1 Kings 8:29
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. 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.
At the dedication of the finished temple Solomon knelt before an immense congregation of Israel with strangers from many nations and asked that God's eyes stay open toward the house night and day. He meant that because God had put His name there and chosen it as His sanctuary and home of worship and prayer, God would keep His attention and continual care upon it and hear prayer made toward that place. The house was built for God's name and not for Solomon's glory, giving full honor to One greater than himself as its designer whose wisdom and glory were revealed there. Yet God Himself dwells in the highest heaven as the great Creator and Ruler of the universe, not confined to a built temple like the gods of the heathen, since even heaven cannot contain Him. He meets His people by His Spirit when they assemble in the house dedicated to His worship, and He also visits them in their homes or wherever they are, hearing from His dwelling place in heaven and forgiving those who confess and turn from sin, so that even strangers from distant lands may come to know and fear Him. The prayer sought hearts wholly given to the Lord in dependence upon Him, yet Solomon himself later forsook the temple for idols despite his knowledge of God, and true worship in God's sacred house requires putting away all angry feelings because they shut out His Spirit.
Dedication Setting and Request
The prayer belongs to the dedication of the finished temple, a remarkable prayer offered kneeling before God in the presence of an immense congregation of all Israel with many nations and strangers present. At that hour Solomon felt his need for divine power and had knowledge of God, before corrupting influences later led him away from God and temple worship. The setting therefore joins reverent posture, a completed house, and a vast witnessing assembly into one act of consecration.
The request is that God's eyes be open toward the house night and day, meaning His attention, watch, and continual care resting on the temple because He has put His name there and chosen it to bear His name. It is prayer toward a designated sanctuary and home of worship and prayer, that He may hearken to prayer made toward that place. The temple is thus the chosen place of His name and the appointed direction of prayer, yet the hearing sought is living attention, not confinement to walls.
That hearing embraces strangers from distant lands who seek to know God, so that all peoples may know and fear Him. The same prayer seeks that the people's hearts be wholly given to the Lord. In this the temple stands as the sanctuary where Israel meets to worship in dependence on God, who honors those who built it and blesses those who worship Him sincerely.
God's Transcendence and Presence
The house was built for God's name, not for Solomon's glory, and in asking for God's eyes to be open toward it night and day Solomon gave God full honor for its planning and building. He acknowledged One greater than himself as its designer, whose wisdom and glory stood revealed there, leaving himself no credit as architect and builder. Though the magnificent house was the chosen place of God's name and the place toward which prayer was to be made, God Himself dwells in the highest heaven as the great Creator of nature and Ruler over all and of the universe. He is not confined to a built temple like the heathen gods, for even heaven cannot contain Him.
He meets His people by His Spirit when they assemble in the house dedicated to His worship. Yet He also visits them in their homes or wherever they are with special revelations of His goodness, so His children can worship their Heavenly Father in every place. From His dwelling place in heaven He hears and forgives those who pray and confess and turn from sin, even while the temple stands as His designated sanctuary and home of prayer. Solomon used this truth to turn the attention of his visitors away from himself as architect and builder and away from the splendor of the building. He pointed them reverently to the Creator of heaven and earth, the All-wise Ruler of the universe, so that all peoples would not extol the human agent but bless the Lord God of Israel who loved Israel and set Solomon to do judgment and justice.
Solomon's Failure and Worship
Solomon offered this prayer at the dedication of the temple when he felt his need for divine power and had knowledge of God, before corrupting influences led him away from God and temple worship. He later forsook the temple to worship idols and became an idolater, despite the divine manifestations granted him and the sacred work entrusted to him. His prayer had asked that the people's hearts be wholly given to the Lord, so his later idolatry betrayed the trust he himself had acknowledged in that prayer. He became an idolater despite having offered this prayer and having been honored by God.
The temple was a home dedicated to God where He meets with His people, and therefore every house dedicated to God is to be kept sacred. It was a sanctuary where the people could meet to worship God in dependence on the God of Israel. He honored those who built it and blessed those who worshiped Him there sincerely.
Worshipers in such a dedicated home must put away all angry feelings from their hearts. Such feelings shut away the Spirit of God from them.