1 Kings 8. I want to read verses 12-30. Long scripture reading. This is after the glory of the
Lord had filled the temple, beginning in verse 12 of 1 Kings 8. Then spake Solomon, the Lord
said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely
built thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide
in forever.' And the king turned his face about and blessed all
the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel
stood. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which
spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his
hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth
my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the
tribes of Israel to build and house that my name might
be therein, but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
And it was in the heart of David, my father, to build an house
for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said
unto David, my father, whereas it was in thine heart to build
an house in my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart.
Nevertheless, thou shalt not build the house, but thy son
that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the
house under my name. And the Lord hath performed his
word that he spake. And I'm risen up in the room
of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord
promised, and have built a house for the name of the Lord God
of Israel. And I've set there a place for the ark, wherein
is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers
when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. And 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 said,
Lord God of Israel, There's no God like unto thee, in heaven
above or on the earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy
with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart, who
has kept with thy servant David, my father, that thou promised
him. Thou speakest also with thy mouth and has fulfilled it
with thine hand as it is this day. Therefore now, Lord God
of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, that thou promised
him, saying that there shall not fail thee a man in my sight
to sit on the throne of Israel. So shall thy children take heed
to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked
before me. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray
thee, be verified which thou spakest unto David my father. But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? Behold the heaven, and heaven
of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that
I builded. Yet have thou respect unto the
prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God,
to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant
prayeth before thee today, that thine eyes may be open toward
this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou
hast said, my name shall be there, that thou mayest hearken unto
the prayer which thou servant shall make toward this place
and hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people
Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, and hear thou
in heaven thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest, forgive."
When thou hearest, forgive. Every time that we pray, we have
to say that, don't we? Every time without exception.
When thou hearest, forgive. Somebody may think, well, if
we've already been forgiven of our sins, why do we have to pray
for forgiveness again? Because we sin every day. That's
why. You know, it's a hard heart that
would ask that question. I've asked the question before, and
it's a hard heart that would ask that question. If we've already
been forgiven, why do we have to pray for forgiveness? Well,
because we sin every day. Now, let's look back at verse
12. This is after the temple was
built. The glory of the Lord filled
the temple and the priest couldn't even enter in. I think that's
such a glorious thing to think about. It actually happened.
This glory was radiating from the temple to where they couldn't
enter in because of the glory of the Lord and his glory is
his capacity to save. What a glorious thing. Now, verse
12, then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the
thick darkness. Do you realize that the more
we see of the Lord, the more we will see that we don't see?
He dwells in the thick darkness. And I am finding more and more
when I try to preach the gospel, I feel like I'm dealing with
things that I'm I hope I know something about them. I hope
I understand them. But more and more, it seems more
awesome, more majestic, more feeling of a fool trying to make
known something that is just way beyond me when we talk about
the gospel like that. But he talked about the Lord
dwelling in the thick darkness. And indeed, I was writing an
article for the Bulletin yesterday for next week. And I was dealing
with, um, where it says he's touched by the feeling of our
infirmities because of what he's experienced. And, uh, he was,
um, on the cross and, and yet he was tempted in all his way.
He was tempted in all points, like, as we are yet without sin.
And I started trying to deal with the fact that on the cross,
he was tempted with everything. that we've ever been tempted
with. Now, he never sinned. He never sinned, but he felt
the embarrassment and shame of giving
into the temptation, although he never did it. He felt the
shame and the guilt, and I started saying all these things. I thought,
what do I know about this? What do I know about this? What
do I know about what he was experiencing so much more acutely than I have? And I just almost felt ashamed
that I was even trying to deal with it. Um, he dwells in the
thick darkness. Now I'm thankful for revelation,
but he dwells in the thick darkness, doesn't he? I mean, we, what
we know is so small. Well, let's go on reading. Solomon says, I've surely built
thee a house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide forever. Now, he realized that this temple
represented the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God's dwelling place. He
is God's settled place. All the fullness of the Godhead
dwells in him. He's the temple. And Solomon
understood that. He went on to say, when we were
reading that passage of scripture, he said, the heaven of heavens
can't contain you. You can't be contained by space or by time. He's infinite. He dwells outside
of all of this. And he realized that all this
house he built and represented was the fact that all of God's
blessings, all of God's person is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's all this temple's about. Christ is the temple of God. So he says in verse 14, and the
king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation
of Israel, And all the congregation of Israel stood, you know, I
want blessed too, don't you? I want to be blessed by the Lord.
