled the end of Israel’s wandering and Israel’s settlement in the promised land, enjoying rest from the enemies (Deut. 12:10). God desired His worship to be centralized in the land. Throughout Israel’s wilderness journey, the worship always revolved around the tabernacle. But once Israel settled in the land, they faced the temptation to worship at the high places of the Canaanites (which they were supposed to destroy once they entered the land, Num. 33:52, but failed to). Jack Deer says that the centralized worship of Israel emphasized three things: 1) the unity of God (i.e., He is One, not many); 2) the purity of Israel’s worship of the LORD (which was to be ensured by the priests’ strict adherence to God’s law); 3) and the people’s political and spiritual unity (www.bibleoutlines.com).
Based on this promise of God. Solomon was able to pray this prayer, and the LORD was glad to listen to him. But now, we don’t have to direct our prayers to an earthly temple. We can pray anywhere because we have become God’s living temple (Eph. 2:21, 1 Pet. 2:5), in which the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor. 6:19). And God’s ear is ever attentive to the prayers of His people. May we not waste this wonderful privilege!