Bible Studies

Solomons Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 2

by Mark A. Becker
09/22/26
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Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 2

by Mark A. Becker

King Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple is recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 6:1-42 and 1 Kings 8:12-53. Though the majority of our study will be taken from 2 Chronicles 6, we will add in a few passages from 1 Kings 8 in an attempt to offer a more complete assessment of Solomon’s prayer. Our study will wind down with the Lord’s response to Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple and the Biblical and historical conclusion that perhaps even the best of creative writers could never conjure up.

Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple studies:

Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 1

Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 2

Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 3

Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 4

Underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.

Solomon continues his prayer, petitions, and supplications to God on behalf of His people, Israel.

Petition for God to Hear the Prayers and Supplications of His People

King Solomon stands in the gap for the people of God he is entrusted to lead.

“Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place [the Temple in Jerusalem]: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.” – 2 Chronicles 6:21

There are things God cannot do. God, apart from outright sin and rebellion, cannot resist the prayers of His people, for He loves and cares for them.

“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” – Isaiah 59:1-2

“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry… The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” – Psalm 34:14-15, 17-18

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers…” – 1 Peter 3:12

The Lord is also not able to deny His divine devotion to His Holy City of Jerusalem, Zion His beloved, along with all of Israel’s Promised Land he swore to give to father Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob with his 12 sons in perpetuity. Though the promise, even up to today, has never been totally fulfilled (Genesis 15:18), we can all be assured that the entire land “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” will be realized in His Son’s Messianic Kingdom.

“A land [the Promised Land] which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” – Deuteronomy 11:12

Petitions for God to Forgive the Sins of the Truly Repentant Soul and the Nation of Israel

God, thankfully and praiseworthily, cannot not forgive when a human heart has truly repented from their wicked ways, as His mercy (Psalm 136), grace (1 Peter 5:10-11), wonderful works (Psalm 107:8), and lovingkindness (Jeremiah 31:3) endureth forever.

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” – Micah 7:18

“I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.” – Isaiah 63:7

“But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” – Psalm 130:4-8

King Solomon’s Prayer and the Connection with Deuteronomy 28

Most of Solomon’s prayer, petitions, and supplications on behalf of his people, Israel, revolve around the prophecies of Moses regarding the curses that would befall the chosen people of God if they were to rebel against Him and His Word.

King Solomon apparently had these warnings vividly in mind and he may very well have even been reading and studying Deuteronomy 28 in preparation for the dedication of the Temple prior to taking the stage and offering his prayer. We noted a similar occurrence of someone meditating on the Scriptures in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) when it appears that Nathanael may very well have been reading the account of Jacobs Ladder and/or the prophecy of Agur when our Lord saw him sitting under the fig tree in Jacob’s Ladder: Ascending and Descending.

Moses’ farewell address to the nation of Israel warned the chosen people of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord and the consequences that would follow:

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee…” – Deuteronomy 28:15

Thus, we have included a portion of Deuteronomy – especially Deuteronomy 28 - that elaborates on what God knew the children of Israel would do in the future, the consequences of their rebellion, and why King Solomon was so right to link and include these curses in his petitions and supplications in prayer to the God of Israel at the dedication of the Temple.

Petition for God to Justify the Righteous and Condemn the Wicked

King Solomon begins by asking the Lord to hold the wicked accountable and to lift up the righteous by His divine justice.

“If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.” – 2 Chronicles 6:22-23

This petition would require faithfulness on the part of the people and especially from the Priests and Levites as they would be the ones entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the people and acting as judges – along with the Israel’s civil Judges (“elohim”), called ‘gods’ (Psalm 82, John 10:34-38) - in the Name of the Lord. Moses addressed this very theme of justice for the children of Israel.

“If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

“And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.” – Deuteronomy 17:8-12 (See also Exodus 22:8-11)

The responsibility of the Priests and Levites was to not only keep and minister in the Holy Temple with Israel’s sacrificial system but to also teach God’s holy nation throughout Israel the Lord’s commandments, laws, and statutes, while also dispensing God’s justice upon the children of Israel in matters of the Law and justice between brethren. Their role in Israel was immense to say the least. Israel would rise and fall, in major part, due to the faithfulness or faithlessness of the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levites to a lesser extent; and, regrettably, God in His omniscience knew Israel’s leaders and the nation would eventually fall away from the Lord more than once throughout their storied history.

