1 Kings 8 (Part 2) Bible Study (Solomon's Prayer of Dedication/Sacrifices) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

But we do thank you from the bottom of my hearts that we are

able to gather as students of your word.

And, Lord, we know that apart from the Holy Spirit's power,

the transmission of truth cannot go very far.

And so we ask with humility and great desire, that there would

be an unusual power, a power to deliver this teaching, a power

to receive it, more importantly, a power to apply it in our

lives. So, Lord, we just ask that this

truth that we will study in this chapter will bleed into

practical Christian living. Destroy all hesitation to obey.

Destroy all distraction. Destroy all bondage, Lord, and

may we come out of this session together more alive in Christ

than when we entered in. We ask these things believing in

the inheritance that we've received in Christ Jesus, the

blessed gift of God, the Holy Spirit.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Amen. First Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

Meet me there in verse 22. The Bible throughout from

Genesis to Revelation, testifies of men and women of prayer.

We read of God, the God of heaven and earth answering

prayer. We learn of different types of

prayer. We even as Christians, are

exhorted by God, through the Holy Spirit, through the vessels

of Apostles, to pray, to be prayerful, to make it a practice

and a constant unbreakable attitude of ours, to be in a

place of constant dependence on the Lord in this thing called

prayer. And with all of that, the Holy

Spirit in His wisdom has preserved for us actual prayers

by certain Saints in holy writ for us to look at and examine to

be edified by. And what you and I have before

us tonight is one of the greatest prayers in all of the

Bible, in that it is one of the longest prayers recorded in the

Bible. The prayer that you and I are

going to examine carefully is that of Solomon Solomon, who

prayed at the dedication of the temple in the presence of God's

people with great humility and precision.

And the beautiful thing about this prayer is far more than the

fact that it is a very lengthy petition.

What you and I are going to be blessed by in this account of

prayer is is through a detail that is mentioned in a parallel

account to the scene in First Kings chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

So I told you to to turn there First Kings 8 but go to the

mirroring account in First Chronicles or Second Chronicles

rather Chapter 7 and verse one. This is how we should frame our

time and studying the supplication made by this king

in Second Chronicles 7/1. This is a detail that's not

mentioned in First Kings chapter 8, but it's worth highlighting.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

Here's what we read 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.

What happened as soon as Solomon finished praying?

There is a supernatural manifestation of God's approval

of what was prayed for. What do we make of this verse?

Very Simply put, God accepted Solomon's request.

And why? We should know that at the

outset of the study so that you and I can frame our

investigation of this text in a way where we realize that we're

looking at the words of a man who moved the heart of God.

We're looking at the words of a man who uttered things toward

heaven and God approved and was pleased to make his acceptance

clear and known. And that's good for us to know,

because it's one thing to pray. It's one thing to pray.

It's another thing to pray and know that God hears.

It's one thing to pray and know that God hears and be confident

that God can and will answer. We're not merely going to look

at this prayer to try to figure out the most favorable and

preferable method of prayer, though.

There are some ingredients found here that can help us be more

effective in that area. More than that, there are

several requests that Solomon makes in this one prayer.

There are several petitions that he offers to the Lord that are

worth looking at in greater detail because when we look at

these requests, what we're essentially seeing is the type

of request God is willing to hear and work with and move for.

And though there are several of them, I want to group them in

five, the number 5. I want us to take a majority of

this study tonight to look at 5 scenarios, 5 cases, five types

of prayer. That God is willing to answer.

It's not limited to these five, of course, but these are five

that are concerning to Solomon and they should be a source.

Of comfort for for us who might need consolation in the very

areas that we're going to under score.

But before we look at this list of things that God is willing to

bend his ear for and actually extend His hand to move for, we

want to look at some truths leading up to that.

And so let's read the 1st 8 verses together and then break

down our thoughts in three PSI. Want you to see that there's

going to be 3 PS that will be beneficial for US1P is going to

be the posture, the second P is going to be the praise, and the

last P is going to be the power of promise.

Or you can just. Summarize it with promise.

Are you ready? Ready or not?

Verse 22 then Solomon. Stood before the altar of the

Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and.

Spread out his. Hands toward heaven, and said, O

Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above, or

on earth beneath. Keeping covenant and showing

steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all

their heart, you have kept with your servant David, my father,

what you declare to him. You spoke with your mouth, and

with your hand have fulfilled it this day.

Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep for your servant

David, my father, what you have promised him, saying You shall

not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only

your sons pay close attention to their way to walk before me, as

you have walked before me. Now, therefore, O God of Israel,

let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your

servant David, my father. 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 and have regard to the prayer of your servant, to

his plea and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and

to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 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, and listen to the plea of your servant and of

your people, Israel, when they pray toward this place, and

listen in heaven, your dwelling place.

And when you hear forgive. Consider with me tonight the

posture of Solomon, verse 22. The Holy Spirit sees it

necessary for us to get a physical description of the

expression of this man's prayer. What did he do before he uttered

a word while we read that he stood?

He stood, and he stretched out his hands toward heaven.

That's an interesting note, because this is something

clearly that we should know about, and it's not to teach

that there is one mode of prayer because there are several.

There are many, many expressions of humility and brokenness and

supplication before God. And so we cannot make a case

that there is a better way to pray, that there is a more

honorable way to pray, though there are perhaps creative ways

of being dishonorable and how we pray.

But one thing that we can take comfort in is that this is not

prescriptive. This is descriptive, and the

scripture doesn't go to great lengths to tell us how we should

bend our bodies or lay out or do what we need to do with our

physical posture in order to get a better signal with God in our

praying. In fact, anybody that would make

a case that there is one way to pray has a great problem if they

take the instruction of Paul seriously when he said pray

without ceasing, how am I supposed to pray without ceasing

if there's one specific posture that I must maintain?

