1 Kings 8:42

(For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;

This parenthetical clause belongs to Solomon's remarkable prayer at the dedication of the temple of God on Mount Moriah. It is the plea for the stranger within that dedicatory prayer, when a foreigner would come to pray toward the house built for the name of the Lord God of Israel, where God had promised His name would be.

It speaks of strangers and foreigners from far countries and other nations, including seekers after truth from heathen lands. They hear of God's great name and of the fame that has spread abroad among the nations, and of His strong hand and stretched-out arm and mighty power. Drawn by what they have heard, they come to learn more of God and come to His house and pray toward it.

In their behalf Solomon asks God to hear from heaven His dwelling place. He asks God to hear and answer and do according to all that the stranger calls for. This answering is so that all people of the earth may know God's name and fear Him as Israel does. It is also so that they may know that the house is called by His name, with Israel's faithfulness making known that the Lord is God and there is none else.

Israel had been established in the land of promise to exalt the name of Jehovah and to wield a mighty influence for truth and right among the nations. In the reign of David and Solomon the strength of Israel gave opportunity to fulfill that purpose. Then Jehovah's name was exalted and honored, barriers were broken down, seekers who had heard of His great name were not turned away unsatisfied, and conversions enlarged and prospered the church of God on earth.

Although the temple was dedicated for worship, God is not confined to it. He meets His people by His Spirit when they gather there, and He visits them in their homes and wherever they may be. He may be worshiped in every place. Solomon's prayer showed that Israel's dependence was in the God of Israel. God honored the many people who built Him a large and grand house because they built Him a sanctuary where they could meet to worship Him, and those who worshiped Him there sincerely had His blessing.

The prayer shows Solomon's knowledge of God and his sense that divine power was needed. In it he asked that the people's hearts be wholly and undividedly devoted to the Lord. The prayer stands in contrast to Solomon's later course, when under corrupting influences he turned from temple worship and from obedience to God. Abandoning the devotion for which he had prayed, he became his people's seducer, even building places for idol worship for his pagan wives.

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