Solomon stood before Yahweh’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; and he said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart; who has kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. Now therefore, may Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’
“Now therefore, God of Israel, please let your word be verified, which you spoke to your servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant, and for his supplication, Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you today; that your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there;’ to listen to the prayer which your servant prays toward this place. Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
“If a man sins against his neighbor, and an oath is laid on him to cause him to swear, and he comes and swears before your altar in this house; then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
“When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy, because they have sinned against you; if they turn again to you, and confess your name, and pray and make supplication to you in this house; then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land which you gave to their fathers.
“When the sky is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you; if they pray toward this place, and confess your name, and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on your land, which you have given to your people for an inheritance.
“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and spread out his hands toward this house, then hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, know the hearts of all the children of men); that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.
“Moreover concerning the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when he comes out of a far country for your name’s sake (for they shall hear of your great name, and of your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house; hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, to fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.
“If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to Yahweh toward the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name; then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against you (for there is no man who doesn’t sin), and you are angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; yet if they repent in the land where they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication to you in the land of those who carried them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned, and have done perversely; we have dealt wickedly;’ if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul 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 which you have chosen, and the house which I have built for your name; then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven, your dwelling place, and maintain their cause; and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against you; and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv23, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, 41, 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50 Unfainedly and without all hypocrisy.
Unfainedly and without all hypocrisy.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv22–50 1Ki 8:22 And Solomon stood before the altar of…
1Ki 8:22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
Ver. 22. And spread forth his hands towards heaven.] In prayer the ancients used to spread out the palms of their hands, as it were to receive a blessing from God. {Exo 9:29 Psa 44:20; Psa 143:6}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 Solomon stood upon a scaffold set up for him…
Solomon stood upon a scaffold set up for him in the court of the people, 2Ch 6:13.
Before the altar of the Lord, with his face towards the altar of burnt-offerings.
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In the presence of all the congregation of Israel, who stood round about the scaffold, in the same court with him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v22 Solomon having made a general surrender of this house…
Solomon having made a general surrender of this house to God, which God had signified his acceptance of by taking possession, next follows Solomon's prayer, in which he makes a more particular declaration of the uses of that surrender, with all humility and reverence, desiring that God would agree thereto. In short, it is his request that this temple may be deemed and taken, not only for a house of sacrifice (no mention is made of that in all this prayer, that was taken for granted), but a house of prayer for all people; and herein it was a type of the gospel church; see Isa 56:7, compared with Mat 21:13. Therefore Solomon opened this house, not only with an extraordinary sacrifice, but with an extraordinary prayer.
I. The person that prayed this prayer was great. Solomon did not appoint one of the priests to do it, nor one of the prophets, but did it himself, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, Kg1 8:22. 1. It was well that he was able to do it, a sign that he had made a good improvement of the pious education which his parents gave him. With all his learning, it seems, he learnt to pray well, and knew how to express himself to God in a suitable manner, pro re nata - on the spur of the occasion, without a prescribed form. In the crowd of his philosophical transactions, his proverbs, and songs, he did not forget his devotions. He was a gainer by prayer (Kg1 3:11, etc.), and, we may suppose, gave himself much to it, so that he excelled, as we find here, in praying gifts. 2. It was well that he was willing to do it, and not shy of performing divine service before so great a congregation. He was far from thinking it any disparagement to him to be his own chaplain and the mouth of the assembly to God; and shall any think themselves too great to do this office for their own families? Solomon, in all his other glory, even on his ivory throne, looked not so great as he did now. Great men should thus support the reputation of religious exercises and so honour God with their greatness. Solomon was herein a type of Christ, the great intercessor for all over whom he rules.
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II. The posture in which he prayed was very reverent, and expressive of humility, seriousness, and fervency in prayer. He stood before the altar of the Lord, intimating that he expected the success of his prayer in virtue of that sacrifice which should be offered up in the fulness of time, typified by the sacrifices offered at that altar. But when he addressed himself to prayer, 1. He kneeled down, as appears, Kg1 8:54, where he is said to rise from his knees; compare Ch2 6:13. Kneeling is the most proper posture for prayer, Eph 3:14. The greatest of men must not think it below them to kneel before the Lord their Maker. Mr. Herbert says, "Kneeling never spoiled silk stocking." 2. He spread forth his hands towards heaven, and (as it should seem by Kg1 8:54) continued so to the end of the prayer, hereby expressing his desire towards, and expectations from, God, as a Father in heaven. He spread forth his hands, as it were to offer up the prayer from an open enlarged heart and to present it to heaven, and also to receive thence, with both arms, the mercy which he prayed for. Such outward expressions of the fixedness and fervour of devotion ought not to be despised or ridiculed.
III. The prayer itself was very long, and perhaps much longer than is here recorded. At the throne of grace we have liberty of speech, and should use our liberty. It is not making long prayers, but making them for a pretence, that Christ condemns. In this excellent prayer Solomon does, as we should in every prayer,
1. Give glory to God. This he begins with, as the most proper act of adoration. He addresses himself to God as the Lord God of Israel, a God in covenant with them And, (1.) He gives him the praise of what he is, in general, the best of beings in himself ("There is no God like thee, none of the powers in heaven or earth to be compared with thee"), and the best of masters to his people: "Who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants; not only as good as thy word in keeping covenant, but better than thy word in keeping mercy, doing that for them of which thou hast not given them an express promise, provided they walk before thee with all their heart, are zealous for thee, with an eye to thee." (2.) He gives him thanks for what he had done, in particular, for his family (Kg1 8:24): "Thou hast kept with thy servant David, as with thy other servants, that which thou promisedst him." The promise was a great favour to him, his support and joy, and now performance is the crown of it: Thou hast fulfilled it, as it is this day. Fresh experiences of the truth of God's promises call for enlarged praises.
2. He sues for grace and favour from God.
(1.) That God would perform to him and his the mercy which he had promised, Kg1 8:25, Kg1 8:26. Observe how this comes in. He thankfully acknowledges the performance of the promise in part; hitherto God had been faithful to his word: "Thou hast kept with thy servant David that which thou promisedst him, so far that his son fills his throne and has built the intended temple; therefore now keep with thy servant David that which thou hast further promised him, and which yet remains to be fulfilled in its season." Note, The experiences we have had of God's performing his promises should encourage us to depend upon them and plead them with God: and those who expect further mercies must be thankful for former mercies. Hitherto God has helped, Co2 1:10. Solomon repeats the promise (Kg1 8:25): There shall not fail thee a man to sit on the throne, not omitting the condition, so that thy children take heed to their way; for we cannot expect God's performance of the promise but upon our performance of the condition. And then he humbly begs this entail (Kg1 8:26): Now, O God of Israel! let thy word be verified. God's promises (as we have often observed) must be both the guide of our desires and the ground of our hopes and expectations in prayer. David had prayed (Sa2 7:25): Lord, do as thou hast said. Note, Children should learn of their godly parents how to pray, and plead in prayer.
(2.) That God would have respect to this temple which he had now taken possession of, and that his eyes might be continually open towards it (Kg1 8:29), that he would graciously own it, and so put an honour upon it. To this purpose,
[1.] He premises, First, A humble admiration of God's gracious condescension (Kg1 8:27): "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Can we imagine that a Being infinitely high, and holy, and happy, will stoop so low as to let it be said of him that he dwells upon the earth and blesses the worms of the earth with his presence - the earth, that is corrupt, and overspread with sin - cursed, and reserved to fire? Lord, how is it?" Secondly, A humble acknowledgment of the incapacity of the house he had built, though very capacious, to contain God: "The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, for no place can include him who is present in all places; even this house is too little, too mean to be the residence of him that is infinite in being and glory." Note, When we have done the most we can for God we must acknowledge the infinite distance and disproportion between us and him, between our services and his perfections.
[2.] This premised, he prays in general, First, That God would graciously hear and answer the prayer he was now praying, Kg1 8:28. It was a humble prayer (the prayer of thy servant), an earnest prayer (such a prayer as is a cry), a prayer made in faith (before thee, as the Lord, and my God): "Lord, hearken to it, have respect to it, not as the prayer of Israel's king (no man's dignity in the world, or titles of honour, will recommend him to God), but as the prayer of thy servant." Secondly, That God would in like manner hear and answer all the prayers that should, at any time hereafter, be made in or towards this house which he had now built, and of which God had said, My name shall be there (Kg1 8:29), his own prayers (Hearken to the prayers which thy servant shall make), and the prayers of all Israel, and of every particular Israelite (Kg1 8:30): "Hear it in heaven, that is indeed thy dwelling-place, of which this is but a figure; and, when thou hearest, forgive the sin that separates between them and God, even the iniquity of their holy things." a. He supposes that God's people will ever be a prayer people; he resolves to adhere to that duty himself. b. He directs them to have an eye, in their prayers, to that place where God was pleased to manifest his glory as he did not any where else on earth. None but priests might come into that place; but, when they worshipped in the courts of the temple, it must be with an eye towards it, not as the object of their worship (that were idolatry), but as an instituted medium of their worship, helping the weakness of their faith, and typifying the mediation of Jesus Christ, who is the true temple, to whom we must have an eye in every thing wherein we have to do with God. Those that were at a distance looked towards Jerusalem, for the sake of the temple, even when it was in ruins, Dan 6:10. c. He begs that God will hear the prayers, and forgive the sins, of all that look this way in their prayers. Not as if he thought all the devout prayers offered up to God by those who had no knowledge of this house, or regard to it, were therefore rejected; but he desired that the sensible tokens of the divine presence with which this house was blessed might always give sensible encouragement and comfort to believing petitioners.
[3.] More particularly, he here puts divers cases in which he supposed application would be made to God by prayer in or towards this house of prayer.
First, If God were appealed to by an oath for the determining of any controverted right between man and man, and the oath were taken before this altar, he prayed that God would, in some way or other, discover the truth, and judge between the contending parties, Kg1 8:31, Kg1 8:32. He prayed that, in difficult matters, this throne of grace might be a throne of judgment, from which God would right the injured that believingly appealed to it, and punish the injurious that presumptuously appealed to it. It was usual to swear by the temple and altar (Mat 23:16, Mat 23:18), which corruption perhaps took its rise from this supposition of an oath taken, not by the temple or altar, but at or near them, for the greater solemnity.