Paul calls for an unceasing attitude of dependence on God,

which then necessitates that what I I have to at all times in

my car as I'm at work, as I'm walking, remain in the place of

prayer, and God will honor that prayer despite what's happening

with my legs or my chin or my hands.

If we can take anything from this, it is that it would be a

challenge for those who would say that there is only one way

to pray. What generally happens when a

pastor or leader, or even the head of a house, calls for a

people to seek the Lord briefly and inquire of him?

What's the reflex? What do people do?

Isn't that what happens? They they.

They fold their hands and they bend their face.

Or they bow their head and they close their eyes.

Correct. You will not find that posture

once in all of the Bible. Isn't that funny in all this?

In all the scripture you will not see an example of somebody

bowing their head. Closing their eyes and folding

their hands to inquire. God, that's not to say it's

wrong. That's not to say it's wrong,

but it. Should 'cause people who are

critical to be reserved from looking at others who pray

differently and to say that's that's not the way you should

pray, Even the Lord Jesus himself.

What did he do in John 17? He lifted up his eyes toward

heaven, and he kept his eyes open when he prayed.

And so we read of people who lay prostate.

We leave people who sit. We read of people who sit.

We lead. We read of people who do many,

many different things in the place of prayer.

And what's more important to God is the heart posture more than

anything else. I wasn't planning to go to this

text, but here's a text in the New Testament that calls for

instruction of how corporate prayers should look like in

first Timothy 28. And what does Paul say?

That he calls for men everywhere to pray.

And then what's following that thought?

Lifting what? Not just hands.

Holy hands, Holy hands. So one that's an instruction for

how men this is. Remember, this is the order of

worship in the corporate sense. Men should be leading meetings,

right? But with that, we're told that

what? Should happen when the church

prays. Now it's not to say woman can't

pray. You read 1st Corinthians 11.

They are called to pray and in the corporate sense as well holy

hands. Paul's not speaking here more

about what we should do with our hands, but with what our hands

symbolize, our daily interactions and our daily

living and activities. Those hands should be and must

be holy, holy. And that's what makes prayer

effective. It's the holiness of the hands

more than the hands being stretched out.

And when we come to 1st Kings A, we do see the physical posture

of Solomon. Which can express reverence and

honor toward the Lord. But there is an emphasis about

his heart posture more than his physical posture.

Come back to chapter A and notice it with me.

Look here at verse 28 at First Kings 8.

Notice how he references himself.

You have regard to the prayer of who your servant, and to his

plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry, to the prayer that

your servant prays before you this day.

Here's the king of the nation willingly and joyfully calling

himself in the presence of God. I'm your servant.

I'm not in my prayer bossing you around.

I'm not commanding you to do anything.

I'm here, Coming. Empty handed Asking if you would

be good to answer these prayers and you are good.

That's why I'm coming to you in prayer.

So posture, posture, Physical posture is mentioned, heart

posture is emphasized, and if you are a person who's caught up

with how things should look. Do not be critical of those who

do lift their hands in worship as people sing.

Praise God. That's not the case here.

Who would feel the necessity to bend their knee before God?

Any of those expressions are totally acceptable as long as

they're not distracting. But then we come to praise

What's the first thing that Solomon does?

What does he do to crack the seal of his supplication?

He adores the Lord. Look here again in verse 23 and

said, oh Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in

heaven above or on earth beneath.

So before he asked for anything, he adorns the Lord his God with

his praises. He declares his goodness.

He declares his uniqueness. He declares that he is

incomparable to any other deity or thing.

And what's so amazing about this is, is though there isn't again

this one formula, this one order of how we should pray God, God

invites us to be at liberty and how we express ourselves at the

same time. There is wisdom to glean from

this. I find that adoration does more

than honor God. Let me tell you this adoration

is very foreign to people's prayer lives.

So this is so, so key and understanding.

Adoration does more than just honor God.

I find that adoration, both in practice and through principle,

in the word of God awakens faith, adoration awakens faith.

And you try this. Next time you're in a rut in

your prayers. You praise the Lord and and

realize that in praising him with your mind, with your heart,

with, with thoughtfulness, in your words, with an

understanding of who God is in the word of God and what will

begin to take place is, there's a sobriety that overcomes you.

There's a power that begins to position you to understand the

honor of being in that moment. If I find myself getting

distracted with task or intrusive thoughts, I pause and

I tend to think about who I am speaking to and it doesn't take

very long before I realize. What an honor it is to be

speaking to this God. What a privilege it is to be in

the courts of this King. And so when we praise, it's

stimulates reverence and it excites your faith.

When you consider who God is, when you consider what He is

able to do, His character and His capabilities, you will be

rescued from a passionless prayer life.

And so we see here that Solomon praises the Lord, and then he

goes from praise to another thing that really will help us

in our seeking of God, and that's tapping into the promises

of God. Notice what he does here in

verse 25. Now therefore, O Lord God of

Israel, keep for your servant David, my father, what you have

promised him, saying you shall not lack a man to sit before me

on the throne of Israel if only your sons play.

Pay close attention to their way to walk before me as you walk

before me. Look at verse 26.

Now, therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed.

So he's saying it again in a different way.

Verse 25. Now, therefore, O Lord, God of

Israel, keep for your servant, well, you promised him.

Verse 26 Let your word be confirmed.

The courage that Solomon had to approach the Lord in this way

was because he had to grasp what God had said, what God had done

in the past. That was what gave him the

boldness to come before the Lord in this way.

And that's important because you know how most people view

prayer? They view prayer as a way of

trying to persuade a reluctant God to do something on their

behalf. All right, let's see if God is

in a better mood today. Lord, I'm going to stay a little

bit longer in prayer, and hopefully this will convince you

that I'm worthy to receive the answers to my request.

