In the year 2022 promise don’t mean a whole lot. How many of us can trust the promises that are given to us? Wives I want to you think about the last time you asked you Husband to do something and he said yeah I will get to it. How many times do you ask him before you get annoyed and or do it yourself? All to hear I was going to get to it? Brenda will tell you that I am guilty of this. But in Matthew 5:37 Jesus tells us But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.
Over the past week I decided to read 1 kings and 2 kings as the next books to read. I wanted to read them in series as opposed to one or part of one then something else and then back to the other like we often do. So early in 1 Kings, we see the death of King David and the rise of King Solomon. And my goodness the amount of family drama that is seen here is interesting. You think you have family issue read the first three chapters of 1 Kings again. But as I got further in Specifically in Chapter 8 I noticed the prayer that King Solomon gave at the dedication of the temple for the Lord. And as I read this I noticed that the prayer that King Solomon gave for the people contains some of the promises that God still keeps today.
If you have you bible please turn to 1 Kings Chapter 8 and keep your finger here. The versions that I am reading out of today are the Christian Standard Bible and the King James Bible. Starting at verse 15: He said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He spoke directly to my father David, and he has fulfilled the promise by his power. V. 23 He said: Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below, who keeps the gracious covenant with your servants who walk before you with all their heart.
When I read this, I thought you know this sounds like the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6: 9-13: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
Then I got to thinking I wonder if the rest of King Solomon’s prayer will align with the Lord’s Prayer. (spoiler alert it does) It is absolutely amazing to see this parallel. But what really hit me was what king Solomon asked of God and to see God’s response in later scripture.
IN 1 King 8: 26 Now Lord God of Israel, please confirm what you promised to your servant, my father David.
We see that Solomon was asking this so that it may be a blessing to the people so that it would give glory to God. The message that Solomon was asking to be confirmed was what God had told King David. King David had wanted to build a Temple for the Lord and while it was strong on his heart, God told him that Solomon would see the temple come to fruition. Which is what happened. We see this in V 27 But will God indeed live on earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built.
28 Listen to your servant’s prayer and his petition, Lord my God, so that you may hear the cry and the prayer that your servant prays before you today, 29 so that your eyes may watch over this temple night and day, toward the place where you said, “My name will be there,” and so that you may hear the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the petition of your servant and your people Israel, which they pray toward this place. May you hear in your dwelling place in heaven. May you hear and forgive.
King Solomon asks God to Hear his people when they call to Him. In Jeremiah 33:3 God says to Jeremiah Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.
Solomon asks for God’s people to be heard and God answers Call to me. Not only will I listen I will also answer and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.
In 1 Kings 8: 33-36: The scripture says this 33 When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and praise your name, and they pray and plead with you for mercy in this temple, 34 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel. May you restore them to the land you gave their ancestors. 35 When the skies are shut and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and praise your name, and they turn from their sins because you are afflicting them, 36 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, so that you may teach them to walk on the good way. May you send rain on your land that you gave your people for an inheritance.
God answers Solomon Directly in 2 Chronicles 7: 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. 13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
In Luke 15: 11-32 we see Jesus tell the story of the prodigal son or the lost son.
We see the son that has squandered his gifts from his father but upon his return he is welcomed back with opened arms.
In John 8: we see at verses 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
The theme we see is that we are forgiven if we 1 seek out the forgiveness and 2 turn away from the sins.
In 1 Kings 8: at verse 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, and spread forth his hands toward this house: 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;)
We can see this promise answered in Luke 23: 39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
God knows our heart. And if we seek him out he will hear our prayers. Even in the darkest of situations. If we earnestly cry out to Him we will know that we are heard.
1 Kings 8: 41 Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name?— 42 for they will hear of your great name, strong hand, and outstretched arm, and will come and pray toward this temple?— 43 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all the foreigner asks. Then all peoples of earth will know your name, to fear you as your people Israel do and to know that this temple I have built bears your name.
God answers this request by not only adopting us in as is seen in Ephesians 1: 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
But also encourages us to be an active adoption agency by giving us the great commission. Matthew 28: 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In Acts 10 Peter visits with Cornelius at verse 44 the scripture says this: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and declaring the greatness of God.
Then Peter responded, 47 “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
Solomon was very specific with the prayer that he prayed. And God answered him and gave more that what was asked for. Many times when we pray we don’t lean on the promises that God has given us most of the time it is simply because we don’t know what God has promised to us so we don’t know to ask. I have heard it said that when we pray we need to be very specific because if we are general we will be answered in a general way not a specific way. God keeps his promises. But unless we are specific, we may miss what God has instore for us.
Many times as people we neglect the promises that we give to others because well it was an inconvenience. But it doesn’t matter what we do, God will always keep his promises. God has promised us salvation, God has promised that He is faithful to forgive, God has promised us that He will fight our battles for us. All we have to do is to let Him keep his promises.
