The first kings in chapter 8,
as we saw last time, came on that day of the dedication of
the temple that Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord
in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his
hands toward heaven and he prayed unto the Lord God. After his
introductory words from verse 23 through to verse 30, He goes on to pray seven particular
supplications on behalf of his people. There are seven distinct
sections between verse 31 and verse 53, which then concludes
Solomon's prayer. And in these seven sections,
he repeatedly prays to the Lord to hear thou in heaven. Hear
thou in heaven, thy dwelling place. Hear thou in heaven. Verse 31, he cries out, If any
man trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him
to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar
in this house, then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge
thy servants, condemning the wicked to bring his way upon
his head, and justifying the righteous to give him according
to his righteousness. then hear thou in heaven. Here we see in Solomon a picture
of the Son, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, praying to the Father
concerning that which is done at the altar. Here we have a
glimpse into the very communion between Christ, the Son of God,
and his Father. as Christ hung upon the cross
and interceded for his people. In these prayers of Solomon at
the altar, in these seven supplications that we read here, we have a
glimpse by picture into that communion of Christ with his
father on behalf of his people. As Christ suffered upon the cross
as he hung upon the altar of God as he was sacrificed he prays
for a sinful people that God through his death on their behalf
should judge them in him should take their sins and lay them
upon Christ should blot those sins out should justify his people
should bring in the righteousness of God in Christ on their behalf,
should save them, wash them clean of their sins, wash them in his
blood, justify them, show them mercy, grace, love, give them
everlasting life, and bring them into an eternal inheritance,
a land prepared for them, a promised land, the kingdom of heaven.
Yes, here we have a glimpse into the faith of Jesus Christ, a
glimpse into the judgment of God at the cross on behalf of
his people, a glimpse into the prayers of Christ for his own. Here, seven times over, the Son,
Solomon, a picture of the Son, Jesus Christ, cries out in perfection,
hear thou in heaven. And if Christ went before us,
if at the altar of God Christ prayed under his father for you,
for me in particular, if he called out to God, hear thou in heaven
on our behalf, then we can know with assurance that that prayer
was heard and that what Christ prayed for on our behalf will
be brought to pass. Hear thou in heaven. In verse 31, as we've read, the
son cries out to his Lord to hear, to do, and to judge on
his people's behalf. If any man trespass against his
neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear,
and the oath come before thine altar in this house, then hear
thou in heaven, and do and judge thy servants, condemning the
wicked to bring his way upon his head. and justifying the
righteous to give him according to his righteousness. Here Solomon
opens with the heart of the matter at the altar, the judgment between
the wicked and the righteous, the judgment of sin upon the
altar of God. Here in this first of seven prayers,
He begins with judgment. And as we go through these prayers,
that Solomon the son of the king prays on behalf of the people,
we're reminded of those seven sayings of Christ upon the cross,
as he hung bearing the sins of his people, and he cries out
under his God on their behalf. There's seven times over Christ
prayed from the cross. Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. He turned to the thief at his
right, sat right hand side and said unto him, truly I say unto
you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. He turned to
his mother, woman, behold your son. And to the disciple, behold
thy mother. In the depths of his suffering,
as he hung in the midday sun, he cries out, I first. Forsaken of all, with the wrath of God poured
down upon him, He cries out in the midst of his sufferings,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And then as he breathes his last
breath, having blotted out all the sins and transgressions of
his people, having accomplished salvation, he cries out victoriously,
it is finished. And then finally, Father, into
thy hands I commend my spirit. So as we go through these seven
prayers of Solomon, the son, on behalf of the people of God,
we see an echo of Christ's prayers from the cross. In this first passage concerning
the judgment of the wicked and the righteous, we see why Christ
was nailed to the tree. Because of the sin, the wickedness
of his people. Because judgment must come down
from on high against the sins of his people. At the cross,
Judgment was wrought. Now is the judgment of this world,
Christ said. Mine hour has come. At the cross,
all men were judged, whether in Christ or outside of Christ. At the cross, God's wrath was
poured down against sin. and what happened at that day
in that hour determines the eternal destiny of everyone. We were
either in Christ as He bore our sins, as He was made sin on our
behalf, as we were crucified in Him our Savior, we were either
in Christ God judged our sins in Christ and blotted them out
and washed them away and washed us in his blood and made us in
him to be the righteousness of God. Or we were amongst those who
looked on and condemned and in judging Christ alone for
his people we remain as the wicked far off, having nothing to do
with his salvation. At the cross God drew a line
between the wicked and the righteous, a line that was determined eternally
from before the foundation of the earth when God chose a people
in his son. but a line that in time was brought
