2 Chronicles 6
O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. – 2 Chronicles 6:14 NLT
The Temple is complete. Solomon's grand project to build a house for God and fulfill the dream of his father David has been realized. The dedication is all that's left to wrap up this project. And as Solomon takes center stage, addressing the thousands of Israelites who have come to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event, he gives the speech of his lifetime. Like all good dedication speeches, it contains a prayer; and in that prayer, Solomon reminds God of His faithfulness. He acknowledges that God has kept the promise He had made to David to allow one of his descendants to build the Temple. He has made it possible for Solomon to complete this unbelievable building project. Solomon knows that he could not have done it without God's help. But Solomon also reminds God that there are other promises yet to be fulfilled. He was thinking about his kingdom. He recalled what his father David had told him. And he reminded God. "And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel" (2 Chronicles 6:16 NLT). I have a feeling that Solomon could remember word for word the promise that God had made to David. He could quote those words from memory, and he was counting on God fulfilling them. "He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever" (1 Chronicles 22:10 NLT). Solomon had done his part. He had finished the Temple. Now he was asking God to fulfill the rest of His promise. He was asking God to secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.
Solomon knew he was nothing without God. He knew that the Temple was just another building if God chose not to inhabit it. He knew his kingdom was going to be short-lived and less-than-memorable if God was not on his side. He knew that tough times were going to come and that the people of Israel were going to encounter difficulties along the way, and if God was not faithful to hear their prayers and to intervene of their behalf, they would fail. Solomon knew just how much he needed God. Do we? Do I really understand just how dependent I am for EVERYTHING in my life. Without God in my marriage, all I have is just another marriage. Without God in my work, I am laboring in vain. Without God in my home, my family is no different than any other family on earth. Without God in my church, it is just another gathering of people. God is central to all that we do as Christians. We do not exist without Him. We cannot succeed without Him. We cannot survive without Him. Solomon knew that. He was well aware of the fact that his reign was on shaky ground without the abiding presence of God. So he called on God to remember His promises. Solomon was counting on the faithful and unfailing love of God. "O Lord God, do not reject the king you have anointed.Remember your unfailing love for your servant David" (2 Chronicles 6:42 NLT). Solomon's Temple would not last. Neither would his reign. He and the people would prove to be unfaithful. They would fail to keep their end of the bargain. You could almost sense that Solomon saw this coming. But God would be faithful in spite of their unfaithfulness. God would keep His end of the covenant. David's kingdom would last. One of his descendants would sit on David's throne and His kingdom will last forever. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises. Listen to the words of the angel to Mary: "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:31-33 NLT).
Father, You truly are incomparable. Not only is there no other god like You, there is no other god besides You. And that You have chosen to show Your love to someone like me is unbelievable. That You have chosen me and every day shower me with Your love is incomprehensible. You are so faithful. You never let a single one of Your promises go unfulfilled. Thank You for keeping Your covenant with David by sending Your Son to rule and reign. Thank You that I can rest in the knowledge that He is sitting at Your right hand even now, and is one day coming back to establish His kingdom on earth forever. Amen