Dedicating the Temple (Part A)

It's not just because God is love and loves the sinner and sees a solution. Well, that is the purpose. That's it. This purpose to His love.

It's not just an affection, an emotion. There's a real purpose behind God. He sees the solution implemented. I will walk among you and be your God, Immanuel, you could say in a single word, and you shall be my people. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of 1 Kings chapter 8, as he begins a brand new study called, Dedicating the Temple. 1 Kings chapter 8, this I think is the most difficult chapter to teach through in the Kings.

The dedication of the temple is what we're discussing, and again, just talking with Chris about this. You know, in studying the life of Saul, he was a wicked man. And there was just so much there to open up and apply to life. And then, of course, David, thrilling, exciting, godly, exhilarating, and then Solomon.

His writings are very good, but to me, his life is just disappointing. It's kind of dull compared to David, and that makes it a challenge. This dedication of the temple, I'm reminded of Exodus 25, verse 8, God said to Moses, to the people, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. And that is what is happening, of course, in this 8th chapter. The temple is built, it is furnished, and now it is being dedicated, opened for service, that is. How much of the Christian life will you have to fight for between here and eternity?

It's all of it, every step of the way. And thank God that we have this scripture to help us stay on track and bring us back to where we need to be. I have noticed when I'm not in my own devotion time as much as, well, if I drift out of my devotion time, I feel it right away.

It's not like, oh, a month later, or a week later, or two days, it's that day. This dedication of the life to God, of course, is more important than the dedication of the building. He is our sanctuary, and now looking at verse 22, then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven. And he said, verse 23, Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like you, who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants, who walk before you with all their hearts. Of course, he's saying there's no God in heaven like you. He's not suggesting there are other gods. He is saying it's an absolute statement, and who is like God?

No one. Which is what the name Michael means. It is a statement.

It is a bodacious statement. Nobody's like God. So Solomon here, dedicating the temple, the parallel verses in 2 Chronicles 6 and 7, and the main thrust of his prayers is that God would hear the people when they face this temple, when they recognize that this was not an accident, the building of this temple, nor the selection of its position, that this was all done by God through his prophets and through his servants such as David, and the people are going to sin, and God is going to forgive if they repent. Much of what he is saying is based on Deuteronomy, which tells us Solomon knew the word.

The kings were supposed to write for themselves a copy of the law, which would have just really been the first five books of Moses. After, with these themes from Deuteronomy, announcing the consequences of disobedience and the rewards of justice, he is going to have this gigantic feast for the nation. This is a national event. It's not just those around Jerusalem who are willing to come. This is huge. He's going to offer up 142,000 sacrifices over a 14-day period.

We'll come to that. It says here in verse 22 that he spread out his hand toward heaven. This is a practice that is mentioned in the New Testament church.

First Timothy chapter 2, Paul says, I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Look at that. Without wrath. Without doubting. And it takes away the fatalism. Jesus said men ought always pray, not lose heart.

That's a big statement. Well, speaking of heaven as he does here, spread out his hands toward heaven, the word heaven is found 12 times between verses 22 and 54. And what Solomon is doing is he's making it clear that we pray to the God in heaven where his throne is, earth is his footstool. Verse 24, You have kept what you promised your servant David my father.

You have both spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand as it is this day. Verse 25, Therefore Yahweh, God of Israel, now keep what you promised your servant David my father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man sit before me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way that they walk before me as you have walked before me. And God puts in a clause in the agreement wisely, of course. Well, the promise to David, 2 Samuel 7, we should be familiar with that. Ultimately, this is fulfilled, this Davidic dynasty, this link to David and this ongoing, this eternal throne is, of course, fulfilled in Christ. And it's remarkable and thrilling to get to the New Testament and read about David. For example, in Romans, Paul opens up that masterpiece and he says, concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. So Paul ties, of course, keeps it tied in to the prophetic word of God.

If your sons take heed to their way, yes, if they take heed. Then this, 1 Kings 11 verse 4, For it was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not loyal to Yahweh his God, as was the heart of his father David. And it is that thing that makes reading, to me, the life of Solomon in the biographical form, not, again, his writings, that's what makes him a dull boy to me. You're looking for him to be like David, to carry on this hope and this love and this zeal for the King of Kings, and it flops. However, we can never, I believe, very strongly, ever, savagely judge Solomon.

We go but so far, and we back up, that's it, we go no further, we see what he did, it's recorded for us, we learn from it, and we move forward. Verse 26, And now I pray, Solomon still speaking, O God of Israel, let your word come true, which you have spoken to your servant David my father. But, verse 27 now, But will God indeed dwell on earth?