to pass, was enacted upon the cross. This was the point in
time in which the judgment of God fell, in which the sword
of God's justice came down upon his son, in which God heard, did and judged. Hear thou in heaven and do and
judge thy servants condemning the wicked to bring his way upon
his head, and justifying the righteous to give him according
to his righteousness. Well, we're all wicked. There's
no man that's righteous by nature. There's none that didn't deserve
that judgment that came down upon Christ. There's only one
man righteous, and that's Jesus Christ himself. But all His people in Him, chosen
by God the Father from the foundation of the earth, all His chosen
in Him are made to be the righteousness of God. He is their righteousness. He is their salvation. When Christ
cried out, Hear thou in heaven upon the cross, did He pray for
you? Did he pray for me? Lord, forgive
them. They know not what they do. With
everyone else, We looked on upon Christ at the cross. We were
with everyone else, crying out, crucify him, crucify him. We
passed by as though his death was nothing to us. We railed
upon him as all men did. Just as those two thieves on
either side, they both railed upon Christ in the midst. And
yet at one point, The one thief was brought to see who Christ
was and who he was as a sinner in need of salvation. And God
gave him faith to look upon Christ and believe. And Christ said
unto him, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Well, what
of you? We've all been thieves. We're
all robbers, we've all stolen everything that God has given
us for our own glory and our own ends. We've all railed upon
Christ, we've all despised and rejected Him. We're all wicked. But in Christ, has God made you
to be the righteousness of God? Did He lay your sins upon His
Son? Are you like that thief? that
looked on and said, we deserve this judgment, but this man has
done nothing wrong, and has Christ turned to us in grace and mercy,
and said unto us, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Oh, that Christ would look upon
you and I, and pray on our behalf, hear thou in heaven, Lord, Father
forgive them, they know not what they do. Yes, hear, do and judge. Secondly, we read of the sin
of God's people. Verses 33 and 34. When thy people
Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have
sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess
thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this
house, then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people
Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest
unto their fathers. Hear thou in heaven, and forgive
the sin of thy people Israel. This altar was not the place of the salvation
of but one, but of a people, of a great company, of a multitude
chosen by God's grace, but a people who have sinned. All God's people,
spiritual Israel, are seen here. in these verses. Those of faith
from Israel of old and those Gentiles given faith to believe
on Christ their Saviour. All God's people Israel. Here
we see their sin, their rebellion, they've sinned against God. They're
smitten down before the enemy because they've sinned against
Thee, against God. But if they're His, God turns
them, God convicts them, God leads them back to Him. They
shall turn again to Thee and confess Thy name and pray and
make supplication unto Thee in this house. Then hear thou in
heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring
them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
Yes, we see the sin of God's people here. We see the judgment
of their sin, but we see the confession and their repentance
from sin. We see they're being drawn and
turned back unto God by His Spirit. We see a broken people, a broken
heart here. We see the forgiveness of their
sin, and we see their being brought into the land prepared for them. The land which thou gavest unto
their fathers. Oh yes, in this, we see this
thief upon the cross. He sinned as the other thief
had sinned. He was a wicked sinner. But God
showed him mercy. God broke his heart. God turned
him to confess that he had sinned against God. To confess that
he was guilty of the judgment and guilty rightly. He could
see Christ at his side was innocent of all charges but he was being
slain justly, he saw his guilt, he confessed his sin, he turned
to Christ, he confessed Christ's name, he prayed, and Christ looked
upon him in mercy and grace and forgiveness. Truly I say unto
you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Is that you and I? Do you see
your sin? Do you see how your sin is against
God? Like David prayed in Psalm 51,
I have sinned against thee, thee only. We may offend our neighbor,
we may do wicked things in this world which hurt others, but
ultimately our sin is against God. We've rejected his gospel,
we've trodden it underfoot, we've despised his son. We hated him
in our hearts. I've sinned against thee and
thee only. But has God shown you? Has he broken you? Has he brought you low to confess
and to cry out under God for mercy? Lord, have mercy upon
me, the sinner. Have mercy upon me. And does God here in heaven the
prayers of the Son on your behalf. Does he hear your prayers? Does
he hear the prayers of the Son on your behalf? Has he forgiven
you your sin because of the blood shed for you? Does he bring you
into the land which he gave unto your fathers? Has he turned unto
you at his side and said, truly I say unto thee, today thou shalt
be with me in paradise. Here thou in heaven. Thirdly in verses 35 to 36 we
read of the heavens which were closed and the heavens being
opened. When heaven is shut up And there
is no rain, because they have sinned against thee. If they
pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their
sin when thou afflictest them, then hear thou in heaven, and
forgive the sin of thy servants and of thy people Israel, that
thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and