“For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.” – Job 34:11

Young Elihu rightly stated – though most all of his bloviated discourse was in grievous error – that God would render to man according to his work and according to his ways, and this would obviously include God’s beloved people and nation of Israel.

In Israel’s dispensational economy, it would be the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levitical system God had set in place that would not only represent God but would also give judgment on behalf of and in the solemn and reverent Name of the Lord. No wonder King Solomon would direct the first part of his petition before God on those who would have the greatest commission in fulfilling God’s will for the chosen people. If the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levites failed in their divine mission, then necessarily so would the nation. If the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levites fulfilled God’s will as He revealed it to them in His Word, then Israel as a holy nation would also fulfill God’s will through Israel to the nations, just as God had promised the Patriarchs.

“And thy [Jacob] seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” – Genesis 28:14

Though Israel even today blesses the nations with their God-given wisdom, intelligence, inventive minds, and talents on a physical level, eventually, of course, this divine promise would be and will be fulfilled in the divine Son of God, the Seed of Solomon’s father, King David, Messiah Yeshua on a spiritual (eternal salvation) and physical (Messianic Kingdom of Israel) level and beyond (Eternal Kingdom).

Israel Put to the Worse Before Their Enemies in War

King Solomon then proceeds to essentially unwrap the Mosaic warnings of Deuteronomy 28, beginning with a synopsis, in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple.

“And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.” – 2 Chronicles 6:24-25

This theme of Israel being “put to the worse before the enemy” occurred long ago in Israel’s infancy as a nation as they entered the Promised Land. Israel was put to the worse before their enemies when God abandoned them in their attack against the city of Ai because of the sin of Achan with the accursed thing he coveted and hid following Israel’s successful destruction of Jericho (Joshua 7:1-26) in blatant disregard of God’s commandment. Thank the Lord, however, that Joshua, through God, exposed the sin and the sinner and removed Achan and his family, who were obviously in cahoots with Achan, from among Israel so they could continue forward with their divine mission (Joshua 7:24-26). God does not tolerate outright rebellion against His stated Word.

Yet, this was only one man and his family’s rebellion. Solomon and Moses were warning the entire nation of Israel what would occur when battling their enemies if they sinned as one people.

Here’s how God, through Moses, put it in Deuteronomy 28:

“The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

“And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.” – Deuteronomy 28:25-26

God is kind and merciful, and Solomon realized this in asking that if Israel “shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.” The Lord’s lovingkindness has done, is doing, and will do this again, in bringing His chosen people Israel back into their land. The last time this will occur will be when Israel is exiled from their land following the Abomination of Desolation for her continued rejection of their promised Messiah. With Yeshua’s Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation, however, He will rescue and restore Israel one last time following their national acceptance of their once-rejected Messiah in the Great Tribulation, never to be uprooted again!

Drought

King Solomon continues…

“When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.” – 2 Chronicles 6:26-27

In the prophesied curses for Israel because of disobedience and rebellion in Deuteronomy 28, God would create the following conditions.

“And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.” – Deuteronomy 28:23-24

In Israel’s future, Elijah, through fervent prayer because of the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel whom encouraged Israel to sin grievously, would call on God for no rain for three years in the land of Israel.

“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” – 1 Kings 17:1

In the last days, in the first half of the Tribulation, the Two Witnesses will also cause it not to rain for three and one-half years (1,260 days).

“These [the Two Witnesses] have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” – Revelation 11:6

There is always a remedy with God, praise His holy Name, just as Solomon prayed, because of the Lord’s immense mercy, lovingkindness, and forgiving heart.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Famine, Pestilence, Blight, Mildew, Locusts, and Disease

King Solomon continues with dreadful life conditions that would result due to Israel’s rebellion against the Lord.

“If there be dearth [famine] in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting [blight], or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness [disease/illness] there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.” – 2 Chronicles 6:28-31

When Yeshua spoke the seven letters to the seven churches, He said…

“…all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” – Revelation 2:23

Only God – and Messiah is the eternal Son of God – knows the hearts of men and women; therefore, He is the righteous judge of all.

God, through Moses, in relation to Solomon’s petition of these horrendous conditions, said in Deuteronomy 28…

“The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

“The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish…

“The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed….

“Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them…

“All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.” – Deuteronomy 28:21-22, 27, 38-39, 42

Moses continues…

“If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God; Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

“Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.” – Deuteronomy 28:58-62

In prophesying the coming judgment of the rebellious house of Israel, God declared:

“Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.” – Micah 6:13

Many years later, King Jehoshaphat reminded the Lord of this portion of Solomon’s prayer when Judah was overwhelmed by the armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom (an event that is a prophetic reflective foregleam of what would occur in the last days):

“If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.” – 2 Chronicles 20:9

David reminded Solomon of the consequences of not following the Lord with his whole heart…

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9

These plagues are something the Israelites, unfortunately, would be quite familiar with in their historical pattern of rebellion and repentance; something that will not be remedied until Christ’s Second Coming and subsequent Millennial Kingdom.

Petition for Foreigners Who Love God and Israel

God’s love for all people was recognized by King Solomon.

“Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.” – 2 Chronicles 6:32-33

God continually speaks of His love for the foreigner from all nations who comes to faith in the God of Israel, and Solomon acknowledged that fact in his petition for them in his prayer to the Lord.

Even in the Exodus, when Israel as a nation came forth, they had a mixed multitude among them:

“And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.” – Exodus 12:37-38

When in the Promised Land, Israel was commanded to treat the strangers or foreigners in their midst with kindness and love because they often would come of their own freewill to know more intimately the Lord God and to be in the presence of His chosen people.

“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 19:33-34

“Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” – Deuteronomy 10:19

Two prophecies in Isaiah of the Messiah and His being a light unto the Gentiles bear witness of Solomon’s prayer on behalf of the people of other nations.

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

“He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

“A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

“He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

“Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles…” – Isaiah 42:1-6

“Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name…

“And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” – Isaiah 49:1, 5-6

In regards to the First Fruits, God commanded the Israelite who offered their First Fruits unto the Lord to say,

“And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.” – Deuteronomy 26:10-11

With the Feast of Passover coming up, when Jesus was preparing for His once for all sacrifice on the cross, it was noted that foreigners were also present in Jerusalem to worship the Lord!

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

“Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” – John 12:20-23

At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the Disciples and they began speaking in tongues of other nations, there were also foreigners, strangers, and proselytes to Judaism in Jerusalem that glorious day.

“And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

“And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

“Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” – Acts 2:5-11

God’s love for all people of every nation is prominent throughout the Scriptures, and Solomon comprehended this and honored them in his prayer to the Lord.

Petition for Protection in War Against Israel’s Enemies

King Solomon then turns his attention back to his own people.

“If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.” – 2 Chronicles 6:34-35

The prime example of God’s chosen people going out to war against their enemies and offering up sincere and urgent prayers and supplications to the Lord, as we noted above, was the miraculous deliverance of Judah out of the hands of Moab, Ammon, and Edom in the days of King Jehoshaphat that would not even occur for another hundred years or so following Solomon’s prayer. All glory to God, in this circumstance, Judah would not have to fight because the battle belonged to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)!

Many times, throughout Israel’s history, the leaders and kings of Israel and especially Judah would consult the Priests and/or Prophets concerning the wars they were about to undertake – and often asking the Lord if they should even engage in the conflicts – and these inquiries of the Lord, though not revealed in many instances, certainly included intercessory prayers from the warriors of Israel to God.

If national sin was not an issue, most often God would honor those prayers and petitions and the nation of Israel would prevail against their enemies, frequently with God and/or His holy angels fighting alongside and for them!

“And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” – Joshua 10:42 (et al.)

We will continue our study with Solomon’s Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 3, that begins with King Solomon’s petition to God concerning Israel’s eventual national destruction and captivity, as prophesied by Moses.

I would also like to invite my brothers and sisters to my brother and friend, Bronson Goss’ The Prophetic Times Podcast, at Prophetic Times | Bronson Goss. I pray you will be as blessed as I have been!

May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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