Behold heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you. How much less this temple which I have built? Now we've covered this, he was very sober-minded about the whole thing, he knew this was an emblem for worship, the point of contact for the people, a visible God with a visible temple. When he wrote to Hyrum to furnish the temple, he made this very clear in his witness to a Gentile, who then, he writes in 2 Chronicles chapter 6, writing a letter to Hyrum, Who am I then, that I should build him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before him? So he was very clear that this was for the ritual, which was connected to, of course, their service, their relationship with God, but God was much, much more than anything we could ever even imagine. Verse 28, Yet regard the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Yahweh my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which your servant is praying before you today. Verse 29, That your eyes may be opened toward this temple, night and day, toward the place of which you said, My name shall be there, that you may hear the prayer which your servant makes toward this place. Well, in verse 28, where he says, And listen to the cry and the prayer which your servant is praying, how many of us have felt that way? I need you to answer now, Lord. This doesn't have an eternal, I'm not waiting for forever to get this one done, and yet, in the end, we just submit it to what God does and work with what he allows or disallows. So we can certainly identify with that in the prayer. Listen to the cry.

It's a fact. Leviticus 26, verse 11, God speaking, I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people. Well, Sunday I asked the question, Why should God do anything for you, or me, or anybody? Well, because of who he is.

However, it goes more, and I'll hopefully get to this again. It's not just because God is love and loves the sinner and sees a solution. Well, that is the purpose. That's it. This purpose to his love.

It's not just an affection, an emotion. There's a real purpose behind God. He sees the solution implemented, and that's why he says, I will walk among you and be your God. Emmanuel, you could say in a single word, and you shall be my people. Well, that wouldn't apply to all the Jews. It didn't apply to Judas Iscariot, for example. It won't apply to Ahab and others, but it will apply to those who repent. Manasseh, one of the most foul of the kings, and yet he repents deep into his reign. Verse 30, and may you hear the supplication of your servant and of your people, Israel, when they pray toward this place.

Here in heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. Well, this is putting a lot of weight on the temple, and the fact that God is going to seal this prayer with lightning really gives it strength, authority, and anoints the prayer. So it's not like God is listening to Solomon and saying, boy, you know, you're just asking too much. It is God is listening and saying, I approve of this. Psalm 5, David wrote, but as for me, I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy. In fear of you, I will worship toward your holy temple.

So David, you know, there he is again, stirring up the future. He's writing these psalms, and the next thing you know, it's like into their law, into the fabric of who they are as the people of God, all the way into the New Testament church. God's house is meant to be something to believers. God's house is meant to mean something to believers, and it is unfortunate that after 30 years, I still have hope, but it's a struggle over the years to see how many people are willing to just advocate against the house of God over petty things. Jonah, he lives this out, does he not?

Where it says, when they pray toward this place. Well, Jonah was sinning. He was running from God. He was called to be a prophet, and he didn't like his assignment. So he tried to escape, and God put a little pressure on him. Something very fishy about how God did it.

Jonah 2, here he is in the belly of the beast. When he survived, he says, I'm going to tell everybody just how foolish I was, and how gracious God is. It just lends to all of what God is saying. They speak to me.

I will listen to them, and I will forgive them. Then I said, writes Jonah, I have been cast out of your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple. Because he knew the scripture. This was scripture by the way. Jonah comes later, long after Solomon. And then of course, Daniel opening the windows, facing Jerusalem where the temple was, and making his prayer as was his routine. Routine is good. Life supporting organs that we have, the lung, the heart, they're routine.

While we're sleeping, they're still working, or else we've changed address. But, verse 31, when anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before your altar in this temple, verse 32, then here in heaven, and act and judge, your servants condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. I wonder if, you know, that case that he presided over with a woman, you know, that cut the baby in half. If I can't have it, no one can have it. I wonder if that stayed with him, all of it.

It would have stayed with me. That would have been a traumatic experience to see a human being so foul that they're willing to quench an innocent life, just so viciously. Just, here and here, he's addressing this. He's speaking to God about justice among the people. And when justice is missing, we notice very quickly, especially if you were the ones victimized, or subject to victimization. If they did it to him, they're going to do it to me. So, drawing, again, themes from the book of Deuteronomy, including consequences of disobedience, and this desire for justice, which runs through till verse 50, we find later that the Jews, they abused these things, which is how sinners give them enough time.

They leaven the lump, and they abuse it. They abuse the oath, and they abuse the oath before the temple. Jeremiah says, you know, you run around flaunting, you know, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.

That's going to somehow excuse your wickedness, like it's a rabbit's foot or something. Jesus comes and tells the people, you know, don't swear by the altar, or don't swear by the temple, and don't swear by the temple, because they were just abusing these things. Righteous hearts value justice, because we understand the implications of justice violated. You know, the justice, the symbol of the lady justice with the blindfold and the sword. Well, unfortunately, they should also show her not only is blind, but dumb, according to many of the judges. Not all of them, thank God, but there are a lot of wicked judges, and the accountability is just non-existent.