And you know how the Bible presents prayer.

Bible presents prayer in the following way.

It's really a response to an invitation that God already gave

you. To tap into and to access the

rewards and the blessings that he wants to pour out on your

life, if you see it that way. It makes prayer much more

exciting, does it not? God had said some things, and he

had given you a key to unlock it, and that key is called

prayer. And so as you come to the Lord,

you're coming based on something that he had said.

And then you're connecting that promise with faith, trusting

that the Lord will unlock it and provide it for you at the right

time. That's what prayer should look

like. As much as we are invoking the

Lord, we're also responding to an invitation that he gave in

His word. So don't drag your feet to pray

when you realize that there is a wealth, there is a treasure

waiting to be discovered if you just believe it.

And so this this king here is asking Lord, with specific

promises, Lord, would you do what you said?

Can I ask you a question? When you read the Bible, does it

in any way stimulate you to be more prayerful?

If you're a consistent student of the word of God, I will make

a very bold claim. It should make you more of a

prayerful person. If not, maybe you're not

studying the Bible, right? Because if what you're hearing,

even a Bible study, what you're hearing on Sundays is not 'cause

you to be drawn to a personal place of communion with the

Lord, you're not hearing it, right?

You know, one of the prayers of any person who preaches the word

of God should be this. This would be my this would be

my my counsel that whatever subject you are declaring, let

the goal be this, that it would draw people closer to the Lord

Jesus no matter what it is. Even if you're talking through

Leviticus, let the word 'cause people to want closer communion

with Him, a deeper intimacy with him, And if the.

Word is not drawing you toward that place.

Maybe you're on the quest for knowledge more than intimacy

with the Lord. And there's a big difference.

You can tell when somebody has Bible knowledge but doesn't have

the knowledge of God's presence in their lives.

And it's a sad sight to me. It's a sad sight to me.

So we talk about these three PS. There's posture, there is

praise, there is the power of promise.

But now we come to five types of prayer that God is willing to

hear, and they're categorized in these requests.

But let's Let's put them under these five headings.

If you're taking notes based on what Solomon asked for, the

first thing that we could be confident in knowing that God is

willing to hear is that He's willing to.

Hear and help with difficult, almost impossible matters.

Let's read here in verse 31, and depending on what kind of Bible

you have, you'll even see how these requests are separated by

the way they designed the the format of the text.

Look at verse 31. If a man sins against his

neighbor and is made to take an oath, and comes and swears his

oath before your altar in this house, then hear in heaven and

act and judge your servants condemning the guilty by

bringing his conduct on his own head and vindicating the

righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

Here's what Solomon has as a primary concern, justice in the

land. And he realizes that what's

going to follow naturally are disputes, problems, conflict,

relational problems, accusations.

He's already dealt with some, and he's planning to see more.

And so he asked the Lord for something very specific, because

Solomon's aware that there are even some predicaments that are

void of eyewitnesses. They were done in private.

They were done in secret. They were done without public

knowledge. And So what that would demand at

this time was that when there was an accusation made against a

brother, that brother was called to appear before the temple,

before the altar, and make an oath.

And to make an oath in that setting was far more than for

him to have his conscience pricked.

Like how what we see in our courts today where people put

their hands on the Bible to make them feel the holiness of that

moment, It's far more than that. What we're guaranteed here and

based on this prayer, based on what Solomon's asking the Lord,

is that when this would happen, God would supernaturally expose

the wrongdoer and you would confirm the innocent.

How that happened, we are not told.

Perhaps the strongest clue we have is through the Urim and the

Thummim of the priest, where there would be something

revealed to the leadership that would expose the guilty and

would confirm the innocent. And so, Solomon asked the Lord,

when these situations come about, where it's humanly

impossible to find out who's right and who's wrong, would

you? Would you make it known?

You know what I find so fascinating about what Solomon's

asking here? This is a man who, just a few

chapters ago, solved A humanly impossible situation, Remember,

with two prostitutes came before him, both claiming the life of

one child, both blaming that they are the ones who are lying.

Remember that And Solomon had wisdom from God to discern who

was in the right and who was in the wrong.

And this kind of man, who was praised with such heavenly

wisdom, sees the need to ask God to do what only he can do.

Well, Solomon, you were able to do it, but here's what Solomon

believed. No matter what kind of mind get

God gave me, I still need God. Yeah, no matter.

What kind of gifting he has provided me?

I still am in need. Moment by moment, day by day,

case by case, I need the Lord to intervene.

I need the Lord to intervene. I can't depend on my strength.

I can't depend on my history. I can't depend on my track

record. I can only depend upon the Lord

providing my daily bread and doing what only He can do.

I realize that even this mind is given by God, and if he doesn't

sustain it, He gave it. But if he doesn't sustain it,

then I will never know true success.

God has started many things, but because of people's pride, the

thing that God started wasn't sustained.

God can start a church miraculously, but if the

leadership and the people are not remaining humble and

dependent on God, God will shut that church down.

He has no problem. He's not concerned about his

reputation in that sense. He's not concerned about what

people will say. He's concerned about his name,

and he's concerned about his people walking in his ways more

than anything else. When they veer off, he's willing

to make it very clear that he's not pleased.

But here's Solomon, at this juncture of his life, realizing

God, if you don't do it, it's not going to happen.

So what's the principle behind this?

What if, Solomon asked him, what is prayer able to unlock?

Well, it's able to unvault heavenly wisdom, is it not?

It's able to reveal what is hidden in the dark, bringing it

to light. It's able to dissent, dismantle

the deceptive schemes of man. Satan will have a very difficult

time. Those who have footholds in

their lives for Satan work through will have a very

difficult time taking advantage of prayerful people.

