Read 2 Chronicles 6
6 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 2 I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”
3 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 4 Then he said:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, 5 ‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’
7 “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 9 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’
10 “The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel.11 There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 14 He said:
“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 15 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.
16 “Now, Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law, as you have done.’ 17 And now, Lord, the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.
18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
22 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oathand they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.
24 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple,25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.
26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
28 “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 29 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 30 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart), 31 so that they will fear you and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
34 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.
40 “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
41 “Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.
Remember the great love promised to David your servant.”
Go Deeper
After finishing the detailed instructions on how the temple would be built for the past couple of chapters, this chapter might seem daunting because of its length! However, as we read we see that it’s actually a celebration prayer and speech packed with encouragement for the Israelites. The first thing Solomon does is bless God. He acknowledges that it is not by his own work or his father David’s work that the temple is built, but simply because God has faithfully fulfilled His prophecy. He begins his prayer kneeling, with arms stretched to represent surrender and ready reception which was the common posture of prayer in the Old Testament. Solomon humbled himself, glorified God and boldly asked Him to dwell in the temple and honor His people.
Then Solomon did something unique: He prayed for the future prayers that would be lifted within the temple. He asked that God would hear the oaths taken there and preserve justice and that God would hear when the Israelites are defeated or crying out from captivity or when there are times of plague and famine. He even asked that when foreigners find themselves near the temple praying that God would listen and they would come to fear Him. Solomon knew that even after this celebration, the world would still be broken and hardship is promised, but God dwelt with them and heard their prayers.
Now, we get to celebrate even more abundantly! Because the veil of the temple has been torn, through Jesus’s body being broken, the Holy Spirit now dwells within us. So even though we don’t have the temple or the Ark of the Covenant, we have the security that God not only hears our prayers, but listens. So, how often do we take advantage of this gift that hasn’t always been available?
We have the ability to commune with God in our quiet times as well as at work, in our cars, getting coffee, or while doing the dishes. When we shift our mindset from encountering God for thirty minutes in the morning to all throughout our day, we can grow exponentially in our relationship with Him.
Questions
- What sticks out to you most about Solomon’s prayer? Why?
- What small habit could you change today to encounter God more?
- How can you be praying for the people within your church or community?
Keep Digging
If you want to learn more about the veil being torn and what that means for us, click here to read this article from GotQuestions.org!
Leave a Comment below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
10 responses to “2 Chronicles 6”
God gave them promises and He fulfilled them. Solomon gave Him thanks for those promises that had been fulfilled and then made requests for more to come to past. When we pray or talk to God we thank Him for what He has accomplised and we ask using the promises from His word for more or different promises for our lives.
“God sent the promise on purpose to be used. If I see a Bank of England note, it is a promise for a certain amount of money, and I take it and use it. But oh my friend, do try and use God’s promises; nothing pleases God better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, ‘LORD, do as thou hast said.’ And let me tell you that it glorifies God to use his promises.” (Spurgeon)
God gave us a special temple, for Him to dwell in, our body’s. Ours is not brick and mortar. They had the temple and all the to do list of items, to check the boxes, to complete, before they would get conformation on being forgiven. We have a Savior, that we should not just take for granted. The thought of Jesus, should not become familiar and routine. All He did for us should be celebrated daily. God completely fills His Temple (us) with His presence.
God I come before You in a the posture of prayer, kneeling before,You, God in humility and focusing on You, God alone. God I want to praise You for all You have done for me. God I am so thankful for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what was accomplished on the cross for me. God please for forgive me for forgetting or not speaking about what has been accomplished on my behalf. God thank You for Your promises. God I can go to Your Word and find so many. God give me wisdom to use and benefit from all scripture. Your Word is living and active. Thank You for these minutes today that I can be a light for multiple someones. That Your shekinah glory is effervesing and shining in and through me to all I encounter today, in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“it’s not enough to read your Bible, you have to let your Bible read you.” When you open God’s Word, you must expect God to speak. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and His Word is living and active. He will encourage you. He will bless you. He will teach you. He will challenge you. And He will confront you. In fact, if you have read the Bible and not been confronted by your sin, I would humbly suggest you aren’t really engaging God’s Word for all it’s worth. You are simply reading for information rather than transformation.” Doug Resler The Intersection.
“Nothing pleases God better than to see his promises put in circulation.”
What a beautiful, powerful thought!
Thank you so much for sharing, Amy!
“He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” (V13).
When we think of a king addressing his people, humility is probably not our first thought. Solomon humbled himself by standing, then kneeling, and afterwards raising his hands to heaven as he delivered a prayer of dedication for the temple. I wonder if anyone else in the assembly joined him in this stance? My take away is that the posture of our heart matters most to God. As those who have been forgiven from the penalty of sin through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross, do we model humility, gratitude, and love for our Savior in our response to him and his people? Or as Nate said in his message yesterday, do we become calloused and entitled in our response to Christ? We have been given access to abide with Christ 24/7, let’s not waste a moment.
Yes, the posture of our heart… so good
God hears from heaven, where He lives, He listens, and He forgives.
23 “then hear from heaven and . . .”
So interesting that this phrase is repeated multiple times in this chapter! Not only am I called to pray, but then I am to hear from heaven and take the prescribed action!
Yes. I once had a pastor that we need to listen more and stop doing all the talking in prayer. Im definitely a talker….
Yes! Two ears and one mouth ratio!
I want to keep my focus on Jesus in all matters all day but I find myself always forgetting to pause to be thankful or to send up a prayer to ask for help making a decision and it feels like I am still ” going it on my own” too much. Im trying to walk in His Spirit all day long but I need a way to pull myself back into His presence. Does that make sense? Ideas?
Solomon’s prayer is marked by humility, as he recognizes the greatness of God and the smallness of man. He asks, “But will God really dwell on earth with men? Even the heavens, the highest heavens, cannot contain You” (2 Chronicles 6:18). This humility is a lesson for us to approach God with reverence and awe, acknowledging our dependence on His grace.