Prayer Warriors, Pt. 2: "Solomon"

THY WILL BE DONE (1 KINGS 8:22-54)

Once upon a time there was a man who went hunting. He was hunting bears. As he trudged through the forest looking for bears, he came upon a large and steep hill. He climbed the hill and, just as he was pulling himself up over the last outcropping of rocks, a huge bear met him nose to nose.

The bear roared fiercely. The man was so scared that he lost his balance and fell down the hill with the bear not far behind. On the trip down the hill the man lost his gun. When he finally stopped trembling, he found that he had a broken leg. Escape was impossible and so the man, who had never been particularly religious, prayed: “God, if you will make this bear a Christian I will be happy with whatever lot you give me for the rest of my life.”

The bear was no more than three feet away from the man when it stopped dead in its tracks, looked up to the heavens quizzically, and then fell to its knees and prayed in a loud voice: “Lord bless this food of which I am about to partake. Amen.” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited “Prayer” Tyndale, 1988)

People love to ask favors. The questions “Can you do me a favor?” and “Would you do me a favor?” are often heard among friends, coworkers and acquaintances. Adding the word “special” to it – “Can you do me a special favor?” - means that more pressure is on the one being asked than the one asking. Sometimes people ask nicely, “Please do me a favor.” Often, they simply say, “Do me a favor.” It is common, sociable, and instinctive to do so nowadays.

Solomon, possibly the wisest person in history, was never one shy or short of words, but when he had finally finished building the temple in Jerusalem, he never asked God for a favor or treated Him like a favor bank. Words like “I need a favor” or “You owe me a favor” or “I have a favor to ask” never passed his lips. Sure, Solomon used the Hebrew word “hear” 14 times in the chapter (1 Kings 8:28, 29, 30, 30, 30, 32, 34, 36, 39, 42, 43, 45, 49, 52) – the most occurrences in the Bible, but he did not ask God for something outside His will - for things that are nonsense, far-fetched or irresponsible.

God is Faithful to the Family
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it-as it is today. 25 “Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' 26 And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true. (1 Kings 8:22-26)

Two buckets met at a well one day. One bucket had a big smile on its face. The other had a big frown. “Why are you frowning?” asked the happy bucket. “Oh, no matter how full I am when I leave the well, I always return empty,” complained the sad bucket.

“And why are you always smiling?” asked the sad bucket. “No matter how empty I am when I come to the well, I always leave full.”

It’s been said, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get.” (H. Jackson Brown) A line from the movie “Pearl Harbor” says, “Life never asked me what I wanted.”

People spend more time asking God and praying for what they do not have than thanking God for what they have. We want countless things, increasing wealth, the world on a platter, but prayer is not coveting material possessions or currying God’s favors, but claiming God’s promises and counting your blessings.

Solomon’s gratitude to the Lord, God of Israel, in his prayer was a step in the right direction. He never presumed that he was godly, talented or deserving. He acknowledged that he hopped onto his father’s bandwagon and rode on his father’s coattails, rather than succeeding on his own merit or worthiness. God showed love or, the better translation, loving-kindness to him because his father followed the Lord wholeheartedly (v 23). Claiming what God had promised his father was enough for Solomon and acceptable to God.

Solomon’s thankful attitude in his opening words here was typical of and consistent with the introduction in his last two prayers to God. In his first prayer to God, as recorded in 1 Kings 3:6, Solomon began, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.” In the last prayer shortly before this account, in verse 15, Solomon acknowledged from the start: “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David.” (1 Kings 8:15)

Solomon, the wisest man in the world, knew that God was merciful to him for a reason, none of which included his own wisdom, intelligence or learning. Note that Solomon even acknowledged God’s loving-kindness previously in 1 Kings 3:6 before he was given the gift of wisdom a few verses later in 1 Kings 3:12.

The biggest secret to Solomon’s wisdom, greatness and power was no secret: God kept His word or promise, His end of the deal and His part of the bargain. Whatever God did for Solomon was for the sake of God his servant David (v 24). The verb “promise,” or “spoke” in Hebrew, from the phrase “the Lord promised,” occurs seven times in the chapter (vv 15, 20, 20, 24, 24, 25, 26) and the word “kept” three times (vv 23, 24, 25), the words “my father” an astonishing seven times in the chapter (vv 15, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26), and “your servant David” three times (vv 24, 25, 26).

Solomon knew God would bless his throne and his family’s reign as long as they were careful in all they do to walk before God (v 25). God was committed to Solomon and his family as long as they were committed to fear, honor and serve Him.

God is Forgiving of His people
30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. 31 “When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence. 33 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers. (1 Kings 8:29-34)

A man was arrested by a ranger for shooting an endangered bald eagle and eating the protected bird. He was then led in handcuffs, thrown into jail and taken into court. On the day of his trial, the judge warned the man that he would be jailed unless he had a very good excuse and asked if he knew that eating a bald eagle is a federal offense.

The man pleaded passionately, “My children and I were lost in the woods. We were hungry and had not eaten anything for two weeks. I did not mean to kill the eagle but I had to do something to feed the children.” The judge announced a recess to analyze the man’s testimony, and when he returned, he asked the man, “Is this an isolated incident? I would let you go with just a warning if it is and if you promised never to kill an endangered species again.”