And he said, blessed verse 15. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
which spake with his mouth unto David, my father, and with his
hand fulfilled it saying, and I love that whatever the Lord
spake, he fulfilled. That's our hope that he does
or has done what he said he would do. That's all my salvation is
that his hand has fulfilled what he said he would do. You know,
there's one place where David said in this prayer, the way
he ended up his prayer, he said, do what you've said. Now that's
a way to pray. Ask the Lord to do what he said. And that's what is being said
here. Verse 16, since the day that I brought forth my people
out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel
to build a house that my name might be therein. But I chose
David to be over my people. And it was in the heart of David,
my father, to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.
David was looking at his own house and he said, I'm dwelling
in this house and the Lord's dwelling in that tabernacle.
And I want him to have this glorious house. The Lord commended him
for thinking that. It was in the heart, verse seven,
it was in the heart of David, my father, to build a house for
the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said unto David,
my father, whereas it was in thy heart to build a house unto
my name, thou didst well that it was in your heart. You know,
the Lord is pleased. with the desires of his people.
He gave them those desires. You know, when you desire to
be like Christ, you know, the Lord is pleased with that. When
you desire to honor him, and that's your desire. If you're
a believer, you want to honor him and glorify him. Well, he put
that in your heart and he's pleased with it. He's pleased with the
desire there for his glory and his honor. He's, he's pleased
with that. He was pleased with the fact that David desired to
build him a house, but he said, you're not going to build it
for me. Verse 19, nevertheless, thou
shalt not build the house, but thy son shall come forth out
of thy loins. He shall build the house in my
name. And I think this is interesting. And second Samuel chapter seven,
when David said, I want to build you a house, he said, no, you're
not going to do it. Now this is before the event with Bathsheba,
but he talked about Solomon even then, before the event of Bathsheba,
he knew about this and he was going to bring good out of it,
this event with Bathsheba. And Solomon came and he said,
this is the one who's going to build this house. Verse 20, and
the Lord had performed his word that he spake, and I am risen
up in the room of David, my father, to sit on the throne of Israel
as the Lord promised. and have built an house for the
name of the Lord God of Israel, verse 21, and I've set there
a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord,
which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the
land of Egypt. Now this ark represents that
covenant. We talked about this a couple
of weeks ago. God made two covenants, one with Adam in the garden,
conditioned upon his obedience, But he made one before that with
Christ before time began. And that covenant was conditioned
upon his obedience. Now, would you rather have your
salvation dependent upon what you do or what Christ does for
you? That's an easy question to answer, and that's what that
arc of the covenant represents that's brought into that temple,
the covenant of grace, the covenant sealed with his blood. Verse
22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the
presence of the congregation of Israel and spread forth his
hands toward heaven. Now, I think the significance
of when I think of somebody spreading forth their hands toward heaven,
that to me, I don't feel comfortable doing that. But he did. And let me tell you why he did.
He was before the altar. And he knew what that altar made
him. The only way a man can spread his hands toward heaven is because
of the altar and what was accomplished on that altar, the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was before that altar when
he did this to bless the people. Verse 22, and 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 said,
Lord God of Israel, There's no God like thee. In heaven above or on earth beneath,
no one can be compared to you. Now, the reason idolatry, somebody
says, well, what's wrong with making some kind of image that
represents God, that at least that puts him in our mind. We
see this image or we see this cross, or we see some kind of
religious relic that, that makes us think of God. Any comparison that I make with
God only brings Him down. Whatever comparison I make, whatever
image I make, all it does is bring Him down to a level of
humanity. This helps me understand God.
