First Kings 8:54 said that when Solomon had finished praying, he arose from his kneeling position, stood before the bronze altar with his hands stretched toward heaven, and proclaimed the benediction. Earlier in this same chapter in verse 22, it was said that he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven to offer his prayer. Solomon began standing to offer the petition. When he started to pray, he felt the strong need to submit to God. So from the standing position, he went down on his knees. Now that he had finished praying, he got on his feet again to give the benediction.
He
began the benediction by praising God and declaring the faithfulness of God. He
had never failed in a single promise that He had made to them through Moses. He
acknowledged that God had kept His word and granted the people of Israel,
the promised rest in the promised land. It was obvious that they had settled in
the land comfortably and peacefully.
In
this benediction, Solomon made known three desires in verses 57-60. His first
desire was for God’s presence to be with them as their father had experienced.
He wished that God would be with them all the time and never leave or forsake
them at all. It is not an exaggeration to say that not having the presence of
God with us is one of the most miserable experiences. That is why David prayed,
in his confession in Psalm 51:11, for God not to cast him away from His
presence, nor to take His Spirit away from him. God’s presence is so important
to our progress and well-being. We need Him to be with us all the time.
His
second desire was that God would incline the hearts of the people toward Him.
Notice he began with the heart. It is because this is the center that enables
us to commit to walking in obedience to Him, determinedly. When our hearts are
out of place, we are less likely to walk obediently or fittingly. That’s
why we are exhorted in Proverbs 4:23 to “watch over our heart with
all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Solomon’s
third desire was for God to help him and Israel maintain their cause. His
desire was not for personal or national prominence but rather that “…all the
peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no
one else.” What a noble desire! Like him, we exist to declare the name of
the sovereign Lord. It is in Him that we move and live and have our being.
Hence, we must live gloriously to reflect Him. The king then rounded up by
calling the people to a wholehearted devotion and commitment to walk in the
ways of the Lord.
As
the desires of Solomon, may our desires also be for God's abiding presence in
our life. May we desire to have His presence in every moment of our life. Let's
also incline our hearts to walk in His ways, living to declare that He alone is
God and there's no one else. Be sure to give God our wholehearted devotion. It
will be a delight to Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment