Conclusion
“The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
1 Kings 8:57-61
After building a beautiful Temple for the Lord to dwell, King Solomon blesses the Lord and dedicates the work to the Lord His God. He then moved to the altar of burnt offering to pray over the future of His people. He thanked God for His provisions. He asked for continual protection for his people. He asked forgiveness of his nation’s sins. And he asked that the Lord would be merciful to his people.
Following this prayer, King Solomon pronounces a benediction upon his people. In this benediction is a reiteration of the faithfulness of the Lord, which was an overflow from the prayer. And then King Solomon exhorts his people to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which they have been called as children of God.
As the King of this nation, Solomon understands the struggle that these people are going to have in holding true to who God has called them to be. There will not only be constant attacks against the people of God, but there will be the natural desire of man to turn away from God and fall into the trap of selfishness. And Solomon understands the desires of the flesh and the temptation that these people will be facing in the future of the nation.
In his unparalleled wisdom, Solomon prays that his people might walk according to the statutes set forth by Almighty God. This walk will most certainly be a counter-cultural one. This obedience will be the very opposite of what the world outside of the children of God will want them to do. Walking in the admonition of the Lord will inevitably bring hardship because the mind of the world and the love of the flesh is a direct contradiction to the commands of the Lord. And for this reason, and because Solomon desires that God be glorified above all else, the King prays for his people, that they might walk in such a way that is faithful to their Lord.
Look at this benediction as we break it apart to see exactly what Solomon is praying for his people:
The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us…
Solomon begins this benediction by calling on the Lord to be faithful to His people. Solomon desires that the Lord continue to be with His people as they continue to live as the children of God. He recalls that the Lord has been faithful in the past and prays that the Lord will continue to be faithful. And this is an unchanging truth that we can hold on to as believers in Jesus Christ. The Lord our God will always be faithful to His people. As Solomon prays here, “The Lord will never leave us not forsake us.” We can rest assured that those whom the Lord loves, He will never cast out.
that he may incline our hearts to him…
This is a prayer that Solomon has for his people. He desires that this group of people have a heart and a passion for the Lord. He prays that this people would have a heart that is inclined to God. This is what happens for the believer in Christ. No longer is your heart set on selfish desires or desires of the flesh, instead, you desire what God desires. As a new believer, you have a passion for what God has a passion for. As a disciple of Christ, the old self has passed away and now you want what God wants for your life. This is what it means that your heart is inclined to God.
to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers…
When your heart is inclined to God, then your actions will follow as a natural result. When your heart is changed, then your life will reflect that change. This is a transformation that happens to the life of a believer.
Solomon realizes this and after exhorting his people to “incline their hearts to God,” he immediately explains what that heart change should look like. When you have been transformed into a new creation by the Grace of God, then you will begin to walk in the ways of the Lord. And this is Solomon’s exhortation to his people.
Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night…
Once again, Solomon is praying that the Lord would hear his prayer and that the Lord would remain faithful to this people. He emphasizes “day and night” because he realizes that there is not a time in our life when we do not need to protection and the faithfulness of the Lord. We need God for our every breath.
and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires…
Solomon specifically prays for himself and his purpose in leading this people. He has an understanding that he is the man that God has called for such a time as this. And with this calling, Solomon needs strength and courage. He intentionally seeks the mind of God and requests that God keep him true to his purpose in leading this people.
This should be the prayer of every Christian leader. We should have a zeal for holding fast to the purpose that God has given to us. Leaders have been given a responsibility to guide people to the Lord. This is a massive calling, and it cannot be done without the Grace, Mercy, Peace, and Strength of the Lord.
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other…
This is one of the most beautiful prayers in all of the Bible. Solomon has this desire, that using the purpose that has been given to him by God, that the entire world would submit to the Lord his God. He had a passion to take the Truth to all of the world. He was praying for his purpose to be preserved by God, so that the world might know “that the Lord is God and there is no other.”
Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God…
To conclude this benediction to his people, King Solomon wants to exhort his people to walk and the first thing he wants to reiterate is the fact that they need to get their hearts right before God. He understands that if your heart is set on the Truth, then the natural byproduct of this stance is that your walk will be according to what God has called for us to do as believers. Our hearts must be set on God.
walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.
This is the pinnacle of the entire benediction, in that, Solomon is exhorting his people to actively follow the precepts set forth for the children of God. Solomon is strongly encouraging this group of people to walk in the admonition of the Lord. This is of the utmost importance when it comes to being a child of God. We are to walk the way that has been set forth for us by God Himself. The disciple of Christ must actively pursue Jesus.
The Apostle Paul picks up on this idea of walking and puts an emphasis on this aspect of the Christian life. We are continuously exhorted to be a reflection of Jesus Christ. We are constantly commanded to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight…”
2 Corinthians 5:7
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…”
Ephesians 4:1
“No longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds…”
Ephesians 4:17
“Walk in love…”
Ephesians 5:2
“Walk as children of Light…”
Ephesians 5:8
Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise…”
Ephesians 5:15
“Walk according to the example you have in us.”
Philemon 3:17
“Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him…”
Colossians 1:10
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…”
Colossians 2:6
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Colossians 4:5
“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and Glory.”
1 Thessalonians 2:12
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God…”
1 Thessalonians 4:1
As believers in Jesus Christ, our responsibility is to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). This walk is a counter-cultural obedience to the precepts set forth by the Lord our God. This means that we are to separate ourselves from the world. We are not to look like the world. We are not to act like the world. We are not to talk like the world. We are called to be different. To be Holy, as He is Holy (Matthew 5:48).
The believer in Jesus Christ is not to be conformed to this world, instead we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We are to put off our old self and put on Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). We see a consistent theme in Scripture where we are called to look different from the world around us.
In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul continues in chapters 4 and 5 to clearly lay out for us what the life of a disciple of Christ should look like. He gives examples of how the world looks, and then he follows that up with how the believer should be transformed into a new creation. He says in chapter 4 starting in verse 21:
“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
This has clearly been an issue in our world today, because so-called “Christianity” continues to look more and more like the world. We have experienced the “seeker-sensitive movement” which is now a phrase that is being embraced by some churches as a compliment. We have experienced the music wars inside the church as hymnals have basically become obsolete. We have watched as the gathering of believers has lost all reverence. We even see a disregard for the preaching of the Word of God, which is reduced to nothing more than story time. Now more than ever we should heed the instructions given from the Apostle Paul to the believers in Christ, that we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called, which is a calling to holiness (Ephesians 1:3-5).
1 Kings 8:57-61
After building a beautiful Temple for the Lord to dwell, King Solomon blesses the Lord and dedicates the work to the Lord His God. He then moved to the altar of burnt offering to pray over the future of His people. He thanked God for His provisions. He asked for continual protection for his people. He asked forgiveness of his nation’s sins. And he asked that the Lord would be merciful to his people.
Following this prayer, King Solomon pronounces a benediction upon his people. In this benediction is a reiteration of the faithfulness of the Lord, which was an overflow from the prayer. And then King Solomon exhorts his people to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which they have been called as children of God.
As the King of this nation, Solomon understands the struggle that these people are going to have in holding true to who God has called them to be. There will not only be constant attacks against the people of God, but there will be the natural desire of man to turn away from God and fall into the trap of selfishness. And Solomon understands the desires of the flesh and the temptation that these people will be facing in the future of the nation.
In his unparalleled wisdom, Solomon prays that his people might walk according to the statutes set forth by Almighty God. This walk will most certainly be a counter-cultural one. This obedience will be the very opposite of what the world outside of the children of God will want them to do. Walking in the admonition of the Lord will inevitably bring hardship because the mind of the world and the love of the flesh is a direct contradiction to the commands of the Lord. And for this reason, and because Solomon desires that God be glorified above all else, the King prays for his people, that they might walk in such a way that is faithful to their Lord.
Look at this benediction as we break it apart to see exactly what Solomon is praying for his people:
The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us…
Solomon begins this benediction by calling on the Lord to be faithful to His people. Solomon desires that the Lord continue to be with His people as they continue to live as the children of God. He recalls that the Lord has been faithful in the past and prays that the Lord will continue to be faithful. And this is an unchanging truth that we can hold on to as believers in Jesus Christ. The Lord our God will always be faithful to His people. As Solomon prays here, “The Lord will never leave us not forsake us.” We can rest assured that those whom the Lord loves, He will never cast out.
that he may incline our hearts to him…
This is a prayer that Solomon has for his people. He desires that this group of people have a heart and a passion for the Lord. He prays that this people would have a heart that is inclined to God. This is what happens for the believer in Christ. No longer is your heart set on selfish desires or desires of the flesh, instead, you desire what God desires. As a new believer, you have a passion for what God has a passion for. As a disciple of Christ, the old self has passed away and now you want what God wants for your life. This is what it means that your heart is inclined to God.
to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers…
When your heart is inclined to God, then your actions will follow as a natural result. When your heart is changed, then your life will reflect that change. This is a transformation that happens to the life of a believer.
Solomon realizes this and after exhorting his people to “incline their hearts to God,” he immediately explains what that heart change should look like. When you have been transformed into a new creation by the Grace of God, then you will begin to walk in the ways of the Lord. And this is Solomon’s exhortation to his people.
Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night…
Once again, Solomon is praying that the Lord would hear his prayer and that the Lord would remain faithful to this people. He emphasizes “day and night” because he realizes that there is not a time in our life when we do not need to protection and the faithfulness of the Lord. We need God for our every breath.
and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires…
Solomon specifically prays for himself and his purpose in leading this people. He has an understanding that he is the man that God has called for such a time as this. And with this calling, Solomon needs strength and courage. He intentionally seeks the mind of God and requests that God keep him true to his purpose in leading this people.
This should be the prayer of every Christian leader. We should have a zeal for holding fast to the purpose that God has given to us. Leaders have been given a responsibility to guide people to the Lord. This is a massive calling, and it cannot be done without the Grace, Mercy, Peace, and Strength of the Lord.
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other…
This is one of the most beautiful prayers in all of the Bible. Solomon has this desire, that using the purpose that has been given to him by God, that the entire world would submit to the Lord his God. He had a passion to take the Truth to all of the world. He was praying for his purpose to be preserved by God, so that the world might know “that the Lord is God and there is no other.”
Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God…
To conclude this benediction to his people, King Solomon wants to exhort his people to walk and the first thing he wants to reiterate is the fact that they need to get their hearts right before God. He understands that if your heart is set on the Truth, then the natural byproduct of this stance is that your walk will be according to what God has called for us to do as believers. Our hearts must be set on God.
walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.
This is the pinnacle of the entire benediction, in that, Solomon is exhorting his people to actively follow the precepts set forth for the children of God. Solomon is strongly encouraging this group of people to walk in the admonition of the Lord. This is of the utmost importance when it comes to being a child of God. We are to walk the way that has been set forth for us by God Himself. The disciple of Christ must actively pursue Jesus.
The Apostle Paul picks up on this idea of walking and puts an emphasis on this aspect of the Christian life. We are continuously exhorted to be a reflection of Jesus Christ. We are constantly commanded to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight…”
2 Corinthians 5:7
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…”
Ephesians 4:1
“No longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds…”
Ephesians 4:17
“Walk in love…”
Ephesians 5:2
“Walk as children of Light…”
Ephesians 5:8
Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise…”
Ephesians 5:15
“Walk according to the example you have in us.”
Philemon 3:17
“Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him…”
Colossians 1:10
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…”
Colossians 2:6
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Colossians 4:5
“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and Glory.”
1 Thessalonians 2:12
“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God…”
1 Thessalonians 4:1
As believers in Jesus Christ, our responsibility is to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). This walk is a counter-cultural obedience to the precepts set forth by the Lord our God. This means that we are to separate ourselves from the world. We are not to look like the world. We are not to act like the world. We are not to talk like the world. We are called to be different. To be Holy, as He is Holy (Matthew 5:48).
The believer in Jesus Christ is not to be conformed to this world, instead we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We are to put off our old self and put on Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). We see a consistent theme in Scripture where we are called to look different from the world around us.
In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul continues in chapters 4 and 5 to clearly lay out for us what the life of a disciple of Christ should look like. He gives examples of how the world looks, and then he follows that up with how the believer should be transformed into a new creation. He says in chapter 4 starting in verse 21:
“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
This has clearly been an issue in our world today, because so-called “Christianity” continues to look more and more like the world. We have experienced the “seeker-sensitive movement” which is now a phrase that is being embraced by some churches as a compliment. We have experienced the music wars inside the church as hymnals have basically become obsolete. We have watched as the gathering of believers has lost all reverence. We even see a disregard for the preaching of the Word of God, which is reduced to nothing more than story time. Now more than ever we should heed the instructions given from the Apostle Paul to the believers in Christ, that we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which we have been called, which is a calling to holiness (Ephesians 1:3-5).
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The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 1The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 2The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 3The Transformative Power, Profundity and Promise of the Simple Gospel, part 4
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