Well once again we'll continue our meditation in the first book of Kings in the eighth chapter when Solomon spoke at the dedication of the temple and we've been going through his prayer and God willing tonight we'll just finish the last part of his prayer. It's not the end of the things that he says but it is the end of his prayer. and it's in the eighth chapter of the first book of Kings and we read from verse 44 to verse 53. The first book of Kings, chapter 8, verses 44 to 53.

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name, then hear thou in heaven their prayer, and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

If they sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not, and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy far or near. Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land, whether they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee, in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness, and so return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name. Then, hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven, thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause. And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them.

For they be thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt from the midst of the furnace of iron, that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant and unto the supplication of thy people Israel to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee for thou did separate them from among the people of the earth to be thine inheritance as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.

As we've gone through this prayer of Solomon, one thing is very evident, that he prayed in a very simple way, and yet it was a very comprehensive way. And he directed his prayer to the situation that God would indeed hear the prayer of his people when they prayed. If they came indeed and with a right attitude, right repentance and right sorrow for their sin, then he sought they might pray that way and God would look upon them, and would remember them, and have mercy upon them. The number of ifs in this few verses, and it starts off with this.

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, you see they were under the hand of God, under the guidance of God, and they shall pray unto the Lord, toward the city which thou hast chosen and toward the house that I have built for thy name, being, of course, the temple. Then he asks, Almighty God, then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause. Then he goes on and expounds it and says, If they sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not. Well, that's an important statement so that everyone realizes, whoever they are, from the king down to the captive, that everyone sins, no man that sinneth not.

And then he addresses God and says, and they'll be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy. And as we go through the accounts of Israel, we find that very often they walk contrary to God. And God was angry with them and God dealt with them. We should not think that we can sin lightly and get away with sin. No, sin has to be repented of. And what a blessing it is we have a God who hears and answers prayer.

And so he says, and they'll be angry with them and deliver them to the enemy so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy far or near. Yet, if they shall bethink themselves in the land, whether they were carried captives, we can assume therefore that's when God granted them the ability to come to their senses and understand what they'd done, how they'd offended Almighty God. Yet, if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, and have committed wickedness.

A frank confession, wasn't it? an honest confession a needful confession so that when we come to our God we're not to pretend that we are faultless we are to be honest before our God and come in this way to repent make supplication and confess we've sinned and have done perversely and we've committed a wickedness And then he asks the Lord, if that is done, and so return unto thee with all their heart. That's a great blessing. If you and I are given that true desire to return unto the right ways and return unto the Lord, and so return unto thee with all their heart, It doesn't mean a divided heart. It doesn't mean we're half-hearted in our repentance, half-hearted in our confession.

With all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive. There they were in a foreign land, captive, and yet there the Lord hears and answers prayer and pray. unto thee, toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house, the temple, which I have built for thy name. And then he pleads, then, if that is done honestly from their heart, then hear thou their prayer, their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place and how wonderful that is to think that God is in heaven we know not how far away that is it's irrelevant really because God is in every place and he tells us and then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place and maintain their cause not to forget his people to maintain their cause and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them. Well, it was a great desire, a great prayer.

And my friends, it's still the same today. We still need the same God to hear our prayers, the same God to look upon us and forgive us and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them. We don't deserve compassion, do we? But what a mercy it is. We have a God who is compassionate, and therefore we have this statement, that they may have compassion on them.

For they be thy people and thine inheritance, Again, that's an amazing thought, isn't it? To think that we are God's people and that we are His inheritance. How humbling that should be to us as unworthy sinners to think that's as true today of the Church of God as it was in the days that Solomon prayed.

For they be thy people and thy inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron, that thine eyes may be opened unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. And really that again comes back to the true church of God, the living church of God. The same today, God's people need God in the same way that Israel did of old. And to realize this great truth, that thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel. to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. Surely today we come to our God in the same way, praying that he would indeed look upon us, that he would hear us, and he would answer us.

And then Solomon finally comes with this statement, for thou did separate them from among all the people of the earth. to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt. Well, what a wonderful thing that is today, as it's still the same to think that we unworthy sinners of the earth don't deserve any notice, and yet he says, thou didst separate them to think that God, in his love toward us, has separated us from those who are not his children. For thou didst separate them from among all the people. Nothing in us, individually, that can merit this blessing, but it's because of his sovereign grace. It's because of his love to his unworthy church. because they are his inheritance.

As thou spakest by the hand of Moses all those years ago, who was the servant of God, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt. It was a wonderful occasion. It was an amazing occasion. And yet, you know, in one sense, it's no less amazing today to think that we no better than our fathers, no better than those that came out of Egypt.

And yet, Almighty God, our gracious Saviour, looks upon us, hears our cry, remembers us with that favour He bears unto His people, and to recognise that by his grace and favour we are his inheritance. Very humbling isn't it? And then just the three words that Solomon concludes this prayer with, O Lord God, O Lord God, When we pray, we should come in the same way. We come to our Lord, our Lord who is the God in heaven, the one who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. What a blessing it is, therefore, if you and I can come in this way, include our prayers with O Lord God. That's the only one that we can come to.

No one else will hear answer prayer but we should be thankful therefore that God in his love and mercy has given us such a record in detail of the prayer that Solomon uttered before that vast congregation when that cloud came down upon the temple and reveal the wonderful glory of God. What a day it was. Let us never forget it and let us thank God that we have a record of it for our encouragement and instruction in the day and age in which we live. Amen.