2 Chronicles 7:1-22

The temple is dedicated to the Lord and the ceremony lasts for an entire week as the people worship and praise the Lord.  God is clearly pleased by the temple that Solomon has built and by the humble offerings that Solomon and the people made before the Lord.  God blesses the nation with His presence and He promises to continue to bless the nation according to their faithfulness and humility.  God’s presence and power are tremendous blessings to the nation as they are to all experience them.  This is the high point in the history of the nation to this point.  God has given them the land that was promised to them, they are experiencing security in the land and they are focused on worshiping the Lord.  God desires for all of us to live with a consciousness of His presence and that we live to please and worship Him.  It is only in living for His glory that we will ever find true joy and satisfaction in this life.

THE LORD REVEALS HIS PRESENCE TO THE PEOPLE: The Lord made it clear to all who were at the dedication to the temple that He was pleased with the construction of this building but also with the humility and praise of the people.  He revealed Himself in the form of fire that came down from heaven to consume all of the offerings that were made.  He had already made His presence known through the cloud that came down to fill the temple; now re reveals Himself through fire.  He had made Himself know by directing the children of Israel by cloud and fire when they left Egypt.  This is clearly a means of illustrating that God is still in the presence of His people and is pleased with their sacrifice.  There is no greater blessing known to man than the blessing of being in the presence of God.  We must make living in His presence a constant goal in every day that we live.

THE LORD RECEIVES THE PRAISE OF THE PEOPLE: Solomon offers 142,000 animals in sacrifice before the Lord and the Levites lead the people in a beautiful ceremony of dedication before the Lord.  He has made His presence known and the people respond just as they should with; with and attitude of reverence and praise.  We must realize that our position before the Lord is one of submission and respect.  He is great and His name is to be praised and lifted up by those who fear Him.  When men recognize God’s greatness and humbly lift up their voices in praise of Him; God is pleased.  We must take the time to recognize the works of God in our lives and then thankfully and humbly come before Him with praise and worship.


THE LORD REVEALS HIS PROMISES FOR THE PEOPLE: After the dedication of the temple is complete and the people return to their homes, God appears to Solomon.  The people go away with their hearts full of jot from having been a part of this momentous occasion.  God responds to this service with a promise to answer the prayers of the people and more specifically to answer the prayer that Solomon has just made.  God promises to hear and answer the prayers of the people when they humble themselves before the Lord and repent of their sin in the face of God’s judgment.  This was Solomon’s prayer request, and God has promised to answer that prayer in response to the people’s prayer.  God also promises to establish Solomon’s reign as king if he will worship God alone.  However, God also promises to judge disobedience with death and the destruction of the temple that He has just blessed.  If we want to experience the blessings of God we must learn to trust and obey the Word of God and depend on His grace that has been revealed to us in Christ.

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