The man swore it was his first experience and promised never to repeat the offense. The judge then declared, “Due to the extreme circumstance you were under and because you didn't intend to kill the eagle, the court will dismiss the charges.” As the man was leaving the courtroom the judge asked: “I was just wandering, what does a bald eagle taste like?” Without hesitation, the man replied, “Well, your honor, it is hard to explain. It tastes like a cross between a California condor and a spotted owl.” (Adapted from Los Angeles Times 6/15/94 and the internet)

Forgiveness is never cheap. The Hebrew word for “plea” or “favor” occurs seven times (vv 28, 30, 38, 45, 49, 52, 52) in Solomon’s prayer, more than any person’s prayer in the Bible. Even though Solomon petitioned for God’s mercy, he did not ask God to look the other way when God’s people sin. In fact, he asked God to look their way only if they turn to him for forgiveness. The word “forgive,” which occurs five times in the chapter (vv 30, 34, 36, 39, 50), is preceded by the people’s repentance: “when they pray toward this place” (v 30), “when they turn back to you and confess your name” (v 33), “when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin” (v 35), “when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel-each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart” (v 38) and “if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive” (v 48).

Solomon did not ask God for a blank check or a free lunch. He did not petition God to change or lower His standards for His elect. Beginning from verse 33, the Hebrew word “return” occurs six times (vv 33, 34, 35, 47, 47, 48), the word ‘repent” three times (vv 33 34 35), and twice for the clause “confess Thy name” (vv 33 35) and the phrase “all their heart” (vv 23 48). He asked God to forgive them when their repentance was sincere, heartfelt and truthful, but he did not ask the same when repentance was fabricated, convenient or hypocritical.

Solomon prayed that no matter how perverse Israel’s sins were, how many their enemies were and how starved the land was, God would hear the prayer of a penitent soul, a repentant heart and a changed person.

God is Fair to All People
41 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name- 42 for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. (1 Kings 8:41-43)

A local business puts a sign in the window, stating the following: “HELP WANTED. Must be able to type, must be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an equal opportunity employer.” A short time afterwards, a dog trotted into the office manager’s office, jumped up on the chair and stared at the manager. The office manager looked at the determined dog and was surprised, but he got the idea. The manager said, “I can’t hire you. The sign says you have to be able to type.”

The dog jumped down, went to the typewriter and proceeded to type out a perfect letter. He took out the page and trotted over to the manger and gave it to him, then jumped back on the chair. The manager was stunned, but then told the dog, “The sign says you have to be good with a computer.” The dog then executed a perfect program on the computer that worked flawlessly the first time.

By this time the manager was totally dumbfounded! He looked at the dog and said, “I realize that you are a very intelligent dog and have some interesting abilities. However, I still can’t give you the job.” The dog jumped down and went to a copy of the sign and put his paw on the sentence that says Equal Opportunity Employer. The manager said, “Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual.” The dog looked at the manger calmly and finally said, “Meow.”

Solomon also prayed that God’s glory and fairness may be evident and shown to all the peoples of the world, regardless if they were Gentiles, immigrants, and unbelievers. Solomon was not only the first person in the Bible to champion, defend and articulate the rights of foreigners that were already enshrined in the Mosaic law, he was also the first person in the Bible to pray and intercede for foreigners. No wonder, because his great-grandmother was Ruth the Moabitess (Ruth 2:10, 4:17).

The word “foreigner” (v 41) that Solomon used is the same status Ruth applied to herself before Boaz (Ruth 2:10). Contrary to belief, foreigners were always given a fair chance to succeed in Israel. Even though the Jews were allowed to charge Gentiles interest for a loan (Deut 23:20) and were not commanded to cancel the Gentiles’ debts after seven years (Deut 15:3), they were nevertheless not supposed to discriminate against the Gentiles.

God had a reason to remind the Jews not to mistreat or oppress the Gentiles in their midst. Five times in the Torah God reminded them that they “were aliens in Egypt” (Ex 22:21, Ex 23:9, Lev 19:33, Deut 10:19, 23:7). The Hebrew word for aliens or strangers is a respectable word in the Bible. The Israelites were to love the aliens as they would love themselves (Lev 19:33). The Lord even declared his love for those who are aliens (Deut 10:18) and demonstrated His love for them by giving them food and clothing (Deut 10:18). Aliens were afforded a day of rest in the Mosaic law like any Israelite (Ex 20:10, 23:12, Lev 16:29, Deut 5:14). They were not to be denied the opportunity to sacrifice a burnt offering (Lev 22:18) or to celebrate the Passover (Num 9:14). Mandated social aid to Gentiles included leaving leftover fruit or grain in the fields for them (Lev 19: 10, 23:22) and donating a tithe of the firstfruits of the soil to the aliens and the needy (Deut 26:12). The law commands the same treatment and rules for the alien and the native-born (Lev 24:22, Num 15:15, Deut 1:16). The most serious offenses against Gentiles were taking advantage of them and withholding justice from them (Deut 24:14, 17, 27:19). Serious offenders are cursed by the Lord (Deut 27:19).

Conclusion: Prayer is not asking God to lower himself to our level, but taking steps to raise ourselves to God's standards. In prayer, God doesn’t come to terms with man but man comes to term with God. Have you reduced, lessened and downsized God to be one of us? Are you submitting to God unceasingly your requests or submitting yourself unconditionally to His will? Do you pray for God’s justice upon Jews and Gentiles, saints or sinners, the repentant or not?