give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people
for an inheritance. when heaven is shut up and there
is no rain this picture of rain seen here is a picture of that
which comes down from heaven above that which is so vital
for life if we have no rain we have no water we have nothing
to drink we have no plants that grow we have nothing to eat there's
famine there's death All the supply of life from heaven above
is cut off. What is seen here in a natural
sense is a picture of that which is spiritual. We're dependent
upon God sending down rain from heaven. We're dependent upon
the waters that come down from heaven above. We're dependent
upon the life that only God can send down, that only he can rain
down from heaven above. If the heavens are shut to us,
if they're closed to us, we starve, we thirst, We die. Oh as believers how dependent
we are on God sending down blessing, sending down life, sending down
his gospel, sending forth his son. How dependent we are upon
that righteousness which comes from above. Without righteousness
the heavens are shut. They're closed. But oh thank
God that He sent in the fullness of time, He sent His Son. Christ came down. The life of
God, the light of God, the righteousness of God, the water of God, the
water of life, the bread from heaven came down. Christ Jesus
came into this world to save sinners of which I am chief,
Paul said. He came down. And when he came
down, he went to the cross to lay down his life for his people.
He went to this altar before which Solomon prays. And when he died, he took away
his people's sins. He opened the doors of heaven
and down flowed the rivers of water. from on high. Down flowed life for his people. Heaven's gates were opened and
the gospel came forth, bringing life and salvation freely unto
his own. Rain came down upon the land,
rain that brought life, rain that brought sustenance, rain
that brought fruit. Christ came down, he reigned. The gospel shone forth, Christ
was declared. the heavens were opened. Hear
thou, in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants and of
thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein
they should walk and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast
given to thy people for an inheritance. Oh, what a salvation God sent
in Christ his Son, in his Son. Hear thou, Have you seen him? Have you beheld
him? Have you heard him? Has he come
down to you? John the Baptist walked with
his disciples and saw the Lamb of God, Christ, and said unto
them, Behold the Lamb of God. See your salvation. And when that Lamb was offered
up upon the cross, when He was sacrificed on His people's behalf,
when He bore their sins, He cried out unto His mother, woman, Behold
your son. Behold your son, look upon me. Look upon who I am and what I'm
doing for you. Not just your natural son, but
the son of God come down from on high. The son of God come
down to save. The son of God that brings forth
life. Behold your son. He said to the
disciple in relation to him, Behold your mother pointing us
to the church which is brought forth Christ and is brought forth
by Christ as his people. Behold the fruit of Christ's
death. He's brought forth the rains
upon the land. He's brought forth the blessing.
He laid down his life to save a people from their sins. Solomon goes on, fourthly, to
speak of the plagues of the heart of man, the plague of sin, the
need of salvation. He says in verse 37, if there
be in the land famine, if there be pestilent, blasting, mildew,
locust, or if there be caterpillar, if their enemy besiege them in
the land of their cities, whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there
be, what prayer and supplication so ever be made by man or by
all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague
of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house,
then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place and forgive and
do and give to every man according to his ways whose heart thou
knowest for thou even thou only knowest the hearts of all the
children of men that they may fear all the days that they live
in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. Oh what a plague
there is in the heart of man This gospel that is sent forth
by Christ, this gospel that comes down as rain from heaven, deals
with the plague that slays us. Deals with the famine, the pestilence,
the blasting, the mildew, the locust, the caterpillar. Deals
with the enemy that besieges the land and the cities. Whatsoever
plague, whatsoever sickness, it deals with the heart. the
plague of the heart, the sin that is within. Oh, has God shown
you something of the plague of your heart? For thou, even thou
only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men, what's in
them, how wicked we are. Oh, what hearts we've got. How
shall we know it? It's desperately wicked and only
evil continually. We have evil hearts. Every imagination
and thought of our heart is only evil continually. We cannot do
right. We cannot think right. We will
not seek God. We do not care for God. Everything
that flows forth from our heart is tainted by sin. Even the good
things that we do, those things that outwardly before others
seems righteous, they're played by self-righteousness, by pride,
by arrogance, by self-seeking. It's just evil. Religious men
that seek to climb up to heaven by their own strength, by their
own wisdom, their own knowledge, their own will, their own works,
who paint an outward picture of self-righteousness like the
Pharisees of old and their kin today, how evil their works are. And you and I are just the same
in religion. how much evil there is in what
we do, how we like to be seen of others, how we like others
to see how godly we are, how devoted we are, how much we pray,
how much time we spend in the scriptures, how we like to be
seen, to be living the right way and doing the right thing.
