2 Chronicles 6:1-42

As the presence of the Lord is manifest in the temple, Solomon stands before the people outside the temple and he dedicates it to the Lord.  Solomon falls to his knees in the presence of the nation and he calls out to God.  Solomon’s humility before the Lord as well as his recognition of the frailty of human nature are clearly seen in this passage.  Solomon knows that, despite the temple’s magnificence, it is clearly not an adequate structure to house or contain God.  It is easy for us to impress ourselves and others with the things that we might do “for the Lord.”  However, it is of utmost importance that we recognize that He does not need us for anything.  He is complete in Himself and it is simply our honor to be able to serve Him in any way.  No matter how impressive we may seem to men, we must remember that God is truly the only one who is deserving of worship.  It is our job to point others to Him.

SOLOMON PRAISES THE LORD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS: As the construction of the temple is completed, Solomon recognizes that the task was accomplished because of God’s faithfulness.  God had made a promise to David that his son would build the temple that was in David’s heart to build.  That promise has now come true and Solomon is on his knees in worship before the Lord because of God’s faithfulness.  God delights in the praise of His people and He desires to be recognized for all that He has done in our lives.  We must constantly remind ourselves not to take credit for the things that He allows us to accomplish through His might and provision.  Solomon could have had a great party to celebrate his accomplishments and brought the focus of this day to himself; instead he faithfully humbles himself and praises the Lord.  We too need to be faithful to praise the Lord when He sees fit to bless our efforts to serve Him.  All praise and honor needs to be directed towards Him and not ourselves.


SOLOMON PRAYS TO THE LORD FOR HIS FORGIVENESS: Solomon also recognizes the sins and failures of his people as well as his own weakness.  Solomon now prays for the Lord to forgive the people when they pray to Him in repentance.  He runs down several different scenarios where the people are sick, in captivity, in a drought or suffering in some other way because of their own sin.  Solomon asks the Lord to be gracious and forgiving of the sins of the people when they call out to Him during these times.  Solomon recognizes that God is much bigger than the temple that he has built but he asks God to answer the prayers of the nation when they pray towards the temple that represents God’s presence.  Solomon also asks for God to forgive and answer the prayers of other nations that come to seek Him at this temple that has been built.  Solomon clearly recognizes that this temple represents a place where man can be restored to His relationship with God through repentance and forgiveness.  We must all be aware of the fact that we are constantly in need of God’s forgiveness and that we can come to Him and humbly repent.  He is a kind, loving, gracious and forgiving God before whom we must constantly repent and seek forgiveness.

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