Secondly, If the people of Israel were groaning under any national calamity, or any particular Israelite under any personal calamity, he desired that the prayers they should make in or towards this house might be heard and answered.
a. In case of public judgments, war (Kg1 8:33), want of rain (Kg1 8:35), famine, or pestilence (Kg1 8:37), and he ends with an et cetera - any plague or sickness; for no calamity befals other people which may not befal God's Israel. Now he supposes, (a.) That the cause of the judgment would be sin, and nothing else. "If they be smitten before the enemy, if there be no rain, it is because they have sinned against thee." It is sin that makes all the mischief. (b.) That the consequence of the judgment would be that they would cry to God, and make supplication to him in or towards that house. Those that slighted him before would solicit him then. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee. In their afflictions they will seek me early and earnestly. (c.) That the condition of the removal of the judgment was something more than barely praying for it. He could not, he would not, ask that their prayer might be answered unless they did also turn from their sin (Kg1 8:35) and turn again to God (Kg1 8:33), that is, unless they did truly repent and reform. On no other terms may we look for salvation in this world or the other. But, if they did thus qualify themselves for mercy, he prays, [a.] That God would hear from heaven, his holy temple above, to which they must look, through this temple. [b.] That he would forgive their sin; for then only are judgments removed in mercy when sin is pardoned. [c.] That he would teach them the good way wherein they should walk, by his Spirit, with his word and prophets; and thus they might be both profited by their trouble (for blessed is the man whom God chastens and teaches), and prepared for deliverance, which then comes in love when it finds us brought back to the good way of God and duty. [d.] That he would then remove the judgment, and redress the grievance, whatever it might be - not only accept the prayer, but give in the mercy prayed for.
b. In case of personal afflictions, Kg1 8:38-40. "If any man of Israel has an errand to thee, here let him find thee, here let him find favour with thee." He does not mention particulars, so numerous, so various, are the grievances of the children of men. (a.) He supposes that the complainants themselves would very sensibly feel their own burden, and would open that case to God which otherwise they kept to themselves and did not make any man acquainted with: They shall know every man the plague of his own heart, what it is that pains him, and (as we say) where the shoe pinches, and shall spread their hands, that is, spread their case, as Hezekiah spread the letter, in prayer, towards this house; whether the trouble be of body or mind, they shall represent it before God. Inward burdens seem especially meant. Sin is the plague of our own heart; our indwelling corruptions are our spiritual diseases. Every Israelite indeed endeavours to know these, that he may mortify them and watch against the risings of them. These he complains of. This is the burden he groans under: O wretched man that I am! These drive him to his knees, drive him to the sanctuary. Lamenting these, he spreads forth his hands in prayer. (b.) He refers all cases of this kind, that should be brought hither, to God. [a.] To his omniscience: "Thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men, not only the plagues of their hearts, their several wants and burdens" (these he knows, but he will know them from us), "but the desire and intent of the heart, the sincerity or hypocrisy of it. Thou knowest which prayer comes from the heart, and which from the lips only." The hearts of kings are not unsearchable to God. [b.] To his justice: Give to every man according to his ways; and he will not fail to do so, by the rules of grace, not the law, for then we should all be undone. [c.] To his mercy: Hear, and forgive, and do (Kg1 8:39), that they may fear thee all their days, Kg1 8:40. This use we should make of the mercy of God to us in hearing our prayers and forgiving our sins, we should thereby he engaged to fear him while we live. Fear the Lord and his goodness. There is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared.
c. The case of the stranger that is not an Israelite is next mentioned, a proselyte that comes to the temple to pray to the God of Israel, being convinced of the folly and wickedness of worshipping the gods of his country. (a.) He supposed that there would be many such (Kg1 8:41, Kg1 8:42), that the fame of God's great works which he had wrought for Israel, by which he proved himself to be above all gods, nay, to be God alone, would reach to distant countries: "Those that live remote shall hear of thy strong hand, and thy stretched-out arm; and this will bring all thinking considerate people to pray towards this house, that they may obtain the favour of a God that is able to do them a real kindness." (b.) He begged that God would accept and answer the proselyte's prayer (Kg1 8:43): Do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for. Thus early, thus ancient, were the indications of favour towards the sinners of the Gentiles: as there was then one law for the native and for the stranger (Exo 12:49), so there was one gospel for both. (c.) Herein he aimed at the glory of God and the propagating of the knowledge of him: "O let the stranger, in a special manner, speed well in his addresses, that he may carry away with him to his own country a good report of the God of Israel, that all people may know thee and fear thee (and, if they know thee aright, they will fear thee) as do thy people Israel." So far was Solomon from monopolizing the knowledge and service of God, and wishing to have them confined to Israel only (which was the envious desire of the Jews in the days of Christ and his apostles), that he prayed that all people might fear God as Israel did. Would to God that all the children of men might receive the adoption, and be made God's children! Father, thus glorify thy name.
d. The case of an army going forth to battle is next recommended by Solomon to the divine favour. It is supposed that the army is encamped at a distance, somewhere a great way off, sent by divine order against the enemy, Kg1 8:44. "When they are ready to engage, and consider the perils and doubtful issues of battle, and put up a prayer to God for protection and success, with their eye towards this city and temple, then hear their prayer, encourage their hearts, strengthen their hands, cover their heads, and so maintain their cause and give them victory." Soldiers in the field must not think it enough that those who tarry at home pray for them, but must pray for themselves, and they are here encouraged to hope fore a gracious answer. Praying should always go along with fighting.
e. The case of poor captives is the last that is here mentioned as a proper object of divine compassion. (a.) He supposes that Israel will sin. He knew them, and himself, and the nature of man, too well to think this a foreign supposition; for there is no man that sinneth not, that does not enough to justify God in the severest rebukes of his providence, no man but what is in danger of falling into gross sin, and will if God leave him to himself. (b.) He supposes, what may well be expected, that, if Israel revolt from God, God will be angry with them, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, to be carried captive into a strange country, Kg1 8:46. (c.) He then supposes that they will bethink themselves, will consider their ways (for afflictions put men upon consideration), and, when once they are brought to consider, they will repent and pray, will confess their sins, and humble themselves, saying, We have sinned and have done perversely (Kg1 8:47), and in the land of their enemies will return to God, whom they had forsaken in their own land. (d.) He supposes that in their prayers they will look towards their own land, the holy land, Jerusalem, the holy city, and the temple, the holy house, and directs them so to do (Kg1 8:48), for his sake who gave them that land, chose that city, and to whose honour that house was built. (e.) He prays that then God would hear their prayers, forgive their sins, plead their cause, and incline their enemies to have compassion on them, Kg1 8:49. 50. God has all hearts in his hand, and can, when he pleases, turn the strongest stream the contrary way, and make those to pity his people who have been their most cruel persecutors. See this prayer answered, Psa 106:46. He made them to be pitied of those that carried them captive, which, if it did not release them, yet eased their captivity. (f.) He pleads their relation to God, and his interest in them: "They are thy people, whom thou hast taken into thy covenant and under thy care and conduct, thy inheritance, from which, more than from any other nation, thy rent and tribute of glory issue and arise (Kg1 8:51), separated from among all people to be so and by distinguishing favours appropriated to thee," Kg1 8:53.
Lastly, After all these particulars, he concludes with this general request, that God would hearken to all his praying people in all that they call unto him for, Kg1 8:52. No place now, under the gospel, can be imagined to add any acceptableness to the prayers made in or towards it, as the temple then did. That was a shadow: the substance is Christ; whatever we ask in his name, it shall be given us.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv22–50 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord,....…
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord,.... The altar of the burnt offering in the court of the priests, where he prayed the following prayer; and which altar was typical of Christ, who is always to be in sight in prayer, and through whom all sacrifices of prayer and praise become acceptable to God. In Ch2 6:13 he is said to stand upon a scaffold of brass, five cubits long, five broad, and three high, which stood in the midst of the court; it was a sort of a pulpit, round, as a laver, for which the word is sometimes used, and on which he kneeled:
in the presence of all the congregation of Israel; who stood in the great court before him, called the court of Israel:
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and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and hence it appears, that though Solomon stood before the altar, he did not lay hold on it with his hands, as the Heathens did when they prayed; for they say (y), that prayer alone does not appease the Deity, unless he that prays also lays hold on the altar with his hands; hence altars, at first, as we are told (z), were called "ansae"; and lifting up or spreading the hands towards heaven was a proper gesture with the Greeks and Romans (a).
(y) Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 2. Vid. Sperling. de Baptism. Ethiac, c. 6. p. 103. (z) Varro Rer. Divin. l. 5. apud ib. (a) Homer. Iliad. 3. ver. 275. & 6. ver. 301. Vid. Barth. Animadv. ad Claudian. in Rufin. l. 2. ver. 205.
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John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 44, 48, 49 Stood - Upon a scaffold set up for him…
Stood - Upon a scaffold set up for him in the court of the people, 2 Chron. vi, 13.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 44, 46, 50 Verse 22. Stood] He ascended the brazen scaffold, five…
Verse 22. Stood] He ascended the brazen scaffold, five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and then kneeled down upon his knees, with his hands spread up to heaven, and offered up the following prayer: see 1Kg 8:54, and 2Ch 5:12-13.
And spread forth his hands toward heaven] This was a usual custom in all nations: in prayer the hands were stretched out to heaven, as if to invite and receive assistance from thence; while, humbly kneeling on their knees, they seemed acknowledge at once their dependence and unworthiness. On this subject I have spoken elsewhere. In the Scriptures we meet with several examples of the kind: Hear my voice-when I LIFT UP MY HANDS toward thy holy oracle; Ps 28:2. LIFT UP YOUR HANDS in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord; Ps 134:2. Let my prayer be set forth-and the LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS as the evening sacrifice; Ps 141:2. And see 1Ti 2:8, c.
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In heathen writers examples are not less frequent:
SUSTULIT exutas vinclis ad sidera PALMAS.
Vos aeterni ignes, et non violabile vestrum
Testor numen, ait.
VIRG. AEn. lib. ii., ver. 153.
Ye lamps of heaven, he said, and LIFTED HIGH
HIS HANDS, now free thou venerable sky,
Inviolable powers!
And that they kneeled down when supplicating I have also proved. Of this too the Scriptures afford abundant evidence, as do also the heathen writers. I need add but one word: -
Et GENBIUS PRONIS supplex, similisque roganti,
Circumfert tacitos, tanquam sun brachia, vultus.
