A PROPHETIC PRAYER AND A SMALL BRASEN ALTER

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

To my fellow reader and believer in the faith, I want to encourage you as it does me, in the precious life of Christ that was given for all who believe! The Holy Spirit began to show me the prophetic prayer that Solomon prayed when he was dedicating the house of God of how much more of a reason we have to rejoice now that that prayer was indeed fulfilled!

In the long chapter of I Kings 8 we read of the dedication of the house of God built by Solomon! About 487 years since Israel was lead out of Egypt and into the wilderness, the third King over all Israel fervently prays a prayer that prophecies to all of Israel of the New Covenant to come before all humanity! Solomon has the Ark of the Covenant moved into the new House of the Lord and the bible says (10) And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, (11)So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. (12) Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. (13) I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. I Kings 8:10-13.

Everything is going as planned! The presence of God is released through out the house of God, so much so that the priest can’t even stand! You know sure know everything is going good, when the presence of God FILLS the place! And so here is Solomon in all excitement, as a historical figure in God’s well planned out drama, anxiously ready to make a request known to God on behalf of His chosen people, Israel, and any stranger that would take advantage of the prayerful guidelines Solomon mentions before God in the establishment of a New Covenant!

Isaiah 6:1, 4-9 (1) I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.(4) And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (6)Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (7) And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (9) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

I believe Solomon’s prayer was also motivated by the reasoning of why His father David, was not allowed to build the house of the Lord as commanded by God (I Kings 8:15-19, 23-26). I assume as Solomon knew of his father’s affair with his mother Bathsheba, it was cause Solomon to prayer a prayer of ultimate forgiveness upon all who engaged themselves in wicked acts of trespass against the Lord. In all Solomon’s God given wisdom, this was like the new stimulus package for all humanity, to enhance not only his Kingdom before the Lord but the lives of all who were and were not among the chosen nation of the Lord!

Solomon begins the public dedication prayer after blessing the congregation of Israel… (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: (28) 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 to day(29) 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. (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 thou hearest, forgive. (31) If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: (32) 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. I Kings 8:22-32

From verse 22 to 53 Solomon continue to pray a prayer of forgiveness and remission of sin and trespass in every aspect imaginable that man can commit.

I Kings 8: 54, 63-66 (54) 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. (63) And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. (64) 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 brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.(65)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. (66) 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.

There it is! The request was made known! Solomon did it! The house was built, the presence of God flooded it from within, sacrifices and offerings were given, so much so that in verse 5 the Bible says so much of offerings were given that no number can be given, it was so much! And that was before the prayer was offered up! There is was many dead animals left over that they all had a feast and were joyous! As we have read on the EIGHT day, the day of NEW beginnings, the people were so glad of heart for all the goodness of God! However the bible did say the brasen alter was too little!

Brass brings symbolic meaning for judgment!

So in other words, the prayer was good, but the judgment wasn’t great or big enough for such a request! Neither was the person who offered the prayer! Though Solomon was born a sinner like everyone else, a child from a elicit relationship between David and Bathsheba, even though he was the king he wasn’t the savior!

God visits Solomon in the next Chapter and acknowledges the request, but mentioning nothing concerning the ultimate forgiveness plan but only the standard in which Solomon ought to live by and that God will establish his kingdom as promised to David. The Lord then gave the warning to Solomon not to serve other idols, in which we later read that is exactly what Solomon gave into as he loved many strange women. The Bible says…IT CAME TO PASS (I Kings 11:4).

So why is this? Well it’s because God Almighty had a plan since the beginning, that His son, Jesus Christ will do the job of ultimate forgiveness upon all humanity! And indeed Jesus successful accomplished that purpose and now we all can live free only by the shed blood of Christ, who was the ONLY required and GREAT judgment nailed to the cross! His life became the brasen alter, big enough to take on the sins of the world!

If all Israel, who bore witness to the prayer and supplication Solomon gave, could rejoice and be exceedingly glad and merry in heart in that moment, then how much greater we ought to rejoice that Jesus Christ came and sealed the deal once and for all, that the world can officially live in a new order of the Kingdom of God by the blood shed of Christ!

Man’s full God given wisdom and all his God given wealth could not merit ultimate salvation, but it was in and through a man sent from heaven above, given a name issued out from the throne room of God, that only in and by that name, every knee shall bow and tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

Be encouraged beloved, that there is no need for you to live life in despair, because the prophetic prayer came to pass along with a judgment big enough to seal the deal for your life! No longer are you bound to live in darkness, but through Christ and Him alone, you are called to live under the authority of His Kingship and power! Glory to God!

Though Solomon first built the temple then prayed a prophetic prayer before all Israel, God said I’ll send my son to first deal with the sins of all people and make a way that they can be cleanses and spotless through repentance then I’ll build My church through them in the hearts of all who believe and are saved! Hallelujah!

So glorify the Lord, return to your homes in singing and dancing for the goodness of our God! Take it to the marketplaces, the schools, the highways and by ways! We are set free every time we call upon the name of Jesus, repenting and TURNING away in a complete change from the sin!

I Kings 8:57-58 (57) The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us (58) 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.

God Bless