You do not know what you're up against, my friend.

When you try to come against a Saint of God, a man or woman

who's in tune with God in prayer, you have no idea what

you're messing with. Why?

Because a man who seeks Lord and humility and walks and conscious

obedience. To him has God on his side, and

we talked about this a couple weeks ago in Joshua Chapter 9 in

Joshua 9 · chapter mention

our prayer meeting, that Joshua and the Israelites of that

generation were entered into the Promised Land.

They had a promise. They had God's presence to some

extent. But in that particular case,

when the Gibeonites came and deceived them, thinking that

they were from a faraway land, when in fact they were

inhabitants of the land of Canaan, they did not.

The scripture says to Joshua and I, they did not inquire of the

Lord and they were deceived. That's the reason why they were

overcome by the lies of the enemy, because they did not

pause to look at the all the elements and all the

presentation. Say Lord, is this of you

implying that if they had prey, they would have been rescued

from deception? The schemes and the trickery of

Satan. And so Solomon says here, Lord,

I'm praying because I believe that in and through this prayer

you're willing to answer and keep us from being overcome by

deception, by lies, by doing something unjust, by doing

something that is missing. The Mark prayer that God is

willing to hear is 1 that He's able to help with concerning

matters that seem impossible or difficult.

But it's more than that. We come here and we read what

what's next? Look at verse 33.

When your people are defeated before the enemy because they

have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and

acknowledge your name, and pray and plead with you in this

house, then here in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people

Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their

fathers, highlight that. When your people Israel,

defeated before the enemy. But look here at verse 35.

This is the same thought when heaven is shut up and there is

no rain, because they have sinned against you.

If they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and

turn from their sin when you afflict them, then here in

heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants your people

Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should

walk. Look here at verse 37.

If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight

or mildew or locust or Caterpillar, if their enemy

besieges them in the land, at the gates, at their gates,

whatever plague, whatever sickness there is.

OK, so it seems long winded, but it fits under one category.

Solomon now begins to describe the potential consequences of

unrepentant sin and continual rebellion.

And he knows the word of God very well, because Deuteronomy

and Leviticus spell out the exact acts of discipline that

will ensue from the nation who choose to turn their back on

God. And what Solomon has in mind

here is that God would answer the prayers of those who are

enduring the chastisement for their trespass.

And so here's the. Second type of prayer that God

is willing to hear and answer. God is willing to hear and

answer those who pray as they endure the consequences of their

sin. Why is that important?

Because for many people sin as they pursue it feel hopeless,

especially when they are faced with the consequences of their

actions. Some consequences are more

severe than others, but sometimes those consequences

could be so intense and life altering that in in doing that

they think to themselves and believe.

Perhaps I've been cut off from God's mercy altogether.

This is it. I can't see how moving forward

from this place, I can have God's full favor again, His full

pleasure over my life again. I am forever scarred with the

consequence of the sin. I can never undo what my sin has

done. And Solomon here begins to

describe the different kind of scenarios that sin can lead the

people into. But with every scenario, he

asked the Lord to be able to hear them if they in that moment

come to their senses, cry out to God, say, oh God, please forgive

me, please restore me. God is willing to hear the

prayer of those who have gone so far away from him, so deep in

darkness, so contrary to the convictions that they once held

to if they pause and pray and look to the Lord.

Solomon here, by way of principle, teaches us that God

is willing to say, I hear you and I will do something about

your predicament. What kind of sin?

Notice again. Look here at the end of verse

37. He says here, whatever plague,

whatever sickness there is, there is no category of

wrongdoing, regardless of what kind of judgement it invites

into your life, that God's grace is unavailable for.

There's not one single think about that.

Think about how significant that is.

And all that is required to reach God in restoration is a

contrite heart, right? Notice what Solomon says here in

verse 38. Whatever prayer, whatever plea

is made by any man or by your people, all your people, Israel.

Each. Knowing the affliction of his

own heart and stretching out his hands towards his house, you

know, he didn't say. Just stretching out his hands

toward his house. He could have said that.

Lord, if you see anybody stretching out their hand

towards his house, hear them. But what is he?

What is he followed up with? What's preceding That Rather

says here if they know the affliction in their heart, it's

not about some external thing that God has to see.

You've been coming to church 10 weeks in a row.

I think I'll take you out of the penalty box now.

That's not how God works. No, it's it begins internally.

It's the heart that's broken and contrite.

That is what is required for the Lord to move favorably.

Again, in your life when you realize this is the mess, that

this is the offense that I have brought about to the name of

God. And then when God sees that he's

willing to do miracles in your life again and bring reversal to

the mess that you brought into your life again.

And Solomon here shows that there's still hope and prayer is

still something that can be utilized even when you don't

deserve it because of your performance lately.

So what happens? He says here, please hear them.

Look at verse 39 very quickly. This is just a side note worth

mentioning. Then here in heaven your

dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose

heart you know according to all his ways.

Look what's in parentheses here. For you, you only know the

hearts of all the children of mankind, that they may fear you

all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our

fathers. Who's Solomon praying to?

Who's he praying to? God.

What's His name? Yahweh.

And what prerogative, What exclusive ability does he pin on

Yahweh and Yahweh alone for you? You only what?

Know the hearts of all the children of mankind.

That only belongs to you. Only Yahweh can scan the hearts

of all inhabitants of the lands. The nations, the cities, the

streets, in the neighborhoods and be able to perfectly

interpret what's going on in their hearts.

That's powerful, what said. Of Jesus, let me remind you in

Revelation 2 as Jesus speaks through John to a particular

church, and he mentions this in verse 23 concerning Christ and

Revelation 223 as a warning to them who thought that they can

live and sin, We're told that Christ in his love for his

church. Says the following in Revelation

223 and I will strike her children dead.