OVID, Met. lib. iii., f. 3, ver. 240.
Indeed, so universal were these forms in praying, that one of the heathens has said, "All men, in praying, lift up their hands to heaven."
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Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 50 1Ki 8:22. Solomon stood before the altar of the…
1Ki 8:22. Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord — He had erected a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, five cubits broad, and three cubits high, (2Ch 6:13,) and on this he stood, raised above the people, who were in the court and in the galleries round about, observing him, and disposed to hearken, with profound attention, to what he should further say. And, having spoken the foregoing words with his face toward them, and blessed them, he now turned about again with his face toward the altar, that he might address a solemn prayer to God, and so dedicate the sacred building to his worship and service. And spread forth his hands toward heaven — A solemn posture in which prayer was wont to be made, not only among the Jews, but other nations. It appears from 1Ki 8:54 of this chapter, that when he had stood awhile with his face toward the altar, he fell down upon his knees, and uttered the greatest part of the following prayer in the posture of kneeling.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 47, 50 The margin reference shows that the king was so…
The margin reference shows that the king was so placed as to be seen by all present, and that, before beginning his prayer, he knelt down upon his knees (compare 1Ki 8:54).
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv22, 25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41, 44, 47 Heaven, falling on his knees, ver. 54., and 2…
Heaven, falling on his knees, ver. 54., and 2 Paralipomenon vi. 13. This is the first instance we find of people praying on their knees, which was common afterwards, 1 Esdras ix. 5., Isaias xlv. 24., Daniel vi. 10., and Acts ix. 40., and xx. 36. The Christian church generally adopts this custom. So did the pagans, (Et genibus pronus, supplex, similisque roganti.; Metam. iii.) as they also stretched for their hands. Sustulit exutas vinclis ad sidera palmas, says Virgil. (Æneid ii. 153.) This practice was very general, Psalm xxvii. 2., and 1 Timothy ii. 8.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v22 HIS PRAYER. (1Ki. 8:22-61)
HIS PRAYER. (1Ki. 8:22-61)
Solomon stood before the altar--This position was in the court of the people, on a brazen scaffold erected for the occasion (Ch2 6:13), fronting the altar of burnt offering, and surrounded by a mighty concourse of people. Assuming the attitude of a suppliant, kneeling (Kg1 8:54; compare Ch2 6:24) and with uplifted hands, he performed the solemn act of consecration--an act remarkable, among other circumstances, for this, that it was done, not by the high priest or any member of the Aaronic family, but by the king in person, who might minister about, though not in, holy things. This sublime prayer [1Ki. 8:22-35], which breathes sentiments of the loftiest piety blended with the deepest humility, naturally bore a reference to the national blessing and curse contained in the law--and the burden of it--after an ascription of praise to the Lord for the bestowment of the former, was an earnest supplication for deliverance from the latter. He specifies seven cases in which the merciful interposition of God would be required; and he earnestly bespeaks it on the condition of people praying towards that holy place. The blessing addressed to the people at the close is substantially a brief recapitulation of the preceding prayer [Kg1 8:56-61].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 27, 31, 32, 37, 38, 41, 43, 44, 46 22. Solomon stood — The word stood does not…
22. Solomon stood — The word stood does not here designate Solomon’s posture in prayer, for that was kneeling, (1Ki_8:54; 2Ch_6:13,) but rather the position he occupied relatively to the altar and the congregation. Before he kneeled down in prayer he stood in the presence of all the people, and in that posture addressed them and blessed them.
Before the altar of the Lord — He was both before the altar and in presence of the congregation. “Solomon, in all his other glory, even on his ivory throne, looked not so great as he did now.” — Henry. The altar here referred to was the great brazen altar of burnt offerings which stood in the court.
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Spread forth his hands — A usual custom in prayer. Compare Exo_9:33; Ezr_9:5; Psa_28:2; Isa_1:15.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 49, 50 22–53. Solomon’s prayer (2Ch_6:12-42)
22–53. Solomon’s prayer (2Ch_6:12-42)
22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord] This was the altar of burnt offerings which stood in the Temple court. In 2Ch_6:13 we have an explanation which is omitted here, “For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court, and upon it he stood and kneeled down before all the congregation of Israel.” (See note on 1Ki_8:54.)
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Josephus gives as the opening of this prayer a passage utterly foreign to the character of Solomon’s words. “It is not possible for men by what they do to give God thanks for the benefits they have received. For the divinity is in need of nothing and is above all such requital. But with that wherein we are made by Thee, O Lord, superior to other living creatures, with that we are bound to bless Thy majesty and to give thanks for what Thou hast wrought for my house, and for the people of the Hebrews. For with what is it more fitting that we should supplicate Thee, whether Thou be angry or continuest gracious, than with the voice which we derive from the air and know to be sent back through the same medium?”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 44, 50 (23) There is no God like Thee.—These words, often…
(23) There is no God like Thee.—These words, often used in the Psalms (Psa_71:19; Psa_86:8; Psa_89:6), and especially found in the thanksgiving of David after the great promise (2Sa_7:22), are evidently suggested by more ancient utterances of devotion; as for example, in the first recorded Psalm at the Red Sea (Exo_15:11). In them we trace the spiritual process by which the Israelites were trained from the polytheism of their forefathers to the knowledge of the One only God. He is known to them, first, in the close personal relation of “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” to whom “none is like” of all gods whom others worshipped; but next, in His universal relation to the universe as the “God Almighty, and the Judge of the whole earth” (Gen_17:2; Gen_18:25); lastly, as Jehovah, “God,” indeed, “of Israel,” but, by the very meaning of the name, the One Self-existent Being, source of all other life. Thus, in the thanksgiving of David to the words, “none is like Thee,” is added at once the higher belief, “there is no God beside Thee.” In this prayer of Solomon there follows at once the striking confession that the “heaven of heavens cannot contain” His Infinity.
Who keepest covenant and mercy.—This phrase, again, familiar in prayer (see Deu_7:9; Neh_1:5; Dan_9:4), is clearly traceable to the conclusion of the Second Commandment (Exo_20:6), and the special revelation of God to Moses in the Mount (Exo_34:6-7). It is notable, not merely because it describes God as manifesting Himself “most chiefly by showing mercy and pity,” but also because it declares this manifestation of mercy to be pledged to man as a chief part of His covenant. So in the New Testament it is said that, to those who claim His covenant in Christ, “He is faithful and just to forgive sins.”
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(23-53) The prayer of Solomon, uttered (see 1Ki_8:54) on his knees with hands uplifted to heaven, long and detailed as it is, is yet of extreme simplicity of idea. It begins (a), in 1Ki_8:23-25, with a thankful acknowledgment of the fulfilment of one part of the great promise to David, and a prayer for the like fulfilment of the other; next (b), in 1Ki_8:26-30, acknowledging that God’s presence can be limited to no Temple, it yet Asks that His peculiar blessing may rest on prayer uttered toward the place which He has hallowed; and then (c), in 1Ki_8:31-53, applies that petition to the various contingencies, of oath taken in His name, of rain withheld, of disaster in battle, of famine and pestilence, of captivity in a foreign land, and extends it not only to Israel, but to the stranger who shall acknowledge and invoke the Lord Jehovah. Its constantly recurring burden is, “Hear Thou from heaven thy dwelling-place, and when Thou hearest, Lord, forgive.” It is plain that before Solomon’s mind there are continually present in some form the blessing and the curse pronounced in the Law (see Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28); and it is most true to human nature, and especially characteristic of the thoughtfulness of his philosophic temper, that over the bright hour of exultation there seems to hover a constant foreboding of evils and trials to come.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv22–50 SECTION II The Prayer.
SECTION II The Prayer.
The prayer of dedication, properly so called, now begins. This solemn and beautiful composition was probably copied by our author from the "Book of the Acts of Solomon", (1Ki_11:41) possibly from the "Book of Nathan the prophet". (2Ch_9:29) It was evidently committed to writing beforehand, and would, no doubt, as a matter of course, be religiously preserved. The later criticism objects to its authenticity that the many references to the Pentateuch (compare ver. 12 with Exo_19:9; ver. 31 with Exo_22:11,le Exo_5:1; ver. 33 with Leviticus Deu_28:25; ver. 36 with Lev_26:25; ver. 50 Lev_26:40, Lev_26:42; ver. 51 with Deu_4:20, etc.) prove it to be of a later date. Ewald assigns it to the seventh century B.C.; but this is simply to beg the question of the date of the Pentateuch. It is obviously open to reply that these references only prove that the king was acquainted, as he was bound to be, (Deu_17:18) with the words of the law. It divides itself into three parts. The first (vers. 22-30) is general; the second (vers. 31-53) consists of seven special petitions; the last (vers. 50-53) consists of a general conclusion and appeal to God"s covenant mercy.
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And Solomon stood i.e., took his stand (LXX ajnesth). Not "was standing." It was but for a moment, however, for we find him presently kneeling. (ver. 54; 2Ch_6:13) The latter passage informs us that he both stood and knelt upon a "brazen scaffold," three cubits high before the altar of the Lord i.e., the brazen altar of sacrifice. The platform or scaffold was "set in the midst of the court". All these rites took place in the open air. The king bad no place within the edifice in the presence the word is not to be pressed to mean "facing the people." It is hardly likely he would pray towards the people he was their profhthv, i.e., he spoke for them to God or turn his back on the sacred Presence just manifested, and spread forth his hands towards heaven: one attitude of earnest prayer thoughout the East, as may be seen at the present day amongst the Mohammedans. (See Lane"s "Modern Egyptians," ch. 3., "Religion and Laws.") So completely was this posture identified with supplication that to "lift up the hands" came to be a synonym for prayer. (Exo_9:29, 33 Psa_44:20 Psa_143:6 Isa_1:15 Isa_65:2)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 33 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord.
1Ki_8:22-61
Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord.
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The dedicatory prayer
Now we approach the great prayer by which the temple was dedicated. The house itself was nothing. It was but a gilded sepulchre, an elaborate and costly vacancy. First of all, therefore, we stand convinced that however much we may do technically, it can only be regarded as in a preparatory or introductory capacity. We can build the house, but we cannot supply the tenant.
