Faith Rest: Focus on Divine Essence. 1 Kings 8:12-30

The principle in the Scriptures in history is that once God does things it is as real for us as it was for the generation where they occurred because by faith we understand that the eyewitnesses accounts are just as good as if we saw them. So there is this significant element of history and a reminder to God of what He has done in the past, and the reason He is reminded of these things, as we will see in the opening part of Solomon’s dedication prayer, is because that is part of the rationale that Solomon is using to convince God to answer his prayer. Doctrine is embedded in history. The key doctrines of Scripture are all revealed in historical events. We see how Solomon is going to use these historical events in his prayer to God and his blessing of the people—vv. 14-21. The idea there when Solomon blesses the people is a greeting to them. The content of that blessing is given in vv. 16-21 which is a rehearsal of God’s faithfulness to them in delivering them at the exodus event—which connects it to the Mosaic covenant—and then immediately from 16b-20 the focus is on the Davidic covenant. The last verse, 21, goes back to the Mosaic covenant. So this whole prayer coming up in v. 22 is anchored in the Mosaic covenant and in the Davidic covenant.

What we learn from this is that Solomon’s thinking is so saturated with the teaching of Scripture, the events of Scripture and the reality of these events that this is what his strength and what gives such resonance to his prayer. What is so significant is that it flows right out of his thinking is so focused on Scripture and what God has done in the historical past.

In the prayer of dedication we are going to see lessons related to two key doctrines, and they often work together. One is prayer and the other is the faith-rest drill. Often we use prayer as the vehicle for the faith-rest drill. We are praying a promise to God or we are praying to God and, as a lawyer presents a case, we present a case to God that he should fulfil His promises a certain way because of who he is and what He has said in the past. We have to ask questions: Who is making the promise? To whom is the promise made? Are there any conditions in the promise? Claiming a promise means that we are reminding God of what He has promised, of any conditions attached to the promise, and we are providing a rationale to Him for fulfilling that promise in our life. So the ultimate goal is saying: You have said, and now I am in this situation, and therefore I am asking you to fulfil that promise in my life in relation to this situation. Solomon’s prayer of dedication is Solomon claiming a number of promises focused on the Davidic covenant and the Mosaic covenant and calling upon God to fulfil those promises.

The first part of this prayer is given from verse 22 down through verse 30. The focus on this part of the prayer is on God’s covenant faithfulness toward Israel and an entreaty or prayer to God to be gracious to Israel and to forgive them of their sins. Everything from verse 22 down to verse 30 is a set-up for making that request. That request, then, is going to be based on promises God made in the Mosaic covenant, specifically the blessing and cursing passages of Leviticus 26 & 27 and Deuteronomy 30. We should not lose sight of the fact that this is an impassioned plea from Solomon and that he is not just going through some sort of academic exercise for structuring his prayer but that he is doing this because he is impassioned in his request that God do something. He is presenting his case for why God should do it. He is basing that case on what God has said, what God has revealed in the past.

1 Kings 8:22 ^NASB “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” We see a posture here that is not normal for our culture or our ecclesiastical background, and that he is standing with his arms outspread, looking toward heaven. When we compare this passage (vv. 22-30) with the parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 6:11-21 we see that there is one difference between the two accounts. The addition comes in 2 Chronicles 6:13 ^NASB “Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” This platform is about seven and a half feet by seven and a half feet, and about four and a half feet high, which is high enough to elevate him so that the people can see him. The other addition is that Chronicles tells us that he not only stood but then he knelt. There is not a conflict between the two passages, it is simply that the writer of the Kings account is emphasising aspects of this and is not even focused on the aspect of the writer of Chronicles.

He begins his prayer with a focus upon God. The first part of the prayer is covered in vv. 23, 24. He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and {showing} lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day.” He is addressing the LORD God of Israel. Prayer is to the believer in the church age, especially, is always to be directed to God the Father because both the Son and the Holy Spirit are intercessors for us. We address prayer to the one to whom all intercession goes, and this is to the Father. So Solomon begins with a focus on God, on God’s character, on His historical work and His historical faithfulness to Israel and to David.

