1 Kings 8:48
And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
1 Kings 8:48 belongs to Solomon's most remarkable prayer at the dedication of the temple that God employed and honored him to build on Mount Moriah. That prayer was offered as he entered upon his work after remarkable manifestations of divine power, in which he recognized his need for divine power. It gave precious views of the divine character.
The verse makes provision for Israelites carried captive because of sin to return to God with all their heart and with all their soul, meaning undivided loyalty, even while living in the land of their enemies. From that enemy land they were to pray toward the land given to their ancestors, the chosen city, and the house built for God's name. Solomon asked God to hear such prayers from heaven, forgive His people, uphold their cause, and move their captors to show them compassion. This shows that captivity did not close the way to God, but that faithful people could approach Him through prayer and supplication wherever they were. Israel depended on the God of Israel, the temple was built as a sanctuary where the people could meet to worship God, and those who worshiped Him sincerely received His blessing.
The dedication prayer teaches that God is not confined to a temple, for He meets His people by His Spirit when they gather in a house dedicated to His worship and also visits and encourages them in their homes and wherever they may be, so His children may worship their Heavenly Father in every place. The verse reflects the Jewish custom of turning toward Jerusalem in prayer at the appointed hours even when scattered as captives in distant lands. The hours appointed for the morning and evening sacrifice were regarded as sacred and came to be observed as the set time for worship throughout the nation. At those hours worshipers engaged in earnest searching of heart and confession of sin and united in silent prayer with faces toward the holy place, so their petitions ascended with the cloud of incense while faith laid hold on the merits of the promised Saviour prefigured by the atoning sacrifice.
This custom gives Christians an example for morning and evening prayer, bowing to seek pardon for sins committed and to present requests for needed blessings. God looks upon such prayer with great pleasure when done by those who love Him with the spirit of worship, while He condemns a mere round of ceremonies without the spirit of worship. In sharp contrast to that prayer for undivided loyalty, Solomon afterward broke his own allegiance, forsook the very temple to worship idols, and turned to idolatry encouraged by his pagan wives. He became the seducer of the very people for whom he had prayed, leading them away from God. This shows that the light he had did not save him, and that even someone closely related to God and once wise and faithful can turn from obedience, lose wisdom and righteousness, and become enslaved to sin.