1. Solomons conception of the personality and dignity of God stands out quite conspicuously in the pages of history for its unrivalled sublimity. He speaks as one who was well instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom. In this prayer of Solomons there is what some persons often mistakenly call preaching even in the language of devotion. Prayer is not request only, it is fellowship, communion, identification with God; it is the soul pouring itself out just as it will in all the tender compulsion of love, asking God for blessings, praising God for mercies, committing itself to God in view of all the mystery and peril of the future. Solomon having thus addressed the God of Israel, turns to Providence as revealed in the history of the chosen people, goes back even so far as the bringing-forth of Israel out of Egypt, and indicates point after point, at least suggestively, until David was elected to reign over the people Israel, and purposed as king to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. Solomon does not take the whole credit to himself for the origination of this idea of the temple. He connects his action with the purpose that was in the heart of David his father. The temple, so beautiful and so costly, is not to be associated with anything that is merely religiously mystic. This is not a tent of superstition, not a habitation created for the purpose of indulging spiritual romances which can never have any bearing upon actual human life. Throughout his prayer we discover on the part of Solomon how thoroughly he identifies the house of God with all human interests.
2. How natural it is that human imagination should be confounded by the impossibility of the infinite God locating Himself within finite space. We do not consider that it is because God is infinite that He can, so to say, thus become finite. The finite never can become infinite, but it would seem to belong to infinite perfection to adapt itself to human limitation and necessity. God Himself has addressed the ages in a tone precisely coincident with the language of Solomon: Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? Solomon was therefore strictly within the line of revelation when he propounded the solemn inquiry. Everything depends upon our point of view in considering this great Question of Gods condescension.
3. One might well think that the millennium had set in with the solemn dedication of the temple, and that all things would begin anew, and certainly that the time of tragedy, rebellion, and suffering had for ever passed away. We find, however, that Solomon orders his prayer in such a manner and tone as to recognise distinctly the fact that all things which had ever occurred which could try the faith, the patience, and the virtue of men would occur again and again to the end of the chapter. No; on the contrary: though the temple stands as a monument of human piety and as a fulfilment of a divine promise, human life will go on in all the variety of a divine promise, human life go on in all the variety of its experience much as it had gone on from the beginning. What then, is there nothing in the point of history thus established by the building of this holy house? Henceforth it is to be understood that whatever happens admits of religious treatment, and is to be taken to the temple itself for consideration and adjustment. Solomon recognises God as the ruler of providence and the controller of all nature. He is not afraid to trace the absence of rain to an ordinance of the Most High. A perusal of the history of his own people would make it clear that from early times God had been recognised as ruling over the elements of nature. Thus is the dominion of God enlarged by the religious imagination of Solomon; and thus, from the other point of view, is the revelation of God confirmed by the testimony of those who have most profoundly studied his ways and purposes in the earth.
4. Solomon, having ended his prayer, stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, and in that blessing he made one declaration which cannot but be quoted from age to age with increasing emphasis and joy--There hath not failed one word of all his good promise. This is the continual testimony of the Church. Thus with hardly any variation of language is the continuance of the Divine goodness reaffirmed. This is matter of personal experience. Every man can examine his own life, and see wherein he has been faithful, and wherein he has been faithless, and say distinctly whether faithfulness has not been followed by benediction, and faithlessness by disapprobation. Many promises remain yet to be fulfilled. Specially there remains the promise to be fulfilled that God will be with His people in the valley of the shadow of death. There is no discharge in that war! These triumphant conditions can only be realised by continual and growing faith in Him who is the resurrection and the life. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The Temple dedicated
I. The Church is the house of God. Every home in Israel had its family worship and secret prayer; but the cloud of glory came only upon the Temple. So now God is present in His house with a blessing which we can get nowhere else.
II. The Church brings blessings to the nation. All other institutions, our good schools and happy homes, depend upon it. Just to see in a town a building consecrated to God makes men think of Him; it is His sign, inviting people to come for heavenly riches and heavenly healing.
III. The Church has a special promise for children. Gods covenant with David brought to Solomon much of his glory and honour. The covenant with Abraham included his descendants. The Heavenly Father knows how dearly earthly parents love their children, and promises that if they will bring them up rightly, He Himself will take especial care of them. The special lessons we can learn to-day are very plain.
1. Reverence the House of God.
2. Love the Church.
3. Attend Church regularly.
4. Consecrate yourself to God. (Monday Club Sermons.)
The Temple dedicated
The undivided kingdom of Israel reached the zenith of its course in the reign of Solomon. Like Julius Caesar, David was the military hero and champion of his nation. He extended its territory from Egypt to the Euphrates, and centralised its government on the conquered heights of Jerusalem. But Solomon, the Augustus of Hebrew history, was an organiser and administrator. Jehovah, instead of teaching his hands to war, gave him rather a wise and an understanding heart, and both riches and honour, so that he was the greatest king of his day (1Ki_3:1-28; 1Ki_12:13; 1Ki_4:24). These gifts and opportunities naturally made him also the Pericles of his race. His reign was distinguished for its magnificent architecture. This dedicated temple of Solomon is a pregnant type.
1. It Is a type of Jesus Christ. The architectural magnificence of Solomons temple but feebly prefigures the perfection of Christs wonderful person. Solomons temple was to Israel a symbol of permanence, but Jesus, looking at its second successor, declared that not one stone should be left upon another; and there, thinking of his own mastery even over death itself, declared, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. But he spake of the temple of his body (Joh_2:19-20). The temple was the dwelling-place of God; Jesus Christ is God incarnate. The temple was the meeting-place for God and man; Jesus is the divine-human Mediator, and whatsoever we ask in his name we receive (Joh_16:23). The temple was the place for intercession and atonement; Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us, and he is the sacrificial Lamb whose blood cleanseth us from all sin. The temple contained the ark of the covenant; Jesus has fulfilled all law, and in love he binds all filial souls to the divine Father.
2. Solomons temple is a type of heaven. It is Jehovahs permanent dwelling-place (1Ki_8:30; 1Ki_8:32, etc.).
3. Solomons temple is a type of every Christian. For the Christian is the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in him, demanding a pure home (1Co_3:16-17). Thus the glory of Solomon was the temple which bears his name; the glory of that temple was its typifying of Christ, of His Church and His heaven; and the glory of Christ, of the Church, even of heaven, is a human life fully consecrated to God in Christ. (S. J. Macpherson, D. D.)
The dedication of the Temple
I. Solomon begins with the expression of his sober sense of the Divine greatness. He exclaims, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath. Now it will be of no use whatsoever for any human being, who is intelligently proposing to consecrate himself fully to Gods service, to attempt to covenant with the Almighty without realising that he has entered upon the most awfully serious moment of his life: for he is dealing with the one supreme Head of the universe.
II. Then comes an affecting remembrance of the Divine grace. Solomon openly admits that he is now in the immediate presence of that God who was accustomed to keep covenant and mercy with his servants that walk before him with all their heart.
III. Solomon makes a humble acknowledgment of the Divine condescension. He has prepared for God this palace. But now in this moment of his highest satisfaction he appears surprised by a fresh revelation of the glory of God. No sentence in all this extraordinary address is more pathetic in its disclosure of experience than that we find here: But will God indeed dwell on the earth behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! It is the grand simplicity of such an exclamation that fixes an unusual character upon it. The candour of the confession shows a heart penetrated with the consciousness that its very best gift must be sanctified by the altar of God it lies upon before the infinite holiness of Jehovah can accept it.
IV. Solomon trustfully accepts the fulness of the Divine invitation to continue to hold communication with him in the building he was offering. Attention was long ago caned to the fact that the disciples going to Emmaus were not enlightened so as to recognise Jesus all along the way where they conversed with Him; not until they fulfilled His commands in the exercise of hospitality did they suddenly discover how their hearts had burned with the thoughts He had given them. Not by hearing His precepts, says Gregory in one of his homilies, but by doing them, did they receive illumination. The souls that only freely receive, it is not at all certain will be those who will understand. It is when souls freely give, they begin to grow intelligent. Mystery then ceases, mysticism ends, and reality begins. One of the loftiest steps of Christian consecration is reached when a man is beginning to realise fully that God has invited him to pray for all he needs, in that very moment in which he has given away all he has in this world.
V. Solomon suggests his sense of a lifelong need for the divine companionship and favour. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v22 1Ki_8:28. Prayer, supplication, and cry—תְּפִלָּה, מְּחִנּה רנּה are respectively…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
1Ki_8:28. Prayer, supplication, and cry—תְּפִלָּה, מְּחִנּה רנּה are respectively prayer in general (whether praise, petition, or thanks), entreaty or supplication (petition for grace and help), and praise (prayer as the joyful expression of praise and thanks).—Keil.
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1Ki_8:31. If any man trespass—Solomon here passes from general prayer, and begins to specify distinct cases. Seven particular cases are given in which God’s merciful interposition would be needed: concerning the observation of the oath (31, 32), captives (33, 34), drought (35, 36), land plagues (37–40), strangers (41–43), Israelites when absent from Zion (44, 45), captives (46–50). 1Ki_8:51-53. A concluding argument by which Solomon urges his prayer. 1Ki_8:54-61. Solomon counsels and blesses the congregation—He arose from the altar, … and he stood and blessed, &c.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_8:22-53
A MODEL DEDICATORY PRAYER
THIS is a prayer of unusual length, of great compass and pathos in its petitions; and is “remarkable as combining the conception of the Infinity of the Divine Presence with the hope that the Divine Mercies will be drawn down on the nation by the concentration of the national devotions, and even of the devotions of foreign nations towards this fixed locality.” It consists of three parts—
1. Adoration for the fulfilment of the promise to David (1Ki_8:23-24).
2. Prayer for its continued fulfilment, and for blessings upon the concentration of worship at the Temple (1Ki_8:25-30).
3. Supplication for specific blessings (31–53); e.g., in cases of trespass, when smitten before enemies, in times of drought, famine, or plague, for the devout stranger, for success in battle, and for deliverance from captivity. These prayers for specific blessings are seven, thus corresponding in number with the seven petitions of the Lord’s prayer. We may regard the whole prayer as illustrative of and embodying the three principal ideas which governed the religious life of the Jewish people—the ideas of God, of sin, and of a coming deliverance. Just as the Grecians represented the philosophic and artistic culture, and the Romans the legislative capacity, of the human race, so the Israelites represented the religious principle—the greatest force of all, and that which was destined to interpenetrate all other forces, and use them for the advancement and salvation of the race. An examination of the scope and matter of this prayer will show how the three leading ideas referred to were ingrained in the national consciousness of Israel. The whole prayer is an excellent model that may be appropriately followed in the dedicatory services of every sanctuary solemnly set apart for Divine worship.
I. This prayer is illustrative of the Israelitish idea of Jehovah. The whole world was overrun with polytheism, and the idea of one God was in danger of being utterly extinguished. Abraham, the founder of the Jewish nation, was rescued, by the special call of heaven, from the darkness and bewilderment of heathenism, and became the great apostle of monotheism. With his descendants was deposited the precious truth, which, though at first a strictly national possession, was ultimately to enrich and exalt mankind. The Israelites cherished the loftiest ideas of Jehovah—
1. As a Being of Incomparable Majesty: “There is no God like Thee” (1Ki_8:23). Jehovah is not compared here with other gods; but, on the contrary, is described as the only true God (compare Deu_4:39; Jos_2:11; 2Sa_7:22; 2Sa_22:32). God is recognized as the living and personal God, who is the source and power of all things, and in comparison with whom all is emptiness and vanity.
2. As a Being of Infinite condescension: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (1Ki_8:27). The omnipresence and infinitude of Jehovah are acknowledged. This is at once a refutation of the anthropomorphic notions of God such as heathenism made in its temples, and which it might seek to associate with His dwelling, no longer a movable tent, but in a permanent building; and also a refutation of the pantheistic notion of Deity, which the highest philosophy of heathendom, by identifying God and the world, imagined. “The Israelitish idea of God knows nothing of a contradiction between the supernal, infinite, and absolute being of God, and His entering into creaturely, finite, and limited being. Just because He is infinite and unsearchable, He can communicate with the finite; and because He is everywhere, He can be peculiarly present in one place, centring His presence and displaying His absolute sublimity.”
3. As a Being of unutterable purity. From Him proceeds the law which discovers sin in us and holiness in Him, and which law is the rule to regulate our earthly life. The whole Levitical economy, in its elaborate particularity, was so constructed as specially to detect and unveil sin in man, and to foster the most exalted conceptions of Divine purity.
4. As a Being of boundless mercy: “Who keepest covenant and mercy;” “And when thou hearest, forgive” (1Ki_8:23; 1Ki_8:30). He is the gracious and merciful God to whom the poor and afflicted may look for help, and all the world for blessing. In the new covenant we no longer call upon God as the God of Israel, but as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has revealed Himself to us through Christ, and through Christ alone do we find in Him the true God, the God of grace and mercy (Eph_1:3; Joh_17:3). We have glimpses now of the depth and vastness of God’s mercy which the most pious Israelite never saw.
5. As a Being of unchangeable faithfulness (1Ki_8:24-25). Through the ages of the past, notwithstanding the failures and sins of His chosen people, Jehovah continued steadfast to His part of the covenant. The course of Jewish history is studded with wondrous and convincing evidences of the unswerving fidelity of God; and the sacred writers are never wearied in rehearsing the mighty acts which were done in defence and preservation of His people, and in the accomplishment of His promised Word. The believer of to-day has the same invulnerable fidelity to fall back upon: “Faithful is He who hath promised, who also will do it.”
II. This prayer is illustrative of the Israelitish idea of sin. Israel is the nation conscious of sin, conscious as no other nation ever was or could be. The best of men in the pre-Christian age were conscious there was something radically wrong, but they had no just conception of the nature of the wrong, and were utterly powerless to devise a remedy. Convinced that things could not go on as they were, they looked for the destruction of the world, and despaired of mankind. The piety and religions of the ancient world resolved themselves into stoical scepticism on the one hand, and superstitious despair on the other. There was no nation in whom the consciousness of sin was deeper, more genuine, or more powerful than in Israel. The law was a constant remembrancer and a constant convicter of sin. Sacrifice was the central point of all the rites and ceremonies of the law. The sacred fire was to be burning incessantly upon the altar; sacrifices were to be offered day by day; and the climax of all sacrifice was that offered on the great day of atonement, on which the high priest, as the representative of the nation, laid upon the sacrificial animal the sins of the whole people, bore the blood of atonement into the place of God’s typical presence, and sprinkled with it the mercy seat, that the people might be absolved from sin, and reconciled to God. Not only is universal sinfulness expressly asserted—“There is no man that sinneth not;” or, rather, That may not sin (1Ki_8:46)—but the living consciousness of sin is interwoven with every thought. This is the more characteristic, as it was not a penitential ceremony at which the prayer was offered, but a joyful thanksgiving festival, and it was offered by a king who was the wisest of his time, and had reached the summit of power and prosperity. It is evident, then, how deeply rooted was this consciousness of sin in Israel, and how inseparably it was blent with their religious ideas. (Consult Luthardt’s Fundamental Truths, Lecture viii., and Lange’s Com.) The deeper our sense of sin, the more awful does the holiness of God appear, and the more eagerly do we welcome and prize His mercy.
III. This prayer is illustrative of the Israelitish idea of future deliverance and glory. Israel was the nation of hope. Ancient prophecies of a Redeemer and of a glorious redemption, in which the whole world was to share (1Ki_8:60), existed among this people, and ever kept their view directed to the future. These prophecies assumed a form ever increasingly definite, while their fulfilment was confided to an ever narrowing circle—to the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Judah, the house of David. And now Israel, in the reigns of David and Solomon, has reached the climax of its history and the maturity of its national development and glory; and this era is a type of the victorious conflicts and universal peace of the future, when a greater than Solomon shall reign over a vanquished and ransomed world. It is remarkable that while Solomon is offering this prayer, at the very flood-tide of national prosperity and triumph, as if gifted by prophetic insight, he foresees the defeat and captivities of Israel in the future, and earnestly supplicates for their restoration, that the Divine purpose in advancing the good of mankind and His own glory might not be frustated (1Ki_8:46-53—compare with 1Ki_8:43-60). “The common talk of vulgar rationalism, about Jehovah being only a God of the Jews and of their land, appears in all its emptiness and folly when contrasted with the official acknowledgment of Israel’s world-wide mission, and which acknowledgment was made on a most solemn occasion.” The continual approach of a great deliverance and of an era of happy, peaceful, and glorious government, is the great theme of all the Hebrew prophets. Diversely as the records may read, penned as they were under such different circumstances, all the varying features of the prophetic utterances combine to form one great, bright picture of future blessings. The history of Israel to the present is a witness to the veracity of the prophecies and to the wondrous facts of Christianity. The prince who, on one occasion, asked his chaplain to furnish him with the evidence of the truth of Christianity, but to do so briefly, for he had no time to spare, received as an answer the words—“The Jews, your majesty!”
LESSONS:—
1. Prayer is a humble admission of personal dependence and helplessness.
2. Must be offered to the only living and true God.
3. Should be comprehensive in its topics.
4. Should be urgent and persevering in supplication.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki_8:22. Solomon stands before the altar, bows the knee, stretches out his hands; the people stand around, the worshippers turn their faces towards the sanctuary (1Ki_8:38; 1Ki_8:44; 1Ki_8:48; 1Ki_8:54). In prayer the ancients used to spread out the palms of their hands, as it were to receive a blessing from God (Exo_9:29; Psa_44:20; Psa_143:6). Outward forms for the worship and service of God are not to be rejected when they are the natural unbidden outflow of inward feeling. They are worthless when they are regarded as meritorious, and man puts his trust in them (Luk_18:11). They are sinful and blameworthy if they are performed merely for appearance’s sake, or to deceive men (Mat_6:5; Mat_6:16). The Lord knows the hearts of all men; one cannot serve the living God with dead works. The Lord Himself and His Apostles prayed upon their knees (Luk_22:41; Eph_3:14). No one is so exalted that he ought not to bow his knee and clasp his hand.
1Ki_8:23-53. The prayer of Solomon.
1. A witness to his faith. He confesses the living, holy, and one God before all the people.
2. To his love. He bears his people upon his heart, and makes intercession for them.
3. To his hope. He hopes that all nations will come to a knowledge of the true God. From Solomon we may learn how we ought to pray—in true reverence and humiliation before God, with earnestness and zeal, with undoubting confidence that we shall be heard. What an elevating spectacle—a king upon his knees praying aloud in the presence of his whole people, and in their behalf! Although the highest of them all, he is not ashamed to declare himself a servant of God, and to fall down upon his knees; although the wisest of them all, he prays, as a testimony that a wisdom which can no longer pray is folly; although the mightiest of all, he confesses that nothing is done by his power alone, but that the Lord is the King Eternal; therefore it is that he does not merely rule over his subjects, but as an upright king supplicates and prays for them likewise.—Lange.
1Ki_8:27. Reflecting upon God’s performance of His promise concerning the building of the Temple, Solomon breaks forth into admiration. Is it possible that the great and high and lofty God should stoop so low as to take up His dwelling here amongst men! O, astonishing condescension! The heaven—all this vast space of the visible world:—And heaven of heavens—the third and highest and therefore the largest heaven, called the heaven of heavens here (as also Deu_10:14; Psa_148:4), for its eminency and comprehensiveness—cannot contain Thee, for Thy essence reacheth far beyond them, being omnipresent. How much less this house that I have builded! This house, therefore, was not built as if it were proportionable to Thy greatness, or could contain Thee, but only that therein we might serve and glorify Thee.—Pool.
By the sentence that the heaven of heavens—i.e., the heaven in its most extended compass; the illimitable space above the visible heaven or firmament which lies immediately over the earth—cannot contain God, Solomon strikes down all rationalistic assertions, that the Israelites imagined Jehovah to be only a finite national god. The infinite and supra-mundane exaltation of God cannot be more clearly and strongly expressed than it is in these words. That, however, Solomon was addicted to no abstract idealism is sufficiently apparent from this, that he unites this consciousness of the infinite exaltation of God with the firm belief of His real presence in the temple. The true God is not merely infinitely exalted above the world, has not only His throne in heaven (1Ki_8:34; 1Ki_8:36; 1Ki_8:39; Psa_2:4; Psa_11:4; Psa_103:19; Isa_66:1; Amo_9:6), He is also present on the earth (Deu_4:39), has chosen the temple for the dwelling place of His name in Israel, from which He hears the prayers of His people.—Keil.