Speaking of Jezebel in the church, the spirit of Jezebel in

the church and all the churches will know.

Look what Jesus says. I am he.

Who searches mind and heart? And I will give to each one of

you according to your works. So Christ claims to be able to

do what only Yahweh is able to do, and that's search the hearts

and minds of men and be able to give the specific reward or

punishment in accordance with the cleanliness or the

corruption in that heart. If you want another verse to add

to your arsenal, it's Jeremiah 1710.

Notice what's said about the Lord.

Again Yahweh and Jeremiah 17. 10 And and connect that with how

Christ is spoken of, and how Christ speaks of himself in the

New Testament. Here's Jeremiah 1710.

I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind to give every

man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his

deeds. Isn't that what he said to the

church? He said it.

Let me read it to you again. I am E who searches mind and

heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Well, Yahweh said that in Jeremiah.

Solomon said that that belongs to the Lord alone.

And Jesus comes and says I can do that.

Why? Because Jesus is Yahweh, that's

why. Just a side note.

So we see here that Solomon believe that God will hear

prayer of those who endure the consequences of sin.

But that's that's not it #3. Let's come again back to first

Kings eight. Look at verse 41.

Likewise when a foreigner Solomon says who is not of.

Your people. Israel comes from a far country

for your name's sake, for they shall hear of your great name

and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm, when he

comes and prays toward this house here in heaven your

dwelling place, And do according to all for which the foreigner

cost you, in order that all the peoples of the.

Earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people

Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have

built is called by your name. So now Solomon.

Zooms from his people, from the people of Israel.

Zooms out and considers the alien that extraterrestrial

aliens, foreigners and neighboring nations who worship

heathen gods. But at some point come to their

senses and realize that's the true God.

And I want to know this God. I want to pray to this God.

And so Solomon now is very much in tune with the heart of God.

He he knows God's word enough to realize that God has a heart for

the Gentiles. Even here, God has a heart for

the neighboring nations. Don't get into this false notion

that Jesus in the New Testament introduces grace for the

Gentiles. Whereas God in the Old Testament

was hesitant and it wasn't in his mind, God always had the

Gentiles in mind in electing the nation of Israel, making a

covenant with them. That covenant with Israel was

not an end in itself, it was a means to a different end.

Israel was raised up to be a nation.

Yes, God in his sovereignty has the right to choose any nation

and to deal specially with that nation.

But we see in this book that God through the election of Israel,

wanted to bless all the families of the earth, and he wanted this

house, even in the old covenant, to be a House of prayer for what

all peoples, all nations. You read about Jesus and Isaiah

49, where we're told of the servant of the Lord that it was

too light of a thing to redeem Jacob alone.

I will make you a light to the nations, and you will go, and

you'll redeem the. The coastlands and everybody

else across the world. So we see, This is why you need

to know the Old Testament. And the more you study and the

more you learn about it, the more you realize that there is a

consistent thread with the character, nature and the will

of God. You think about the Black Hebrew

Israelites. Have you seen these guys on the

streets? Yeah.

OK, so you know what I'm talking about.

If not, I encourage you not to Google them.

You might run into them if you walk in any major city long

enough downtown or something. These guys believe that one,

they are the true nation of Israel, that they are the true

people of God, and in their theology, they're called in

their theology. They totally deny that God has

any favorable will for the Gentiles.

So what do you do as a Christian when you meet these kind of

people who believe these things? And by the way, it's getting

greater popularity, especially for African Americans and those

from that background. What do you do when you're

confronted with that and they quote scripture about how

Gentiles will bow before the Jews and how Israel rise above

all their nations? What do you need to know your

Hebrew Scriptures? You need to show from the Hebrew

scriptures they'll deny the New Testament.

Show from the Hebrew Scriptures this is what the God of the

nation of Israel, the true nation of Israel, has in mind

for Gentiles, not just for that people.

So Solomon had the mind of God in this, and this is the request

that he makes. So what's the principle here?

Here's point number three of the kind of prayers that God is

willing to hear. God is willing to hear any man

who comes to him. God is willing to hear any man

who comes to him. That's the truth from this

request. And this shows that the Lord

does not discriminate based on personal history, current

status, spiritual heritage, or any other measure that might

make us as humans, even dear Christians, to look at somebody

and to evaluate through human standards whether or not they

are worthy enough to be used by God in a special way, to be

heard by God favorably. How do you modernize that?

Well, you have some people, honestly, who might think you

know the descendant of a Christian family will receive

God's favor more than a guy like me who escaped from a heathen

family and decided to align myself with the truth.

Because who am I in comparison to somebody who has that kind of

background That might not mean much to you, the point that I'm

presenting to you because most of us in here grew up in the

church. Most of us.

Not all of us. But I'm telling you what I'm

saying, I'm sure will bring great comfort and joy to the

person who has a criminal record.

Person who's been raised by parents who were involved in

witchcraft and taught their kids to blasphemy.

The true. God.

God is willing to, if you just simply humble yourself and

acknowledge him as the true God, receive you, hear you.

And in this case, Solomon, I'm sure, blew some people's minds

who are unfamiliar with the heart of God.

Psalm is actually asking God to do something of blessing those

who are not in covenant by way of inheritance.

Wow. Wow.

And so no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no

matter what you've done, if you're washing the blood, you're

no greater than the greatest Saints that the Church has ever

known. You have same access to God.

You have the same privilege and promises to you.

And this is what Solomon is asking the Lord to do, knowing

that the Lord was somebody who is willing to answer it. #4 the

4th kind of prayer that God is willing to hear and answer.

God is willing to hear us as we face adversity and danger.

Notice what's said in verse 44, the situation, the circumstance

that Solomon presents. If your people go out to battle

against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, that's

an important thing to highlight even at this time.

Whenever Israel was engaged in war, it had to be commanded by

God. They didn't have the freedom to

go and lay siege of different lands and bring conquest into.

They did not have that kind of right.

So that's an important text to make note of if your people.

Go out to battle against their enemy by whatever way you shall

send them. It has to be divinely ordained,

so keep that in mind when people criticize the God of the Old

Testament as being genocidal. Keep that in mind for the idea

that the people of God who in the Old Testament did engage in

wars, we're not doing so with liberty and with subjective

reasonings. They took it from a righteous

and holy God who knew when to attack and when to bring about

discipline to a people who deserve it by whatever way you

shall send them. And they pray to the Lord toward

the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built

for your name. Then here in heaven their prayer

and their plea, and maintain their cause.

So now Psalm has something in mind even when our army is out

in battle and they are at a great distance from the House of

God. Lord, would you consider the

request as they turn their face toward the House of worship and

implore and inquire for your intervention?

Prayer brings assistance to us in adversity and in the face of

many dangers. And what I love about what

Solomon is saying here is that he himself, even as a military

leader, as a king, did not believe that human, you know,

resources and abilities where salvation comes from, no matter

what kind of thing you got going on, no matter what kind of

network you have, no matter what kind of connections deliverance

is of the Lord solution comes from the sovereign God.

The best results come from the one who can only do the best

possible outcome in any given situation, and this is what

Solomon is asking for. Lord, even with our army we

don't put our trust. In the arm of the flesh, we're

asking even in this very physical reality, would you

intervene and make away And the principle?

We're not called to any holy war.

We're not called to engage in any physical battle.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood.

Here's the principle. No matter what kind of because

we do have an enemy and there is warfare.

And no matter what kind of situation presents itself

against you, you can pray and believe that God will find the

best way to give you victory in it, the best way.

The praying man is out of advantage.

I said earlier that Satan has at a greater disadvantage when he's

up against a praying woman, a praying man, a praying mom, a

praying father, praying church. So let me flip it.

You are at a great the greatest advantage when you know how to

call upon the Lord and everything and for all things.

May I remind you of Ahithophel when it was told to David while

he was in exile. This man, whose words were like

the oracles of God, has chosen to divorce himself from you,

David. And line up with your rebellious

son, Absalom. Humanly speaking, David would

have been finished. And one of my favorite prayers

in all of the Bible is what prayer?

The prayer David prayed in that moment when he learned we're in

trouble. What did he did?

He sighed. A prayer, O Lord, turned the

wisdom of Ahithophel. Into what Foolishness.

Foolishness. Did God answer that prayer?

He did answer that prayer. Whatever was presented to

Absalom was rejected by Absalom, and God did even more than what

prayer, What David pray for Ahithophel was eliminated as a

threat for the rest of David's life.

You know what that teaches. Let me remind you from that

Bible study that teaches that a man of prayer is at a greater

advantage in the most brilliant mind.

That's what that teaches the man of prayer.

The woman of prayer is at a greater advantage than the

strongest man, the richest man, the smartest man.

When God finds a man who is praying, he is the strongest.

And this is what Solomon believed, even with his standing

army. Lord, if it's if it ever comes

to the point that this would happen, please hear our prayers

and the prayers of your people when they call upon you.

And we read of stories in kings where certain kings believe that

Hezekiah right ASA where they ask the Lord.

The Lord came through and brought about victory and it is

rooted in this. Lastly, what kind of prayers is

God willing to answer? What kind of things is God

willing to do in prayer? God is willing to hear the

prayer of one man on behalf of so many others.

You're not going to see that based on what I'm about to read,

but you will in a moment. This is the longest portion of

Dave, or rather Solomon's Petition in this one prayer.

It's from verse 46 down to verse 53.

I'm not going to read all of it, but let me read the first few if

they sin against you. So now he revisits his idea of

sin. Solomon seems to be very

concerned of the future spiritual state of the nation of

Israel, and here's why. Look what he says.

For there is no one who does not sin.

He's aware of human frailty and faithlessness.

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. Yet if they turn their heart in

the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and

plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, We have

sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly.

If they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in

the land of their enemies who carried them captive, and pray

to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the

city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for

your name, we'll stop there. So the the situation that

Solomon has in mind, because you already talked about the

consequences of sin, now he speaks about the worst of the

worst outcomes. Exile.

You couldn't get any lower than that as the people of.

God. Because this land was promised,

there was so much promise of security and longevity for

generations to come. But Solomon understood that

there is there was a time that could come where the people

could sow sin against God, and so where At his.

Patience, the Lord says, I'm bringing a nation, You're out of

here, And this is what Solomon asked.

Lord, even in the land of their captors, whatever generation

that might happen in, even in the land of captivity, would you

hear their prayers if they turn their face towards Jerusalem and

implore and seek. You with a repentant heart

question. Do you ever see in the Old

Testament a situation, whether that be the Assyrian exile that

took over the north or the Babylonian exile that took over

the South, where the nation of Israel cried out to the Lord in

this way while they were in exile?

You got it. Did you hear it?

You'd be hard pressed to find a national movement during

captivity where the people as a whole, or at least a large

population, remember the words of Solomon and cried out in

order to be restored to their home.

But he speaks about them in the plural, does he?

Not if they turn their heart. Verse 47 verse 40.

Eight if they. Repent with all their mind.

The only instance that you see of a fulfillment of this is with

one man. Who's that man?

You heard it, Daniel. Go to that chapter very quickly.

We're almost done here, Daniel. Chapter nine.

Look at the first few verses. I love Daniel.