The key verse for this whole prayer is v. 23. “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You,” emphasises the uniqueness and the incomparability of God. Solomon doesn’t just say that out of a vacuum, there is a reason for that which comes out of Scripture. The second thing he says is that God is a covenant-keeping God. So right away he is talking about an aspect of God’s sovereignty, His uniqueness. If God is sovereign and rules the universe then that implies that he is unique and one of a kind; there is no other ruler, no other sovereign, of the universe; there is and can only be one. He is also a covenant-keeping God and that will bring into focus at least two key attributes: His love and His faithfulness. These are connected in the open Hebrew word chesed, which has to do with God’s faithful, loyal love. He is faithful in His love and His love is defined and structured by these covenants. He is going to fulfil His love obligations within the covenant even if those to whom the covenant is made is violated. The key words that we are going see here are “keep,” which has the idea of guarding or protecting or maintaining something, and the word lovingkindness which brings into focus faithfulness and love.

The first phrase we need to examine is, “there is no God like You.” We first find that phrase in the Old Testament is in Exodus 15:11 ^NASB “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” This phrase emphasises the uniqueness and the incomparability of God. The verse is comparing Him with any of the other gods that are developed in any of the other pantheons, that there is no one that can be compared to God. If we look at the context in Exodus 15 it is a song—a song of joy and celebration that Moses wrote after the Israelites were delivered from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. This is his song of victory.

Exodus 15:1-3 ^NASB “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him. The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.” So it is a hymn of praise. Immediately, the word that we should associate with this hymn is the word “worship.” That is a word we are also going to see brought into what Solomon is doing with his prayer. It is this element of worship which is when we are ascribing worth and value to God because of who He is and what He has done. Worship is always theocentric; it is not about me, it is about God.

Moses is going to brag, as it were, about what God has done in delivering them. It has this idea of expansiveness, a synonym for the Hebrew word for glory. It has as its core meaning the concept of heavy, something that is weighty. It pictures the character of God in terms of its size. He is infinite. It should be that God is immense, overpowering in His holiness. Holiness has the idea of being totally distinct, totally set apart, that He is one of a kind. The next phrase, “Awesome [or, fearful] in praises.” Does that mean that we are to be fearful or God or that when we praise Him we are to be afraid? The word that is translated “fearful” in a lot of translations is the normal Hebrew word for fear which is yare, but yare has a wide range of meanings. It can talk about somebody who is in a state of terror or fear because they are scared from some circumstance or situation, or it can also refer to awe, someone who is just overwhelmed in awe of someone or something or some situation. The word can also refer at times to worship; it is a synonym for worship, just as Solomon begins the Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This isn’t the kind of fear that strikes terror in the soul but the kind that strikes sobriety, we might say; being very serious and reverent and sober-minded about a particular situation. The word yare is also used as to reverence, worship; it has to do with the seriousness that we feel when we come into the presence of God. It is that recognition that there are consequences to pay for bad decisions, and there is that element of fear there that takes respect to a sort of higher level. Probably the best way to understand this is “honoured in praises.” It is in praise that we express this reverential awe, honour, or respect for God.

Exodus 15:13 ^NASB “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided {them} to Your holy habitation.” We have here another important word attached to the uniqueness of God in this context. “…to Your holy habitation.” That is talking about taking them to Mount Sinai where God will give the Law to them. The people are redeemed, their redemption is their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and so God is said to be merciful here. But mercy doesn’t quite capture the Hebrew word chesed which has to do with unconditional loyalty, faithfulness, graciousness, steadfast love. God has structured this into His covenant. In Psalm 136 the word is used 26 times. Psalm 136 is a psalm that focuses on the faithful love of God.

The next couple of times that we run across this phrase is in the context of the Davidic covenant. 2 Samuel 7:22 ^NASB “For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” Up to verse 16 we have the Davidic covenant where God promises David an eternal house, an eternal throne, and an eternal kingdom. Then we see David’s response in v. 18, “Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” Solomon, remember, stood with his arms outstretched, he knelt with his arms outstretched, but David sat before the Lord. From what he says it seems he was stunned by the promise of God. He just can’t understand why God has been so good to him in freely giving him these blessings. And watch his response: “And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes …” It is overwhelming to David but when he thinks about this promise over against God’s omnipotence and sovereignty he realises that this is just a small thing for God to do. “ … O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord GOD. [20] Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD! [21] For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. [22] For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You…” So here we see that God’s uniqueness is connected to His greatness. In the Exodus passage we see that His uniqueness was connected also to a word similar to greatness, in terms of His holiness, His uniqueness and His immensity; here we have a similar concept.