And yet there's a plague within the heart that condemns everything
that we do. And this is why Christ came,
this is why he was slain, this is why the Son of God had to
die, because we are desperately wicked. But O how Solomon prays here
for this people. Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling
place, and forgive and do, and give to every man according to
his ways. Forgive, deliver us from what
we are, Deliver us from ourselves. Deliver us from the plague. For
we cannot save ourselves, we cannot cleanse ourselves, we
cannot make ourselves righteous. There's a plague within, it slays
us, it kills us. There's nothing we can do to
save ourselves. We have no righteousness. But there's a people that God
comes unto like this thief upon the cross, who he turns, who
he breaks, whom he gives a new heart, and gives a thirst for
righteousness, a hunger and a thirst. Has he given you a hunger and
a thirst for righteousness? Having discovered the plague
of your heart, have you cried out unto God for mercy? Give
me a new heart, O Lord. Give me righteousness, for I
cannot wash myself, I cannot cleanse myself, I cannot turn
myself. Hear me, God. Hear me. This plague, this curse, this
famine, this pestilence, this death that's in us all, Christ
took it. on behalf of his people. He was
made sin. He was made a curse for them.
He bore their sins. He took this cup of God's wrath
against this sin. He bore this sin. He knew what
it was to be made sin, to bear the sins of his people, to be
counted guilty. And he cried out upon the cross,
I first. I first. As a man he firsted
in the heat, dying a cruel and a wicked death, but spiritually
made sin, bearing the sins of his people in the judgment of
God, he cries out, I first. Bring forth righteousness for
thy people, Lord. Make them to be the righteousness
of God. Did He cry this for you? Have
you cried unto Him for this righteousness? Do you thirst after righteousness? Do you see the plague of sin
in your heart and the need of salvation? as Christ heard in heaven, as
he prayed unto the Father in heaven for you. Have mercy upon
them, Lord. Fifthly, Solomon goes on in verses
41 to 43 to pray concerning a stranger. Moreover, concerning a stranger,
that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country
for thy namesake. For they shall hear of thy great
name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm.
When he shall come and pray toward this house, hear thou in heaven
thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth
to thee for. that all the people of the earth
may know thy name to fear thee, as do thy people Israel, and
that they may know that this house which I have built is called
by thy name. God had mercy upon a people that
he chose, Israel, but that physical nation was but a picture of a
spiritual nation. And his gospel was not just for
the Jews, but for the Gentiles. Christ came to save the people
called out of every nation, out of every tribe, out of every
kindred. He had a people scattered throughout
this world, a people who were far off, lost, forgotten, cast
out. Are you one of them? He came
to call strangers. and pilgrims unto salvation. Moreover concerning a stranger
that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country
for thy name's sake, when he shall come and pray toward this
house, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according
to all that the stranger calleth to thee for, that all the people
of the earth may know thy name to fear thee, as do thy people
Israel. Has he heard the cries of the
strangers? Are you one of them? Paul writes
in Romans 9, Even ask whom ye have called, not of the Jews
only, but also of the Gentiles. As he saith also in Hosea, I
will call them my people, which were not my people. and her beloved
which was not beloved and it shall come to pass that in that
place where it was said unto them ye are not my people there
shall they be called the children of the living God Solomon prays that this gospel
this salvation shall gather in the strangers those who were
lost, those who were forgotten, those who were cast out, those
who were cast out by the Jews, counted to be dogs, counted to
be vile, Gentiles, strangers, you and I by nature. As God sent
his gospel to a far country, to you, to call you to this altar,
as he sent his son, from a far country for you to die in your
place and to cry out from the altar, Here thou in heaven. When Christ suffered on behalf
of the Jews and the Gentiles, on behalf of the stranger, the
outcast, he was cast out himself. He was crucified outside of Jerusalem. cast out of the city, cast out
as a dog, cast out and crushed and bruised and broken, spat
upon, despised, forsaken by all men, forsaken even by his father
as he bore the sins of his people. And he cried out, my God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? What does Christ know of the
stranger? He was one. He knew what it was to be set
at arm's length. He knew what it was to be cast
out. He knew what it was to be forgotten. Do you feel forgotten? Do you
feel left out? Do you feel that God has no time
for you, that he has no interest in you? Well, Christ came for
the stranger. He knows what it is to be forsaken. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? And in suffering for the stranger,
every one whom God chose in him, every stranger, every foreigner,
every lost sinner for whom Christ died will hear this gospel. will be called by God's grace
and will be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, because he cried
out unto his God from the cross, Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling
place and do according to all that the stranger calleth to
thee for. Are thou calling unto God for
mercy If Christ died in your place,
he will pray for you and mercy will be yours. Sixthly, we read
of the battle against the enemy. Verse 44, if thy people go out
to battle against their enemy, Withersoever thou shalt send
them, and shalt 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. God's people know much about
battles and much about enemies. They know what it is to be cast
out. They know what it is to be despised.
