Solomon Anticipates Praise

January 26, 2020 Background Scripture: 1 Kings 8:54 – 66; 2 Chronicles 7:4 – 9 Lesson Passage: 1 Kings 8:54 – 61 After Solomon finished his dedicatory prayer of Israel’s first temple, he stood up from the kneeling position he had prayed in and led Israel in a praise rally. Again, Solomon acknowledged God’s faithfulness in fulfilling all of the promises He had made to Israel. Solomon’s exaltation of God reached back over a thousand years to the time when Moses led Israel. During those years, God was fulfilling and making great promises to them. Solomon admonished the people of Israel to follow after God in keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments according to what had been passed down to them from Moses through their elders. He called for loyalty from the people as they lived out their lives before God. He requested that God would retain all of the words of the prayer he had offered to God in the presence of Israel and that it would lead to all people (not just Jews) recognizing the Lord as God. After this praise of God, and exaltation of the people, Solomon then started a fourteen-day celebration to culminate the dedication of the temple. The total amount of sacrifices and burnt offerings was enormous. The temple floor had to be used because the sacrifices were too much for the brass altar. Twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred, twenty thousand sheep, and grain were sacrificed and offered to the Lord. This was a very extravagant worship with a true sacrificial offering. No expense was withheld for the event that was celebrating the dedication of Israel’s first temple. Some of the sacrificial animals were the main course for the national feast that took place during the two-week celebration. The people of Israel left the celebration rejoicing and filled with hope—having been reminded of the great things God had done for David and for the people of Israel. The temple dedication was a time of celebration of the goodness of God and an opportunity for the people of Israel to participate in a great national feast unlike any other. No doubt, the people left the ceremony feeling proud to be a part of this nation which had been shown such favor by the only true and living God. They left encouraged to live their best life and to continue to reap the favor of God. Solomon had reminded Israel of God’s faithfulness to their ancestors in the past as a reason to praise Him. Seeing the splendor of the temple and the cloud of God occupying the most holy place was a reason to praise Him. Enjoying the bounty of the Promise Land, the livestock and the grain, during the feast was a reason to praise God. How could Israel not offer God the fruit of their lips, that is, the sacrifice of praise. God had been too good to Israel for them not to praise Him. The anticipation that God would continue to be with them into the future was reason enough to praise Him. Solomon had shown himself to be a God-fearing and a godly leader for Israel. Just as God had been with King David in subduing all of Israel’s enemies around them, there was no reason for Israel not to expect God to be with King Solomon in like manner. Solomon praised God and led Israel in a national praise of God. Robert C. Hudson January 3, 2020