Not for the obvious reasons why. I have a friend and we were

talking about, he's a dear brother in the Lord and we were

talking about how we were named. And and he told me he said my

father was planning to call me Daniel.

And I said, really? And he goes, yeah, But then he

didn't want me to have to live with that burden, to live up to

such a name. And so he named me a different

name. I thought, oh gosh, I don't even

think about for that my name. But Daniel is a profound person

in the scriptures and we see him praying at a certain point in

his life. He's always praying throughout

the book of Daniel. But look at this in verse one of

chapter nine in the first year of Darius, the son of Ahusurus

by descent Amede. Who has made?

King over the realm of the Chaldeans in the first year of

his reign. I Daniel perceived in the books

the number of years that according to the word of the

Lord to Jeremiah, the prophet must pass before the end of the

desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years.

I love Daniel. We know Daniel to be a man of

prayer, man of conviction. But you know what?

You can add something to this man's example.

He was a man who knew the Bible. Daniel studied the Bible, and we

see here that Daniel studied. He perceived other translations,

say there in verse two, that he understood the books.

He didn't just read it. He sought to master it and to

seek its applications in his life.

And this is what? He realized Jeremiah divine

revelation revealed in Jeremiah 25 that the Exile will last 70

years and Daniel's been doing some math work.

We're leading up to 70 years again.

Does the Bible fuel your prayer life?

Because it does for Daniel. He understood what was said,

right? And this is fascinating.

This is prophecy. This is an eternal decree by

God. You would think that if there's

anything that you would read in the Bible that would not cause

you to make any actions or response, it would be prophecy.

What can you do about it? God said it's going to happen,

so just enjoy the ride. That's not how Daniel understood

prophecy. He understood prophecy and he

goes, oh, I better get praying. Let me ask God to fulfill this.

It's incredible how this man thought so.

He seeks the Lord, right? And look here, verse 3.

Then I turn my faith. Then I.

What do you mean turned your faith?

You're in Babylon. What do you think he's turned

his face to? Then I turn my face to the Lord

God, seeking him by prayer and please for mercy, with fasting

and southcloth and ashes. Daniel is doing this out of a

response of what he read in Jeremiah.

Only Jeremiah. Do you think he just knew

Jeremiah? No.

He knew first Kings chapter 8 and he knew Solomon prayed and

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

God answered by fire, saying, I approve that these requests.

Solomon said that whenever his people would be in captivity,

that if they repent with all their heart, turn their face

toward the House of God, and seek the Lord, he's willing to

bring them home. One man, not the whole nation.

He doesn't call for the remnant to seek the Lord by himself.

He bends his knee. He puts on sackcloth and ashes,

and he seeks the Lord on behalf of his people.

When you read this prayer, it's one of the great prayers of the

Bible as well. He includes himself.

We have sinned. We have sinned.

You know how significant that is?

Daniel was a man. He was imperfect.

But try to find a recorded fault in Daniel's life.

In his book, try. And yet this man says, we, we,

we and God heard that prayer. God honor that prayer.

God preserved that prayer. And so I make the point that

here's a man who prayed a prayer that really belonged to the

nation, called the nation to respond to, and he did it on his

own, on behalf of the nation. And God is willing to hear a

man, even if that man prays for a country, even that man prays

for a church. Even if a man prays for a city,

God will honor that one man's prayer.

That's powerful. Can we stay with Daniel a little

bit? Because I really like him.

Think about it. We heard from Pastor Daniel when

he spoke out of Daniel at a couple of Sundays in a row, or

where Daniel was believed to be around how old When he came into

Babylon. He was a teenager, probably

around 15 years old, very zealous in Daniel.

Chapter one, right? I mean, as a teenager he stood

his ground and he had zeal and passion and conviction.

And now based on Daniel Chapter 9, we read that 70 years, close

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

to 70 years passes by, which would make Daniel.

What if we believe he was 15 in Daniel chapter one close to 85?

Is there any aversion, any dilution to his zeal?

He remained constant, just as passionate, just as solid.

Just as trusting in God, just as Worshipful as an 85 year old

man. So don't buy the lie that the

older you get, things become more familiar and you're just

going to cool off. That's not Daniel.

He didn't cool off. He just burned brighter.

He he was stronger in his faith and so he comes before the Lord.

And what do you think happened from Daniel chapter one to

Daniel Chapter 9? Do you think he just sat in the

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

same room for 70 years? No kingdoms came and went.

Government shifted. He only received greater and

greater promotion. And with all the promotion, all

the accolades, all the shifts around, one thing didn't change.

This man's prayer life. This man's prayer life did not

shift. Rulers shifted.

His financial and social status changed.

One thing didn't change even when a law was given.

If you pray in these next 30 days.

You'll be killed and he just all right time to pray.

And he just went and prayed. I love Daniel.

You know what he could have done?

What many Christians would have done.

I just 30 days. Some Christians have gone longer

without praying without any law. I just 30 days.

I'll just wait till it's done. And I don't want to step on

anybody's toes. You know I'm a high-ranking

official of course. And Romans 13, right?

Obey the government. Now be the government.

Now we come to concluding thoughts in First Kings Chapter

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

8. It's a long chapter.

Solomon provides First Kings 52 a summary of what he's trying to

say. First Kings 852.

This is one way we can wrap up the kinds of prayer that God is

willing to hear and answer verse 52.

Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the

plea of your people, Israel. Giving ear to them whenever they

call to you, Lord, just as a general request, whenever they

call. Upon you would you just answer?

And God answered by fire, he goes, I'm willing, I'm willing.

Now look at these last things that Solomon says he He begins

to now turn and give a benediction to the people in

verse 54. So now as Solomon finished

offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from

before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands

outstretched to heaven. Anything pop out to you in that

verse? Who said it?