The word translated “great” is connected to the comparison. It is the Hebrew word gadol which means to become great, to make great, to magnify, to grow up, to grow, to promote. God is greater than anything, He is to be the most celebrated person in all of the world. The second thing that David says is, “there is no God besides You,” and this is the Hebrew word which means “except you.” There is no other God.

A third passage where we have this phrase is in 1 Chronicles 17:20, the parallel passage to the 2 Samuel 7:22 passage, which is the Chronicles version of the Davidic covenant and David’s response. ^NASB “O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” So notice that when Solomon kneels to pray to God and he says, “There is no God like you,” and we look at the content of this prayer that is the outgrowth of his mediation and thought on the Davidic and Mosaic covenants, he is not just saying that because that is a good phrase to use at the beginning of a prayer. It is a self-consciously adopted phrase that connects the prayer to both the Davidic and the Mosaic covenants.

Another place that we have this phrase is in Psalm 89:8 ^NASB “O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.” The comparison here has to do with God’s might or His omnipotence. There is the additional concept of God’s faithfulness, the Hebrew word emunah, meaning faithfulness or steadfastness, that God sticks with what He says. This word emunah is part of a word group that is based on a root word amen. It goes back to a concept of stability and that which is unshakeable. We have reference in Chronicles to the foundation stone which is under the gate of the temple, and that is one of the places where we see this word group and is one of the places where we understand its core meaning which has to do with that which is unshakeable, immovable, that upon which everything can be built. That word group splits in two directions. One group develops in the area of truth, that God is ultimate truth, ultimate truth resides in Him and is what he thinks. The other is the concept of faithfulness, steadfastness, dependability. The truthfulness of God and the faithfulness of God are two very close concepts in the Scripture.

When we start thinking about God in terms of His faithfulness we need to connect this to some other terms and the use of this in the Mosaic Law. Deuteronomy 32:4 ^NASB “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” God is pictured as the Rock, that upon which we can build everything. We can depend upon Him; He is the never-moving Rock. There are a number of key words in this verse that relate to the character of God.

What we are showing here is that in Solomon’s opening statement he is pulling together various statements related to the essence of God. And as we pray to God, and as we go to God in the faith-rest drill claiming promises, these are to be built upon the clear understanding of the essence of God and the character of God. The whole concept of God keeping covenant is this idea of His faithfulness. “His ways are just” in everything that He does. This is the Hebrew word mishpat which refers to something that is a judgment, a legal decision, and is a word that is used in legal cases. This brings in this legal idea, the idea that God deals with man within the framework of legal covenants. God structures His relationships with us on the basis of law, of contracts. A contract establishes certain boundaries and certain realities that form the structure for the relationship. We see here that there is a connection between law and love, and that is that law provides boundaries, norms and standards, and absolutes. And you can’t have these if there is no integrity. The picture here is that all God’s ways are just, they are according to a standard. He is a God of “faithfulness,” and this is the Hebrew word emunah again, of justice and of righteousness.

Another passage that deals with the uniqueness of God is Psalm 86:8 ^NASB “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.” Here it is talking about His works of creation, what he does, related to His sovereignty. That is connected to verse 15: “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness [chesed] and truth [emet].”

Micah 7:18 ^NASB “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity…” In Solomon’s prayer, what is he driving to in v. 30? A prayer for forgiveness. “ … And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.”

When we pray, when we claim promises, one of the key things that we see in the Psalms and in these prayers is focus on the character of God. We usually define the character of God in terms of ten basic attributes.

It is on the basis of God’s integrity that we can always count upon Him to fulfil His promises. That is the foundation for the covenants, for His promises, and that is the basis for prayer and the faith-rest drill.