Solomon’s Prayer of Faith - June 28, 2015

By Pastor Greg

Bruce Nolan had a twisted view of God.  He felt God was the Almighty Smiter – meaning that God was sitting in Heaven waiting for someone to mess up so He could make that person’s life miserable.  So Bruce’s prayer life was influenced by his concept of God.  He didn’t realize that a healthy prayer life begins with a healthy understanding of God.  I wonder if many of the Jews who lived during Old Testament times had the same problem.

When I think about Old Testament Jews and their experiences with God, I can’t help but wonder what sort of an opinion they formed about God.  Standing at the base of Mount Horeb, the people trembled with fear.  When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear (Exodus 20:18).  They witnessed God’s wrath against those who rebelled when, “The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned (Numbers 16:32).  The Law that God gave Israel was filled with consequences for disobedience.  Even the Tabernacle – the Sacred Tent designed by God – had a special room where only the High Priest could enter, and he could only enter once a year after spending a week being purified.  In that room was the Ark of the Covenant – the sacred chest that housed the Ten Commandments of God.

Not only was the Tabernacle a sacred and holy place, but the items inside were as well.  People were not permitted to see or touch this sacred Ark.  The men who were to carry the Ark were told to “never enter the sanctuary to look at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they will die (Numbers 4:20).  A man named Uzzah once touched this Ark and was instantly killed (see 2 Samuel 6:6).  On the day the Tabernacle was first erected, the Glory of the Lord filled the entire tent, and even Moses was forced outside (Exodus 40:35).

When Solomon built his glorious Temple, the design was still the same.  There were restriction as to who could be where, the High Priest was the only person permitted inside the Holy of Holies, and even then, he only entered this place once a year during the Day of Atonement.  On the day Solomon dedicated this Temple, the Glory of the Lord filled the place and the people had to halt their worship service (1 Kings 8:11). 

The people of Israel had heard God’s Laws, had seen God’s glory, and had witnessed His wrath.  In the Tabernacle and in the Temple they were reminded of the barrier that stood between themselves and God.  So, I wonder what sort of opinion the people formed about God.  Knowing of the barrier, the wrath, the Word, and the Glory, how would a Jew, living during the time of Solomon, view God?  Would they see Him as intimidating, angry, and unapproachable?  I don’t know about you, but I would be somewhat afraid of this God.  I would try to keep my life secret and hidden, lest God see my sin and smite me.  If the ordinary Jew did feel this way, then Solomon’s prayer at the Temple dedication is one of the boldest prayers of all time.

May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.  If [Your people] sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to their land far away or near. ⁴⁷ But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’ ⁴⁸ If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their enemies and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name—⁴⁹ then hear their prayers and their petition from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. ⁵⁰ Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you. Make their captors merciful to them, ⁵¹ for they are your people—your special possession—whom you brought out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt (1 Kings 8:30, 46-51).

Solomon uses a significant word in this prayer.  He uses it often.  It’s the last word of verse 30.  It is the word “Forgive”.  To stand before the great I Am – the creator of this universe – and ask Him to forgive our debts (or our trespasses) seems like one of the boldest requests any person can make.  I believe Solomon made this request because he truly understood the heart of God.  Solomon knew that God is compassionate, slow to anger, merciful, and filled with unfailing love (see Exodus 34:6).  His relationship with God affected his prayer life.  It should do the same for you and me.

I believe many of us continue to endure the storms of life simply because we are too afraid of God.  We’re too afraid to approach Him.  We’re too afraid to ask Him for forgiveness.  Our prayer life suffers because we do not truly understand God’s heart.  Many of us fail to realize that God’s greatest desire is to have a close relationship with us.  We don’t understand that God allowed Jesus to die on the cross not because He was angry with us but because it was the only way to rebuild the broken relationship we have with Him.  God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. 

John the Apostle writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  What that means is that no sin we might commit is beyond the Father’s ability to forgive, or beyond His desire to forgive.  Once convicted of a sin, a person needs only come to the Father and ask for forgiveness believing that because of Jesus that sin will be forgiven.  The Lord Jesus has taught us this.  “Forgive our trespasses,” He taught us to pray.

Rather than continue to live with your sin raging within you like a storm, be as bold as Solomon is.  Believe that God is willing and waiting to forgive you – that He even desires to forgive you.  All you need to do is ask.  He does not want to smite.  He wants to forgive because this is His nature.