Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
This promise belongs to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple he was employed to build, found in 1 Kings 8:22-53 and offered as he entered upon his work. When Israel went to war as God directed and prayed toward Jerusalem and the temple, Solomon asked God in heaven to hear their prayer and supplication and to uphold their cause. The same plea covers times when the people are defeated or carried captive, showing that faithful people could still approach God through prayer wherever they were.
In war or under an enemy's oppression, Israel's leaders could enter the house of prayer and plead for deliverance, with the Lord especially showing favor by hearing their prayer and maintaining their cause. This plea for God to uphold Israel's cause accords with Hezekiah's appeal for Judah and for the honor of God. The verse means that God in heaven hears His people's prayers and supplications and upholds their cause.
The prayers envisioned were offered with earnest confession as worshipers faced the holy place and trusted in the promised Saviour represented by the atoning sacrifice, while the accompanying incense represented Christ's merits. The appointed morning and evening sacrifices became set times for worship, and even Jews scattered in distant lands turned toward Jerusalem to pray. These hours give an example of morning and evening prayer that seeks pardon and needed blessings, offered with sincere worship rather than as a mere ceremony.
God hears His people's prayers without being confined to the temple. He meets them by His Spirit when they gather for worship, visits them in their homes and wherever they are, gives special signs of His goodness, and His children may worship Him in every place. The prayer shows that Israel depended on the God of Israel. God honored the people who built Him a sanctuary where they could meet to worship, and He blessed those who worshiped Him sincerely. Solomon also prayed in connection with this verse that the people's hearts would be wholly given to the Lord and that they would remain wholly devoted to Him.
The prayer shows Solomon's close relation to God at that time and his sense of need for divine power. He began his work with remarkable manifestations of divine power that gave precious views of the divine character. The light Solomon had did not save him, for his later course stood in direct contrast to that prayer. He afterward forsook the very temple to worship idols, forming alliances with pagan nations and supporting idol worship.
This promise belongs to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple he was employed to build, found in 1 Kings 8:22-53 and offered as he entered upon his work. When Israel went to war as God directed and prayed toward Jerusalem and the temple, Solomon asked God in heaven to hear their prayer and supplication and to uphold their cause. The same plea covers times when the people are defeated or carried captive, showing that faithful people could still approach God through prayer wherever they were.
In war or under an enemy's oppression, Israel's leaders could enter the house of prayer and plead for deliverance, with the Lord especially showing favor by hearing their prayer and maintaining their cause. This plea for God to uphold Israel's cause accords with Hezekiah's appeal for Judah and for the honor of God. The verse means that God in heaven hears His people's prayers and supplications and upholds their cause.
The prayers envisioned were offered with earnest confession as worshipers faced the holy place and trusted in the promised Saviour represented by the atoning sacrifice, while the accompanying incense represented Christ's merits. The appointed morning and evening sacrifices became set times for worship, and even Jews scattered in distant lands turned toward Jerusalem to pray. These hours give an example of morning and evening prayer that seeks pardon and needed blessings, offered with sincere worship rather than as a mere ceremony.
God hears His people's prayers without being confined to the temple. He meets them by His Spirit when they gather for worship, visits them in their homes and wherever they are, gives special signs of His goodness, and His children may worship Him in every place. The prayer shows that Israel depended on the God of Israel. God honored the people who built Him a sanctuary where they could meet to worship, and He blessed those who worshiped Him sincerely. Solomon also prayed in connection with this verse that the people's hearts would be wholly given to the Lord and that they would remain wholly devoted to Him.
The prayer shows Solomon's close relation to God at that time and his sense of need for divine power. He began his work with remarkable manifestations of divine power that gave precious views of the divine character. The light Solomon had did not save him, for his later course stood in direct contrast to that prayer. He afterward forsook the very temple to worship idols, forming alliances with pagan nations and supporting idol worship.