They know what it is to endure the battles of the enemies, the
enemies without and the enemies within. But God prays for his
people. God watches over them. God maintains
their cause. That people for whom Christ died,
he sends forth with his gospel into a world that does not want
to know. Into a world full of enemies,
full of hatred, full of enmity. He sends it forth in power. But when that people go out to
battle against their enemy, wherever the Lord sends them, When they
pray towards his house, when they turn towards the altar,
when they look unto Christ and call out unto him, he hears in
heaven. He hears their supplication and
their prayer and he maintains their cause. This gospel is powerful
and mighty to save. God saves with an outstretched
arm. He's wrought the victory. When
Christ died upon the cross, he did all that was necessary to
save his people forever. He destroyed every enemy, every
foe, all opposition. He destroyed sin. He destroyed
death. He destroyed Satan, the devil. He destroyed that sin which is
within. He overcame our every enemy. He accomplished salvation. He
finished the work. He came back victorious. Christ came riding upon a horse
victorious in blood-soaked garments. And at the cross, in those three
hours of darkness, having borne the sins of his people, having
drunk the cup of God's wrath to the dregs, having taken away
every last sin, every last wickedness, all the iniquity of his own,
having taken it all away and borne all the judgment, he cried
out victoriously, it is finished. The warfare is over. The battle
is accomplished. victory is ours in him we are
more than conquerors more than conquerors in christ who loved
us and gave himself for us oh behold the son of god more than
conquerors and he hears his people's prayer whatever battle they may
be in whatever enemy may be before them They know in Christ that
it is finished. Finally, seventhly, God describes
this people for whom Christ was offered up at the altar as his
people. They be thy people. Verse 46, If they sin against
thee, for there is no man that sin if 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 be think themselves in the land wither they were
carried captives. and repent and make supplication
unto thee into the land of them that carried them captive, 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 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. For
thou didst 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, O Lord
God. For they be thy people and thine
inheritance. This people for whom Christ died,
a chosen people, a people from amongst the Jews and the Gentiles,
strangers, the lost, the wicked, transgressors, are his people. They be thy people and thine
inheritance. A chosen people. An elect people. A people chosen of God in Christ
before the foundation of the earth. Separated unto God. A people for whom Christ died
individually. Every one. He went to that cross
with the names of those people upon his heart. He died for the
particular sins of a particular people, each and every one. He
loved them and gave himself for them. They are his people. Are you one of them? Are you
one of this people? Has he prayed on your behalf
here thou in heaven? Wash them, cleanse them, deliver
them, save them. Bring them with me into thy presence. When Christ laid down his life,
having cried out, it is finished, having completed the work, he
gave his spirit into the Father's hands. Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit. Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit. He gave up the ghosts. He went
into glory. And when he died and went into
glory, his people went with him. He led this people forth victoriously. He led them into a land flowing
with milk and honey. He led them into heaven's glory. He brought them unto the Father. He led them unto heaven. Seven times over he prays for
his people. Seven times over he says hear
thou in heaven and having delivered them from all their sins he brings
this people cleansed, redeemed, washed, justified, glorified
into heaven's glory. Oh what a gospel. Oh what a saviour. Oh what a salvation! Has God
shown you this Saviour crucified for you? Has He shown you the
plague of your heart? Has He made you to know that
you're a stranger? Has He shown you your need of
salvation, your need of righteousness? Has He shown you your sin? Has
heaven been opened for you? Has the reigns of God in the
gospel come down for you? Has God shown you life and glory
in Jesus Christ? Has he made known his mercy and
his grace and his love unto you in particular? Do you know that
Christ's prayer to the Father has been heard? Hear thou in
heaven. Are you one of his? Are you washed
in his blood? have you been led with him into
heaven's glory. Behold the Son of God. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world. Amen.