—Although the heaven of heavens cannot contain the Unmeasurable and Infinite One, and no building, how great and noble soever, can suffice for Him, yet, in His mercy, He will make His dwelling place (Joh_14:23) in the heart of that man who loves Him and keeps His word, and it will truly become a temple of God (1Co_3:16). He will dwell with those who are of a humble spirit (Isa_57:15; Psa_113:5-6).
1Ki_8:27-30. The greatness and condescension of God. I. God is too great to be confined by anything that has limits.
1. He is greater than all created things: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee” (1Ki_8:27). Solomon wonders that God should appoint a temple to be erected to Him upon the earth, when He is not contained in the vast circuit of the heavens; His essence is not straitened in the limits of any created work. He who was before the world, and place, and all things, was to Himself a world, a place, and everything: He is really out of the world in Himself, as He was in Himself before the creation of the world. As because God was before the foundation of the world we conclude His eternity, so because He is without the bounds of the world we conclude His immensity. He is above and outside of all His creatures, and governs all the possibilities of their existence
2. He is present everywhere. Everything is filled by God; but that which is filled is different from that by which it is filled. The Omnipresent God is the inmost fundamental Being of everything that exists: He is the life of all that lives, the Spirit of all spirits. And as He is all in all, so is all in Him. As the bird in the air, as the fish in the sea, so do all creatures live and move and have their being in God. The world of time and space, of nature and history, is contained in Him. But although creation is contained in God, God is not contained in His creation. Although the Omnipresent One is essentially present in every leaf and every grain of wheat, He dwells and moves freely in Himself, in virtue of His eternity. The fundamental error of Pantheism is the notion that God is Omnipresent of necessity. God is present in one way in nature, in another way in history; in one way in the church, in another way in the world: He is not, in the same sense, present alike in the hearts of His saints, and in those of the ungodly; in heaven and in hell (Martensen). II. God condescends to make His church His dwelling place.
1. Here His presence is especially realized: “The place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there” (1Ki_8:29). The choice of Jerusalem as the place seems to have been made by special revelation to David (Psa_78:68; Psa_132:13, comp. with 1Ch_22:1). The Name Jehovah is synonymous with the nature and perfections of Jehovah; and it is here intimated that He would be present in His temple to show forth His power and glory by enlightening, quickening, pardoning, sanctifying, and saving the devout and sincere worshipper. As the prayerful Jew directed his gaze towards the Temple of Jerusalem, so the believer must address his prayers to God through Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the spiritual church (Dan_7:10, with Heb_10:19-20; Col_1:18).
2. Here His word is deposited. The church is commissioned to hold inviolate the sacred trust, and to disseminate the Word in all its purity and power. The hoarded riches of ancient cities were paltry compared with the inexhaustible wealth of revelations which are treasured up in the church of God—treasured up not to lie unused and unproductive, but to enrich the world.
3. Here His mercy is dispensed. The ark of the covenant, with its mercy seat, was in the Temple—a symbol of hope and a pledge of deliverance to the transgressor. III. God is graciously pleased to hear and answer the prayer of the humble suppliant (1Ki_8:28; 1Ki_8:30).
1. Prayer may be offered anywhere. The exclusiveness of the Jewish religion was a preparation for, and made possible, a religion that was to be adapted to universal man. In the old dispensation prayer was offered in or towards Jerusalem (1Ki_8:30): in the present dispensation the command is that “Men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting” (1Ti_2:8). Both tabernacle and temple were types of Christ—God manifest in the flesh; and He was and is the Mediator between God and man. The human nature of Christ is the temple in which dwell all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; therefore all prayer, to be acceptable and entitled to a hearing, must be offered to God through Him. There is no restriction as to locality. From the crowded sanctuary or the quiet home-circle, from the dingy prison or the pathless seas, the worshipper may direct his prayers to the Great Helper of the helpless.
2. Prayer, to be successful, must be fervent. Solomon speaks of the “cry” and the “supplication” (1Ki_8:28; 1Ki_8:30). The more vividly the soul realizes its need and its peril, the more pathetic and passionate will be its cry for help. Spite of the hollow sneer of modern scientists, prayer has an indefinable something about it that moves the heart of God, and brings Him consciously nearer to the praying soul. The most coveted prizes in religious experience have been won by wrestling prayer.
LESSONS:—
1. The greatness of God is manifested in His merciful condescension.
2. He is worthy of ceaseless adoration.
3. The most abject sinner who turns to Him will not be rejected.
1Ki_8:29. The eye of God looks upon every house where His name is honoured, where all with one mind raise heart and hand to Him, and call upon His name (Psa_121:4). To every church the saying is applicable—My Name shall be there. The object of every church is to be a dwelling-place of divine revelation, i.e., of the revealed Word of God, in which, upon the strength of that Word, worship, praise, and prayer shall be offered to the name of the Lord.
1Ki_8:30. The houses of God, above all else, must be houses of prayer (Isa_56:7): they are desecrated if devoted to merely worldly purposes of any kind whatsoever, instead of being used for prayer and supplication. The hearing of prayer does not, indeed, depend upon the place where it is offered (Joh_4:20), but prayer should have an appointed place, where we can present ourselves, even as God wills that, together with one voice, we humbly exalt His name (Rom_15:6; Psa_34:4). Where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is in their midst; how much more will He be where a whole congregation is assembled to call upon Him.—Lange.
1Ki_8:31-50. The seven petitions of the prayer teach us—
1. In all necessity of body and soul to turn to the Lord, who alone can help, and call upon Him with earnestness and zeal (Psa_50:15; Psa_91:14-15).
2. In all our straits to recognize the wholesome discipline of an holy and just God, who will show us the good way in which we must walk (Psa_94:12; Heb_12:5).
3. To confess our sins, and to implore forgiveness in order that we may be heard (Psa_32:1; Psa_32:5; Psa_32:7).
4. Not only for ourselves, but also for others, in their time of need, should we pray and supplicate, even as the king does here for all individual men, and for his entire people.—Lange.
1Ki_8:31-32. The solemn appeal of the accused.
1. That cases will arise where it is difficult to convict the wrong-doer of his crime. Sin is subtle in its movements and deceptive in its appearance. It often wears the garb of the saint, while it is enacting the enormities of the most vicious. How often is the truth concealed by the most miserable equivocation. A sudden lie may be sometimes only manslaughter upon truth; but, by a carefully constructed equivocation, truth always is, with malice aforethought, deliberately murdered. It is difficult to detect the real culprit, amid the mystifications he has himself originated, as it is to seize the cuttlefish by groping in the inky waters it has itself discoloured.
2. That the final refuge of baffled justice is to allow the accused an appeal to the judgment of God.
1. This appeal has been often abused. In the ruder stages of human development, very painful methods were resorted to as tests of innocence. Fire and sword were freely used for this purpose. In the dark ages a fire was kindled within the church, not far from the great altar; a bar of iron was heated, and, after an elaborate ritual of prayers and abjurations, the accused was required to carry the red-hot iron nine yards from the flame. The moment he laid it down, he was borne by the priests into the vestry: there his hands were wrapped in linen cloths, sealed down with the signet of the church; and, according to the condition in which the hands were found on the third day, was he declared innocent or guilty. A belief was common among the northern nations that the corpse of a murdered person would bleed on the touch or at the approach of the real murderer; and this test was often applied with great and imposing ceremonies. In Borneo, we are told, when two dyaks have to decide which is in the right, they have two equal lumps of salt given them to drop into water, and he whose lump dissolves first is deemed to be in the wrong. Or, they put two live shell-fish on a plate—one for each litigant—and squeezing lime-juice over them, the verdict is given according to which man’s mollusc stirs first. The Siamese, again, have a curious way of deciding the truth between two parties in the absence of witnesses: their method is to ascertain which of the two can stay longest under water. Such are specimens of the varied plans which reveal the craft, the audacity, and the folly of mankind.
2. This appeal must be solemn and sincere (1Ki_8:31). Though the method may be abused, we may and must call upon God to help the innocent man to his rights, and, even in this world, to reward the evil man according to his deserts. It is allowable for a pious man to entreat God to administer his just cause; yet, must he not wish evil to his neighbour in mere human vindictiveness (Psa_109:1). The oath is a prayer, a solemn invocation of God in testimony of the truth: the false oath is not merely a lie, but an insolent mockery of God, and God will not be mocked (Gal_6:7; Exo_20:7). Bear in mind, when thou swearest, that thou art standing before the altar, i.e., before the judgment-seat of the Holy and Just God, who can condemn body and soul to hell. Where the oath is no longer held sacred, there the nation and the state go to ruin.—(Starke).
3. That the Judgment of God is infallible in the punishment of the guilty and the vindication of the innocent (1Ki_8:32). The sinner cannot triumph for ever; and the cries of the injured for justice are not in vain. The retribution of the wicked is often swift, and is always terrible: God “brings his way upon his head.” This He hath done on those who have taken false oaths of execration, as may be instanced in the three false accusers of Narcissus, the bishop of Jerusalem; in the case of Earl Godwin; and in the case of one Anne Averies, who, forswearing herself in a shop in Wood Street, London, in 1575, praying God she might sink where she stood, if she had not paid for the wares she took, fell down speechless and instantly expired. Verily, there is a God that ruleth in the earth, and every act of man shall receive its due recompense according to its character.
LESSONS:—
1. The innocent need not fear the strictest scrutiny.
2. Sin it certain to be discovered and punished.
3. The appeal to Divine Justice it not in vain.
—Personal injuries. I. Should not be lightly inferred. Here an oath was taken of the man who had inflicted the injury. This oath was to be taken before God’s altar.
II. Should be committed into the hand of God. The Judge of all the earth will do right. Prayer to God when we smart under injury will—
1. Prevent a vindictive spirit.
2. Lead us to desire the triumph of righteousness.
1Ki_8:33-34. The terrible scourge of war.
1. That the defence of a nation depends upon the bravery of its people.
2. That sin saps the foundation of natural courage.
3. That war is sometimes an instrument of punishment for national offences.
4. That war is ever attended with terrible suffering.
5. That defeat often drives a nation to seek help and deliverance in prayer.
6. That God hears the cry of the humble and penitent captives, and brings them out of their distresses.
—I. The commission of sin producing national calamities. Israel smitten before the enemy, “because they sinned.” This result may be brought about by the operation of natural laws—not necessary to suppose any miraculous intervention. Sin weakens—sin destroys.