I'm going on a rant, just briefly. It's just a shame how some of them are just rotten, evil, wicked people in places of authority. And my irritation at that is because this violation of justice jeopardizes me, also, my life, my family, my loved ones, my friends. Justice in the land is essential if citizens are going to prosper in peace.

Citizens can prosper with wickedness, but that's, of course, not the goal. Then here in heaven, again, heaven repeated by Solomon in this section, verse 33, when your people, Israel, are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name and pray and make supplication to you in this temple, verse 34, then here in heaven and forgive the sin of your people, Israel, and bring them back to the land which you gave to their fathers. I do like and admire how Solomon is saying, you are the God our fathers loved and served, and we're not going to abandon this belief. We're not going to say, okay, well, I'm a grown-up now, and that was my father's religion, but I'm going to go find another religion, which, of course, some of them will do, and even Solomon will stumble there.

But for the time being, it's admirable to see this, this loyalty to truth, not just because it's the God of my father, but because it's true, this is the truth. God desired, according to Deuteronomy and what Solomon is praying, that Israel would be invincible, but their attraction to idolatry hindered and even forfeited their invincibility. God promised military blessings if they remained loyal to him, and when they were not, they did not honor the Sabbaths, they received the judgment. And I'm sure we know many of them were bitter at God for daring to be God. How dare you make a commandment and then hold us accountable to it? Leviticus 26, verse 7, you will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. This was predicated on their obedience, and Solomon, he knew that future generations would not obey.

I don't think he understood he would, not yet. Well, there's a veiled prophecy in this speaking about the captivity to come. At this point, if you had inquired of a Jew and said to you, what is this captivity?

I'm going to shrug the shoulders, I don't know, but it's going to happen because God has ordained this. Verse 35, when the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, when they pray toward this place and confess your name, turn from their sin because you afflict them. Then, verse 36, here in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, that you may teach them the good way in which they should walk and send rain on your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. Well, I mean, this is just a high standard, and I think of all of the sins that we know about, the easiest one to avoid is idolatry, and it is the worst one. And that's where they really failed because God put these pathways to the altar to forgive them, but the idolatry, that was a deal breaker, there was no forgiveness coming to the idolatry, and Paul points this out in the New Testament to Jew and Gentile alike, to abandon idols. At times, the Jewish people will become too wicked to pray to Yahweh, and even times they would pray, and God said, I'm not going to listen to them because their hearts are, they're fake, they're a bunch of hypocrites, I'm not listening to them. And Jeremiah, of course, is just one who brings it out. Isaiah, you know, these people draw near me with their mouths, but their heart is far from me, in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. What men make up becomes God's law, according to that group, not according to God. So, even though there's always been a remnant, a remnant usually is just very weak, it just doesn't have the strength to make a difference, and so when the judgments come from, for instance, when God shuts up the rain for three and a half years under Elijah, it was the prophet, the center of the event, the people really were not, you know, praying for a famine to discipline the people, it was the prophet Elijah, because the remnant was just very small. But it was larger than what Elijah thought, Elijah thought he was the remnant. You've got to love Elijah, he didn't like people too much, and when he had a chance to point that out to God that he was the only one he does, okay, I'm just enjoying the prophet some, he probably wouldn't have liked me either. Anyway, verse 37, when there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, verse 38, whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone or by all your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart and spreads out his hands towards this temple, verse 39, then here in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and give to everyone according to his ways whose heart you know, for you alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, verse 40, that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land which you gave to their fathers. It was said of G. Campbell Morgan, one of my favorites, so helpful to me, was said that just the way he read the scripture he taught the people. I have always hoped for that, admired it.

I would pay you to say that I do that, but reading it, you know, you just, it comes to life. There's something to be said about drama. Drama is not all bad. When you get, Ezekiel was the pantomime prophet. I mean, he would act out everything. I believe they were plays because some of it, like, you got to set up a whole stage to carry out, dig through the wall and, you know, pack your bags and march away and come back at night.

You know, I believe they were plays. The drama brought it out. Now, of course, like anything, it gets abused, and I don't think pastors should be in the pulpit miming or acting out.

This is the time for the word, to preach the word and not overdramatize it. You can do that by fluttering the voice and, or being, rolling your R's and things like that, unless you're, I guess, Scott or Welshman or so, you know, where they do roll their R's normally, but to bring it. Can you imagine going to Queens, New York and rolling your R's? Man, they beat you up when you left.

You irritated me the whole time. You're going to pay. Thanks for joining us for today's teaching on Cross Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

We trust that what you've heard today in the book of First Kings has had a lasting imprint on your life. If you'd like to listen to more teachings from this series or share it with someone you know, please visit CrossReferenceRadio.com. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast too, so you'll never miss another edition. Just visit CrossReferenceRadio.com and follow the links under radio. Again, that's CrossReferenceRadio.com. Our time with you today is about up, but we hope you'll tune in next time to continue studying the word of God. Join us again as Pastor Rick covers more in the book of First Kings on Cross Reference Radio.