He knelt. How did he start?

At some point, based on how the text flows, At some point he

began standing with his hands stretched out, and he felt the

weightiness of that moment, and he began to go to his knees.

So he started on his feet. He ended on his knees.

It's a picture of growing submission in the place of

prayer. So he gets out of off his knees.

He turns to the people, and he stood again in verse 55 And he

stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud

voice, saying, Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his

people, Israel according to all that he promised.

Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke

by Moses, his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as

he was with our fathers. May not leave us or forsake us,

that He may incline our hearts to Him to walk in all His ways,

and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His rules,

which He commanded our fathers. Now look at this in verse 59.

Let these words of mine with which I have pleaded before the

Lord be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he

maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his

people, Israel, as each day requires.

This was Solomon's wish. Lord, this great prayer that

I've prayed as humbly as I could.

Pray it as specifically as I could pray it.

Lord, may these words stay near to you day and night, day and

night, day and night. And what was a wish for Solomon

is later revealed to be a reality for all the Saints.

When you go to Revelation 5/8 you learn that this the Saints

and their prayers, more specifically that come up before

the throne of God, are preserved by God in golden bowls of

incense. I just love that thought.

That what? Solomon really longed.

For God reveals, not only do I remember them, it's a sweet

fragrance to me. You know what's important to me?

I forget some of the prayers I've prayed.

God doesn't. Sometimes we see our prayers as

just fanciful thinking, and if we throw enough of them up

there, one of them will eventually be caught by the

Lord. One of them will land at the

foot of His throne. That's not how God sees it.

Every prayer that's been prayed in sincerity of heart and

truthfulness has been reserved preserved as an aroma.

To him, that's incredible, Psalmist says Lord.

Would it be close to you? Revelation says, not only is it

close to me, I put it in this golden display, and I enjoy

knowing that you depend on me day and night.

Solomon here in verse 61 says, Let your heart speaking to the

people, therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God walking in

His statutes and keeping His commandments as at this day.

Go back to how Solomon began his prayer in verse 23.

O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above

or on earth beneath. And what is the one thing that

he highlights in terms of his incomparable greatness?

Keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants

who walk before you with all their heart.

The thing that caused Solomon's heart to praise him as his

faithfulness, his steadfast commitment to those who walk

before him. And how does Solomon end this?

He ends this by turning to the people with a benediction.

It says God has been faithful to you.

You be faithful to God. That's what he says.

Let your heart, you know God's heart.

You heard about God's heart now. Let your heart therefore be

wholly true to the Lord our God. And that's how he closes this

segment of the dedication. For the remaining of the chapter

he performs great acts of sacrifices.

Thousands upon thousands of the greatest of beasts were slain to

the point where they could not even put it on the altar.

They had to dedicate a whole section of the outer court so

that they can lay out all these animals and give something of

great worth to the Lord. And they celebrate the Feast of

Tabernacles. In verse 66 we read on the

eighth day. He sent the people away, and

they blessed the king and went to their homes, joyful and glad

of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to

David, his servant, and to Israel, his people.

Here's the little thought that sprung in my heart when I read

this today. I thought, Lord.

In the same way that the people left your house, glad of heart,

filled with joy, shouldn't it be true every single Sunday?

Shouldn't it be every Sunday? We should leave here no matter

how we came in? Filled with joy, Filled with a

revelation of the goodness of God, bringing laughter to our

soul. Holy laughter.

And knowing who it is that we serve.

And Solomon now finished speaking to God.

And in Chapter 9, God is going to speak to Solomon.

Let's pray. Let's pray.

We heard about prayer. If you want to lift up holy

hands, you can lift up holy hands.

If you want your eyes to be open to heaven, your eyes can be open

toward heaven. If you want to bow your head and

close your eyes, what's more important is your heart in this

moment as you were speaking to the living God.

The same God of Solomon, the same God of David, same God of

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the same God of Paul, the same God

of Peter. James and John is the same God

who hears us today. Father, we thank you that we get

to be in your house tonight and we pray that the deposit these

people had at the end of this dedication, service of great

joy, gladness of heart would be our portion as well.

We ask, oh Lord, that we would be rekindled and rejuvenated in

the place of prayer, and knowing that you're willing to hear,

knowing that the access we have with our request and our

circumstances are far beyond what we can imagine.

And Lord, whatever circumstance any person finds himself in

today, whether they're in need of help, whether they're in need

of restoration with you, whether they're in need of wisdom or

clarity, Lord, may they not fail to look to you in the place of

prayer. In all things, and for all

things, believing that you will answer, and believing that you

will come through and that you will be glorified in it, Would

you make us a people of prayer? Would you make us Lord years

from now, people who have not changed in their conviction and

practice of seeking you sweetly and desperately at times, make

us like Daniel. Make us like this man who

whenever he engaged with the word of God, it just added fuel

to the fire of his personal intimacy with you.

Oh Lord, make us like Daniel, that no matter what changes come

to our country, to our own worlds, to the world at large,

that one thing would not change, and that's our posture of

humility before you. In the place of prayer, Lord, we

look to you and we ask make this church a prayer church.

Keep us as a praying church, and may we see the fruit of our

prayers. Thank you.

That even now, what is happening now is that you are collecting

every prayer that's being offered in every heart.

And you are securing them and sealing them as a sweet trophy

before your throne. What a mighty God we serve.

We crown you with our praise and adoration.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen and Amen.

O Saints, it's so great to see so many of you on a Friday

night. You bless my heart.

More importantly, you bless the heart of God.

Let's stand now in the presence of the Lord.

Sing to the living God. Honor him and worship on a

Friday night. He's worthy, worthy of more than

just a Sunday afternoon. He's worthy of day and night

worship.