II. The means that should be employed in times of calamity.
1. Reformation—“Turn again to thee.”
2. Confession of sin—“Confess thy name.”
3. Prayer to God—“And pray.”
—A victorious enemy is the whip and scourge with which the Lord chastises a nation, so that it may awake out of sleep, confess its sins, turn unto Him, and learn anew its forgotten prayers and supplications. To those who are taken captive in war, and, far from fatherland, must dwell beneath a foreign yoke, applies the Word of the Lord (Luk_13:2). Therefore, they who are prospering in their native country must pray for them, believing in the words of Psa_146:7.
1Ki_8:35-36. The abuse of prosperity and its Nemesis. I. Prosperity is a blessing from God. He controls the food-producing elements—opens or stops “the bottles of the sky,” fills the earth with fruitfulness, or binds it up with the iron bands of sterility. II. Prosperity is encompassed with many perils. Of a reckless and thankless indulgence—of a proud self-sufficiency—of an impious forgetfulness of God. III. The abuse of prosperity is followed with inevitable punishment. Hard, harassing, and unremunerative labour—general scarcity—life-long disease, personal and social sufferings. IV. The teachings of adversity tend to correct the errors of prosperity. The proud and thoughtless are humbled—man is taught his absolute dependence on God—a spirit of genuine devotion is encouraged—a wise and generous use of prosperity is inculcated.
—Introduces a question about which there has been much angry discussion Can human prayer modify or influence the operation of natural law? If so, to what extent, and under what conditions? Probably a thorough and satisfactory solution of the problem will never be obtained. No necessary conflict between prayer and natural law.
I. The possibility of a great calamity arising from natural causes. “Heaven shut up.” “No rain.”
II. The connection of this calamity with human sinfulness. “Because they have sinned against Thee.”
III. The Scriptural method of terminating this calamity.
1. Confession of sin.
2. Abandonment of sin.
3. Prayer of God.
—Inasmuch as fruitful seasons, instead of leading to repentance, as being proofs of God’s goodness, so often tend to create pride, haughtiness, and lightmindedness, therefore the Lord sometimes shuts up His heavens. But then we should murmur not against Him, but against our own sins (2Sa_3:39), and confess that all human care and toil for obtaining food out of the earth is in vain if He give not rain out of heaven and fruitful seasons. Fine weather is not brought about by the means of processions, but by true repentance and heartfelt prayer (Lev_26:3-4). When God humbles us, He thus directs to the good way (Psa_119:67; Deu_2:3; Deu_5:8).—Starke.
1Ki_8:36. The good way.
1. Is Divinely revealed.
2. Is maintained by Divine instruction.
3. Is lost by disobedience.
4. Is found in the pathway of suffering and trial.
5. Leads to everlasting blessedness.
1Ki_8:37-40. National calamities and their lessons. I. That national calamities are varied in their character (1Ki_8:37).
1. Famine, a scarcity, or total want of bread, necessarily springing from the preceding cause, want of rain.
2. Pestilence, any general and contagious disease.
3. Blasting, anything by which the crops are injured, so that the ear is never matured, but, instead of wholesome grain, there is a black offensive dust.
4. Mildew, anything that vitiates or corrodes the texture of the stalk, destroys the flowers and blossoms, or causes the young shaped fruits to fall off their stems.
5. Locust, a well-known curse in the East, a species of grasshopper that multiplies by millions, and covers the face of the earth for many miles square, destroying every green thing, leaving neither herb nor grass upon the earth, nor leaf nor bark upon the trees.
6. Caterpillars, the locust in its young or nympha state. The former refers to ocusts brought by winds from other countries, and settling on the land; the latter, to the young locusts bred in the land.
7. An enemy, having attacked their defenced cities, the keys and barriers of the land.
8. Any other kind of plague, that which affects the surface of the body—blotch, blain, leprosy, ophthalmia, &c.
9. Sickness, whatever impaired the strength, or affected the intestines, disturbing or destroying their natural functions. II. That national calamities are aggravated by individual offences.
1. Sin is the fruitful source of all calamities, and is itself the greatest of all.
2. That a personal consciousness of sin is the discovery of man’s greatest moral plague (1Ki_8:38). III. That national calamities should lead to national humiliation and prayer. IV. That the removal of national calamities should intensify and augment national piety (1Ki_8:40).
—Divine judgments and means of discipline are very various in their kind, their degree, and their duration. God in His wisdom and justice metes out to a whole people, as to each individual man, such measure of suffering as is needed for its salvation, for He knows the hearts of all the children of men, and He tries no man beyond His power of endurance. He hearkens to him who calls upon Him in distress (2Sa_22:7; Psa_34:18; Isa_26:16). Distress teaches us how to pray, but often only so long as it is present with us. God looks upon our hearts, and knows whether our prayer is a mere passing emotion, or whether we have truly turned to Him. How entirely different would our prayers often sound if we reflected that we were addressing Him who knows our heart, with its most secret and mysterious thoughts, expectations, and wishes. The effect of an answer to our prayers must be that we fear the Lord, and walk in His ways, not only in the time of need and trouble, but at all times as long as we live. It is a priceless thing that the heart remains constant.—Lange.
1Ki_8:38. The moral plague of humanity. “Shall know every man the plague of his own heart.” I. The moral plague of humanity is sin. II. Is inward and individual. III. Is terrible when it intensifies itself into the form of a conscious and deserved judgment of God. IV. Is an unspeakable blessing when it induces man to escape from its ruinous consequences by a timely repentance. V. Can be removed only by a believing application of the Divine Remedy.
—“The plague of his own heart.” His own iniquity (Psa_18:23): the cause of his calamity, as he well understandeth when sin and wrath meet in his soul and make a wound in it: the cure whereof he seeketh of God by prayer, which hath a pacifying property, and fetcheth out the stain and sting of sin.—Trapp.
1Ki_8:39. The divine knowledge of man.
1. Is infallible.
2. Universal.
3. Minute.
4. Is specially concerned with his moral condition.
5. Enables God to reveal man’s true state to himself.
6. Should foster in man a spirit of vigilance, circumspection, and awe.
1Ki_8:40. The fear of God is again connected with forgiveness in Psa_130:4, as if he should not fear, unless we could hope. So Milton makes Satan say, “Then farewell Hope; and with Hope, farewell Fear.” And Aristotle speaks of fear as inseparably connected with hope (Rhet. 1Ki_2:5).—Speaker’s Comm.
1Ki_8:41-43. The unifying power of prayer. I. All men are alike in their moral needs. II. The exercise of prayer is an invisible but all-active power that unites the entire race—irrespective of rank, of nationality, of creed, or outward circumstances. III. Prayer is a divinely-appointed means of bringing all men to a true knowledge of God. IV. Prayer recognises the fact of a universal brotherhood.
1Ki_8:41. Nothing is more remarkable in the Mosaic law than its liberality with regard to strangers. Not only were the Israelites forbidden to vex or oppress a stranger (Exo_22:21), not only were they required to relieve the stranger who was poor or in distress (Lev_25:35), not only had they a general command to “love the stranger” (Deu_10:19); but, even in religious matters, where anciently almost all nations were exclusive, they were exclusive, they were bound to admit strangers to nearly equal privileges. Such persons might make offerings at the tabernacle under exactly the same conditions as the native Israelites (Num_15:14-16); and they might be present at the solemn reading of the law, which took place once in seven years (Deu_31:12). It is quite in the spirit of these enactments that Solomon, having first prayed God on behalf of his fellow-countrymen, should next go on to intercede for the strangers, and to ask for their prayers the same acceptance which he had previously begged for the prayers of faithful Israelites.—Speaker’s Com.
1Ki_8:41-43. Even Solomon bore witness that the house he had built could not encompass Him whom the heavens cannot contain, so likewise he testified that the covenant made by God with Israel did not exclude all other nations from salvation, but rather aimed at leading all men to a knowledge of the truth. If a Solomon prayed for the attainment of this object, how much more does it become us to pray for the conversion of the heathen, and do our utmost that the people who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, may come to Him, a light set by God before all nations to lighten the heathen (Luk_2:31). He who desires to know nothing of missions to the heathen, fails to know the God who wills that help should be given to all men, and that all should come to the knowledge of Himself (1Ti_2:4). Solomon hoped that the heathen, when they heard the great deeds which the Lord did in Israel, would turn to that God; how much stronger becomes this hope when the infinitely greater scheme of salvation in Christ Jesus is declared to them!—The acknowledgment of the name of God necessarily causes the fear of God. If an individual, or an entire nation, be wanting in the latter, they will, alas! lack a true knowledge of God, let them boast as they will of enlightenment and enlightened religious ideas.—Lange.
1Ki_8:43. Here is one of the Old Testament intimations of the universality of the true religion and true worship of God. Though the national consciousness of Israel was that of separateness from all other nations, yet at times the Spirit lifted it above that exclusiveness, and thrilled it with a momentary grasping after universal brotherhood.—Terry.
1Ki_8:44. This refers to wars undertaken by Divine appointment—“Whithersoever thou shalt send them”: for in no other wars could they expect the blessing and concurrence of the Lord; in none other could the God of truth and justice maintain their cause. There were such wars under the Mosaic dispensation; there are none such under the Christian dispensation: nor can there be any, for the Son of Man is come, not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. Except mere defensive war, all others are diabolic; and if there were no provocations, would there be any attacks, and, consequently, any need of defensive wars?—A. Clarke.
1Ki_8:44-45. Prayer a preparation for conflict.
1. Every man is called to wage unceasing warfare against evil.
2. Man can conquer evil only by Divine aid.
3. He who prays the most will fight the best.
4. Prayer will win the conflict when all external tactics fail.
5. God will prosper and maintain the cause He has made His own.
—A people who undertake war should, above all, be sure that it is under the guidance of God. That alone is a just war which is undertaken with God’s help and in the cause of God, of truth, and of justice. A host going forth to battle should remember this:—Nothing can be done in our own strength; we are soon quite ruined (Psa_33:16), and thereupon we should pray and entreat the Lord, from whom alone proceeds victory (Pro_21:31; Psa_147:10).—That soldier can never answer it to God that strikes not more as a justicer than as an enemy. Soldiers must fight and pray, and pray and fight.
1Ki_8:46-50. Captivity and freedom. I. Captivity is a bitter experience to the ardent lover of liberty. It is the badge of defeat—the loss of home and country—exposes to exasperating taunts and pitiless cruelties. II. Captivity to sin, and on account of sin, is most degrading, and fraught with unutterable distress. III. The first step towards freedom begins in repentance and prayer (1Ki_8:47). IV. Freedom from sin involves restoration to the Divine favour and inheritance.
—Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Pro_14:34). Thus the people Israel is a living example for all times as a warning and as an admonition (1Co_10:2.) The Lord has patience with each person as also with whole peoples and governments, for He knows “there is no man that is not sinful.” But when the riches of His goodness, patience, and long-suffering are despised, and a nation given over to hardness of heart and impenitence (Rom_2:4), He casts it away from before His face, and wipes it out as a man wipeth a dish (2Ki_21:13), so that it ceases to be a people and a kingdom. The world’s history is the world’s final doom. The wrath of God towards all ungodly conduct of men is not a mere biblical form of speech, but a fearful truth, which he who hearkens not will learn by experience.—The saying: “There is no man that sinneth not”—that may not sin—must not be misused to apologize for sin as a natural weakness; it should rather warn and exhort us that we must not give the reins to that will which lieth even at the door, but rule over it (Gen_1:4; Gen_1:7); for he who committeth sin is the slave of sin (Joh_8:34). The statement is not made with reference to the possibilities of gracious attainment in the Christian life, but to the ordinary facts of human history. The meaning is, there is no man and no nation that can claim to be beyond the possibility of sinning. Israel must not assume that because they are the chosen people that may not, by running into sin, draw down the Divine anger in bitter judgments upon them. But here is surely no such universal proposition as to involve, as some assume, that even the New Testament saint, whose life is hid with Christ in God, sees never in this life the hour in which he does not sin. The confession, “We have sinned” (1Ki_8:47) must come from the depths of the heart, and must be in connection with the conversion of the whole soul to the Lord; for he alone can obtain forgiveness of all his sins in whose spirit there is no guile (Psa_32:2). But how often in days of fasting and humiliation is this confession made only with the lips! How, then, can a man hope for mercy and forgiveness through the hearing of prayer? The Lord, who guides the hearts of men as water-courses, can bestow upon our enemies a forgiving and merciful heart, even as Israel experienced. For this, and not for the destruction of our enemies, we ought to pray.—Lange and Whedon.
1Ki_8:50. Solomon probably means, not merely such compassion as Evil-Merodach showed towards Jehoiachin in alleviating his sufferings and ameliorating his condition (2Ki_25:27-30; Jer_52:31-34), but such as Cyrus and Artaxerxes showed in allowing the captive Jews to return to their own land (Ezr_1:3; Ezr_8:13; Neh_2:6, compared with Psa_146:4-6).
1Ki_8:51. “The midst of the furnace of iron.” The disciplinary aspect of affliction. I. Is very painful to endure. II. Tests the faith and patience of the sufferer. III. Purifies and ennobles the whole man. IV. Magnifies the grace and power of God in sustaining and delivering. V. Prepares for a loftier mission and more extended usefulness.
1Ki_8:51-53. Arguments in pleading with God. Based on—I. Intimacy of relationship: “They be thy people.”
1. Specially chosen: “For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth.”
2. Specially prized: “Thine inheritance.” II. The fact of great suffering: “The midst of the furnace of iron.” III. The memory of past deliverances: “Which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt.” IV. The record of Divine pledges and promises: “As thou spakest by the hand of Moses.”
—In the midst of our cries and prayers we should remember how dearly the Lord has purchased us for His own by the blood of His Son (Rom_8:32; 1Co_6:20; Rev_5:9). The grace of God in Christ is the foundation of our assurance that the Lord will deliver us from all tribulation and sorrow, and will lead us to. His heavenly kingdom. For this do we close our prayer with the words—For the sake of thine eternal love. God does not leave His people in the furnace of misery, but always guides them forth from it (Job_3:22). Our prayers from beginning to end must be grounded on the Divine promises (2Sa_7:25).—Starke.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v40 (See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
fear
(See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v22 Solomon’s Invocation
Solomon’s Invocation
v. 22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, the great altar of burnt offering in the Court of the Priests, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, in a gesture of the most eager supplication;
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v. 23. and he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like Thee, in heaven above or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before Thee with all their heart; all the so-called gods of the heathen could simply not stand the comparison, they could not come into consideration;
v. 24. who hast kept with Thy servant David, my father, that Thou promisedst him; Thou spakest also with thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with Thine hand, as it is this day, visible before the eyes of all men.
v. 25. Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, also in the future, that Thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, so that, this expressing the condition of Jehovah for the fulfillment of His promise, thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me. In that event the family of David would be assured a continual rule over the kingdom of Israel.
v. 26. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray Thee, be verified which Thou spakest unto Thy servant David, my father. It is an urgent petition as the careful repetition shows.
v. 27. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? making even such a splendid palace as the Temple His habitation among men. Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens, all the space which the imagination of man can reach, cannot contain Thee, even their all-embracing extent was insufficient for the infinite God; how much less this house that I have builded! Though Jehovah could not be confined to this one house, yet He was appealed to reveal His merciful presence, especially in hearing the prayers of His children there.
v. 28. Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O Lord, my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before Thee to-day,
v. 29. that Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast said, my name shall be there, Deu 12:11; that Thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this place, He should be alert to hear and to fulfill the prayers of those who would call on Him in this Temple.
v. 30. And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel when they shall pray toward this place; and hear Thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place, as the prayers rise to the Throne of Grace; and when Thou hearest, forgive, for forgiveness of sins is not only the greatest blessing which man may have here below, but man can hope for the acceptance of his prayer only when his sins are forgiven, since every answer to prayer rests on the sin-pardoning grace of God.
v. 31. If any man trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before Thine altar in this house, the place of divine witness and presence,
v. 32. then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head, punishing him for his false oath, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. The name of Jehovah, to whom this Temple was dedicated, was by all means to be kept holy.
v. 33. When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy because they have sinned against Thee, Lev 26:17; Deu 28:25, and shall turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto Thee in this house, seeking the face of the Lord in true repentance,
v. 34. then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which Thou gavest unto their fathers, taking away their captivity for the sake of His mercy.
v. 35. When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against Thee, Lev 26:19; Deu 11:17; Deu 28:23; if they pray toward this place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin when Thou afflictest them, for drought, especially in Palestine, was rightly considered a sign of curse and punishment,
v. 36. then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants and of Thy people Israel, that Thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon Thy land which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance. Because God teaches, educates, His people, tries to bring them back to the right way by means of punishments, therefore He is asked to forgive if His people acknowledge the punishment and plead for forgiveness.
v. 37. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar, Lev 26:19-26; Deu 28:22-23; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities, in all their gates, throughout their land; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
v. 38. what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, if they acknowledge the punishment as a chastisement of God directed at their heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house,
v. 39. then hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowest; (for Thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
v. 40. that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gavest unto our fathers. God, who knows the heart of every man, can treat each individual case as its merits demand.
v. 41. Moreover, concerning a stranger, that is not of Thy people Israel, not a member of the chosen nation by birth, but cometh out of a far country for Thy name’s sake, as a proselyte of the gate, if not of righteousness;
v. 42. (for they shall hear of Thy great name and of Thy strong hand and of Thy stretched-out arm, even as the surrounding nations had heard of it at the time of the wilderness journey;) when he shall come and pray toward this house,
v. 43. hear Thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for, that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel, convinced of the supremacy of His divine power by the fulfillment of their prayer; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by Thy name, that His almighty power was manifested in the midst of Israel.
v. 44. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever Thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for Thy name, the outward turning of the face and body being a sign of the inward turning of the heart,
v. 45. then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, causing right and justice to take their course upon them.
v. 46. If they sin against Thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not, a truth which is properly emphasized at all times,) and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near, deportations of this kind being the custom in Oriental lands at that time;
v. 47. yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, return to sense and reason, and repent, and make supplication unto Thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness, such a free and unequivocal confession being required in case of real sorrow over sins,
v. 48. and so return unto Thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies which led them away captive, and pray unto Thee toward their land which Thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name:
v. 49. then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven, Thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause, uphold their right,
v. 50. and forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against Thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them;
v. 51. for they be Thy people and Thine inheritance, Deu 9:29, which Thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron, Deu 4:20;
v. 52. that Thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of Thy servant and unto the supplication of Thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto Thee.
v. 53. For Thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, chose them out of all nations, to be Thine inheritance, as Thou spakest by the hand of Moses, Thy servant, when Thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. Thus Solomon, in seven petitions of his dedication prayer, had brought before the Lord the principal needs of his people, as they would find expression in prayer. Note: Christians call upon the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ, asking forgiveness and help for the sake of His redemption, being sure that He will in no wise cast them out.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 44, 46, 48, 49 all the assembly of Israel
all the assembly of Israel
"all the people of Israel who were gathered there"
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who keeps his covenant faithfulness with your servants
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be stated as "faithfully" or "faithful." AT: "who faithfully loves your servants" or "who is faithful to your covenant with your servants" (See: Abstract Nouns)
walk before you with all their heart
The way a person lives is spoken of as if that person were walking on a path. AT: "live wholeheartedly the way that you want them to" (See: Metaphor)
fulfilled it with your hand
The hand is a metonym for the power of the hand. AT: "by your power fulfilled what you said" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
Solomon
altar
assembly
heaven
God
earth
covenant faithfulness
servant
heart
promise
fulfill
hand
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 23, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 44, 46 8:22-61 Like Solomon’s preceding prayer, his prayer of dedication…
8:22-61 Like Solomon’s preceding prayer, his prayer of dedication for the Temple praised God and blessed the people. He emphasized God’s covenant faithfulness and his own role in building the Temple and prayed for God’s continued response to their prayers (8:22-30). Solomon then made seven distinct petitions to God (8:31-53) and concluded with a blessing (8:54-61).
8:22 As Solomon prayed, he lifted his hands toward heaven and knelt before the Lord on a platform erected in clear view of the congregation (8:54; 2 Chr 6:13). Jesus condemned hypocritical individuals who displayed religiosity without true, heartfelt belief (Matt 6:5-8). But Solomon’s public piety was genuine, leading his people in worship and encouraging them to live in full dependence upon God. The nation that knows and obeys the Lord, and whose leaders rule in righteousness, is particularly blessed (2 Chr 7:14; Pss 33:12; 45:6-7; 144:15; Prov 29:2; Isa 11:1-5).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.