As most of you know, we've been considering the occasion of the dedication of the temple when Solomon prayed on that wonderful occasion. And last week we finished Solomon's prayer. And now to finish the account, which we'll do this evening, God willing, he addresses the people. So it's the first book of the Kings. and the eighth chapter, and it's verses 54 to 66. So the first book of the Kings, chapter eight, and reading verses 54 to 66.

And it was so that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying, blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he promised there, hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses, his servant.

The Lord our God be with us. As he was with our fathers, let him not leave us nor forsake us, that he may incline our hearts unto him to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God, day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require, that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, to keep his commandments, as at this day And the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the Lord.

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord, two and 20,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered burnt offerings and meat offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings and meat offerings and the fat of the peace offerings. And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days, and seven days, even fourteen days. On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart, for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant and for Israel his people.

Well that concludes the account of Solomon and at the wonderful occasion when the temple was dedicated and we're thankful to have a record of it and the detail we've already considered his prayer and the fullness of it and the detail of it and now we read together how he addressed the people and it's important to realize how he did address the people and we're told he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

And he stood and blessed the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying, and again it's interesting, a number of times in scripture we read that people spoke with a loud voice. They didn't mumble, but they spoke with a loud voice. And it was important what they said. And it's important here what Solomon said because he was addressing the people and he said, blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

And that is so confirming to us in our day and age when God's promises are fulfilled. You and I look in our lives to those occasions perhaps when God has spoken to us, given us a promise, a promise which perhaps we rely upon and then to have it strengthened and come back to us with some power to realise that yes, this was the word of the Lord. And so here Solomon is reminding really the people about this. He says, blessed be the Lord, and it's good for us always to come with that desire to bless the Lord. The Lord is great, the Lord is high and lifted up, but he is so wonderful in his workings. Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he promised.

You see, God's promises had been fulfilled. The temple had been erected and God had been there in the midst, as we commented when we began this account, that the cloud filled the holy place. And it was so powerful, the light, that they couldn't actually remain there. God had shown his power, had shown his love, had shown his mercy.

And how good that is for us today, and how we need that in our little lives, to know that God is with us, like he was with Israel, like he has been with his people down through the ages. And so he comes and tells us, The Lord our God, be with us. As he was with our fathers, let him not leave us, nor forsake us. And as we trace the word of God, we see so many evidences of that great truth being fulfilled. And then how wonderful it is if you and I can look into our own little lives and see that our God has been with us as he was with our fathers. And that's wonderful if we can recount that. And then that wonderful desire, let him not leave us nor forsake us. Well, we don't want to be left, do we? The people of God in this day and age didn't want to be left.

The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers. Let him not leave us nor forsake us. that he may incline our hearts unto him to walk in all his ways. And what a wonderful desire that is, because our hearts by nature are hard, by nature we're rebellious against the things of God, but what a wonderful mercy if God comes to us and inclines our heart unto him. That means that we look unto the Lord, we desire to walk with the Lord, we desire to have union and communion with the Lord. Well, it should be the great and blessed desire of the true Church of God, and it's good if it's so in our little lives. The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers, Let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may incline our hearts unto him to walk in all his ways. You see it wasn't a question of choosing some ways and rebelling against others. The great desire was let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may incline our hearts unto him to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. Well, we should be thankful if we have a desire to follow that pattern.

And then he says, and let these my words, wherewith I've made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God, day and night. that he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel at all times as the matter shall require. Well what a good desire that was and how hopefully we can echo those words in our own heart and desire that the Lord indeed will be with us and guide and direct us and bless us that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God. The word of God tells us, ye are my witnesses. And what a blessing it is if God gives us that grace and that inclination to truly set a good example and to follow his word. That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God to walk in his statutes, to keep his commandments as at this day.

Well, again, wonderful how we read these words and it's good if the Lord applies them to our heart and it creates that real desire to be a follower of those great statements that we're able to read in the Word of God. And then we come to what the king did and the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the Lord. And again to just remind ourselves sacrifice means something which costs us. It's not something which we just hand out without any cost. The sacrifice means what it says. It's a sacrifice.

And therefore Solomon offered a sacrifice of Peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord, two and 20,000 oxen. It's an amazing number, isn't it? Hard for us to understand. And 120,000 sheep. It's not surprising that the brazen altar was not big enough to cope with so many sacrifices. and yet that's what was done for the honour and glory of God and in thankfulness for his wonderful mercy to his people.

The same day did the King hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord for there he offered burnt offerings and meat offerings and the fat of peace offerings because the brazen altar that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings and meat offerings and the fat of the peace offerings.

And at that time Solomon held a feast and all Israel with him, a great congregation. We can imagine, can't we, how vast it must have been. All Israel gathered together to praise the Lord, to partake of this wonderful feast. From the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt before the Lord our God seven days and seven days, even 14 days.

And on the eighth day, he sent the people away. And what did the people do? They blessed the king and went unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David and his servant and for Israel, his people. Well, may you and I have thankful hearts for the Lord's goodness and mercy to us. We have the example here, the evidence of it, and it's here for our instruction and encouragement. And so to think that the people went away and they blessed the king and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart. for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant and for Israel his people. Well may each one of us have much cause to thank God and to praise God for all his goodness, for all his mercy, for his love and favour which we do enjoy. and especially if we have the evidence of that blessed work of grace in our hearts and of the mercy of the Lord shown toward us. Well, may God encourage us and strengthen us and bless us as we journey on and to be able to remember this wonderful time and the dedication of the temple.