Sunday, September 1, 2013 - 1 Kings 8:54-61

[Tek7]

When Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the Lord, he got up from kneeling before the altar of the Lord, with his hands spread out toward heaven, and he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice: “May the Lord be praised! He has given rest to His people Israel according to all He has said. Not one of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses has failed. May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors. May He not abandon us or leave us so that He causes us to be devoted to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors. May my words I have made my petition with before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night, so that He may uphold His servant’s cause and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, and so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God. There is no other! Let your heart be completely devoted to the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and to keep His commands, as it is today.”

1 Kings 8:54-61, HCSB

Solomon's prayer represents a high point in Israel's history. I noticed when reading the first 53 verses of chapter 8 that the prayer read like a summary of Israel's past, present, and future. I recommend reading the chapter in full to get a better feel for the context.

While Solomon's blessing in the passage quoted above sounds sincere--and likely was--Scripture finds Solomon turning away from God to his wives' false gods. One generation later, things fall apart when Rehoboam takes the throne and Israel descends into civil war.

This passage serves not only as an important chapter of Israel's history, but also a lasting reminder that passion and dedication today does not guarantee obedience and discipline tomorrow. There is no neutral gear in the Christian journey and we must be ever vigilant against anything--bad or good, but especially the good--that would turn us away from God and toward destruction.

EDIT: And my apologies for not posting this earlier. Yesterday's attack on the forums diverted my attention, but that's no excuse to be a day late (especially when Lloren did all the work to fix and secure the forums! ).

 

[Abba San]

It's okay to be a day late occasionally...especially with a great reminder like this passage. Thanks.