Or I've been in some of these cathedrals when I've gone to on vacation or something. I remember
I was in Notre Dame once and it is quite an impressive edifice. And I remember somebody said,
you can feel the presence of God in this place. I did, and
I felt the presence of Satan. It was a creepy place. I mean, it was amazing looking
at, but any attempt of man to bring the presence of God, all
that's doing is bringing him down to a human level that wicked
men can understand and grasp. So it's always wrong, and that's
why he says this. Verse 23, he said, Lord God of Israel, there's
no God like thee in heaven above or on earth beneath. And who
keep us covenant and mercy with our servants that walk before
thee with all their heart. Now here's, here's the glorious
thing about the Lord. He keeps his covenant and it's
a covenant of mercy. What were David's words in second
Samuel 23 five. Although my house be not so with
God yet, have he made with me an everlasting covenant. ordered in all things and sure. And David, the man after God's
own heart said, this is all my salvation. Now, David, what a
special man. There's no more beloved of God
than David. What a special man. Yet he didn't
look at how God used him to defeat Goliath. He didn't think about
how God used him to write the Psalms and to be the mightiest
king and all the way. He said, my salvation is not
in how God has used me. It's in this covenant he made
with Christ in my behalf. This is all my salvation. I want
to ask you a question. Is this all your salvation? Can
you say this with the same conviction of David? This is all my salvation
and it's all my desire. I don't want anything else. I
simply want to be found in Christ. God keeping his covenant with
Christ and saving me for Christ's sake. That's all my salvation
and all my desire. That's how Solomon felt. That's
how David felt. And they understood the what
this ark represents. Verse 24, who has kept with thy
servant, David, my father, that that thou promised him. Thou
spakest also with thy mouth and has fulfilled it with thine hand
as it is this day. There he goes again, talking
about what God said he'll do. I have purposed it. I will do
it. That's what God says. I purposed
it. I will do it with your own hand. You've done this. Verse
25, therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep You said, you do
it. He pleads for him to do what
he said. Now, therefore, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy
servant, David, my father, that that thou promised him, saying,
there shall not a man fail thee in my sight to sit on the throne
of Israel, so that thy children take heed to their way, that
they walk before me as thou has walked before me. Now, part of
this covenant is that your children will take heed to their way. Well, I'm going to watch my ways.
I'm going to make sure I, is that what he's talking about?
Well, you ought to watch your ways. I wouldn't deny that. I
ought to watch my way. We ought to be very careful about
our walk and our conduct and our conversation. And nobody's
saying against that, but when I'm taking heed to my way, this
is the way I'm taking heed to. I simply want to be found in
Christ. He's the way to the father. When I walk with him with my
whole heart, that means I look wholeheartedly to Christ. I don't
look anywhere else. Someone who doesn't look to Christ
only is insincere. They're not real. Those who look
to Christ only are the ones who take heed to their ways. I don't
want to be found in any other way but the way of Christ and
the way of His grace, and I take heed to that. I'm scared to death
to do anything else except simply to be in the way, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the way to the Father. Verse 26, and now, O God of Israel,
let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spake unto
David my father. Now, once again, how many times
in this prayer does he ask the Lord, just do what you said?
You find a promise in the word of God and say, Lord, do what
you said. The thing that comes to my mind
more than anything else, whenever I think this way, I think of
that promise the Lord made, sin shall not have dominion over
you, for you're not under law, but under grace. Lord, you said
that. You plead that promise. You said
that. Don't let sin have dominion over
me. Teach me what that means and do it simply because that
is your promise. Now that's true prayer, really. Finding out what God has said
in his word and saying, do what you said. By grace are you saved. Lord, you said that. Do what
you said. Save me by your grace. This is throughout this prayer
of this man who's the wisest man to ever live, Solomon. And
what I think is so interesting about this man is, as we're going
to see in a few chapters, the wisest man to ever live acted
like the biggest fool to ever live. And that's what you and
I will do apart from the grace of God. Really the only true
great man is the Lord Jesus Christ. All of us are vanity and Solomon
was, but let's go on reading. Verse 27, but will God indeed
dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and heaven
of heavens cannot contain me. How much less this house that
I build." And now he understood this. He understood that a physical
house cannot contain the God of glory. Now, I like thinking
about this. Don't understand it, but I still
like thinking about this. I want you to think about how
confined we are to space and time. Here I am. I can't be in that other room.
I'm confined here. And I can't do anything about
tomorrow. I don't even know what's going
to happen tomorrow. And I can't do anything to change what happened
60 seconds ago. I'm completely bound by space,
where I'm at right now, and time, past, present, and future. I'm
trapped here. God is completely unbound by
space or time. Do I understand that? No, but
isn't He glorious? And Solomon knew that. He said,
this house, it can't contain you that I've made for your name.
I realize that. The whole idea of material matter
as having anything to do with the worship of God, we see how
ridiculous it is. And Solomon did too, even though
this construction project is probably the only perfect construction
project, if there ever was one. I mean, I bet that everything
was in perfect square, everything had gold floors, and it was the
most impressive building in the world at the time, and the oracle,
the holy of holies. But he said, this is nothing.
He spent seven years building it with all this money that was
spent in it, but he realized this is nothing. Nothing can
contain the living God. He's infinite. He's eternal. He never had a beginning. He's
absolutely sovereign. He's completely in control over
the free actions of men. Whatever's going through your
mind right now, he determined for it to happen before time
began. Whatever's going through your
mind, you say, well, how could that be? I don't know, but God's God,
God's God. And whatever he does is right,
just, holy, and true. That's who he is. And Solomon
realized that. So he says in verse 28, and I
think this is, he's talking about how glorious God is. And he says,
yet have thou respect under the prayer of thy servant and to
his supplication. Now that's a strong statement.
Lord, have respect to my prayer. I think the highest commendation
you can give anybody is to respect them. Love is good. Respect in some respects is better.
To respect somebody, to have a genuine respect for them. And Solomon says, have respect. He's telling God to respect his
prayer. Now, how can that be? That lets us know of the power
of the gospel, the power of the blood of Christ, the power of
the righteousness of Christ. I go back to Abel. The scripture says that God had
respect to Abel and to his offering. He didn't have any respect for
Cain or his offering. But he had respect for Abel and
his offering. And through the Lord Jesus Christ,
God respects the prayers of his people. And once again, that's
beyond comprehension. That's something to just be believed
through the power of the gospel. Yet have thou respect unto the
prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God,
to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant
prayeth before thee today. And here's what he wanted, that
thine eyes may be open toward this house, night and day, even
toward the place of which thou hast said, my name shall be there,
that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant
shall make toward this place. Now, as we go on reading in this
prayer, he's saying when they get in trouble, they pray toward
this place. That's talking about praying
in Christ's name. It's coming into God's presence saying, look
only to Christ. Don't look to me. Don't look
to my works. Don't look to anything about me. Look only to Christ.
He's saying, let your eyes continually be upon this place. Now he knows
that there's nothing to, it's not the building, but it's what
the building represents, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's
exactly what Paul meant when he said, oh, that I may win Christ
and be found in him. That's all I want is to be found
in him, the place where God dwells, the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, simply
to be found in him. Now that's what Solomon's pray.
Let your eyes continually be upon this place. Lord, let your
eyes continually be upon your son, and let me simply be found
in him. That's the heart desire and cry
of every believer. Now, verse 30. And hearken thou
to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when
they shall pray toward this place, and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling
place. And when you hear, I love this. When you hear, forgive. I know all my salvations in Christ,
but I'm still me. And so when you hear, the only
way I can be heard is if you forgive. When you hear, forgive. Oh, the forgiveness of sins. And let me remind you something
that is glorious about the forgiveness of sins. Human religion places
forgiveness at the end of a formula. If you fill in the blank, you'll
have forgiveness of sins. I don't care what is in that
blank. If you fill in the blank, if
you do this, if you do that, if you stop doing this and stop
doing that and start doing this, you'll have the forgiveness of
sins that makes forgiveness contingent upon me and you. And that's no
good. That's no good, but thank God
his salvation begins. with the forgiveness of sins. You don't do something to be
forgiven. You find out you've been forgiven. Isn't that glorious? And when
we pray, we know we always have to pray this prayer when you
hear, forgive. The gospel's in that passage
so powerfully. And as we're going to continue,
this prayer lasts a whole lot longer. We're going to be several
more weeks in it. We're going to see the gospel
proclaimed so clearly in this passage of scripture. Okay.