Monday, July 7, 2014

Solomon's Prays for the Military (1 Kings 8:33-34)


1/7/2011 7:15:15 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Military defeat

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Ki. 8:33-34; 2Chron. 6:24-25

 

            Message of the verses: “33  "When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34  then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

 

 “24  "If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house, 25  then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.”

 

In reading this prayer one realizes that Solomon knew the OT Law, for the things that he is praying about are contained in the Law.  In this section about military victory the Lord made it plain that when the children of Israel sinned they would be punished by having other nations defeat them in battle.  If they would confess their sins to the Lord then the Lord would allow them to defeat their enemies and bring peace back to the Land.  Solomon is praying that the people would come to the temple to pray to the Lord about these things.

 

Drought in the land (1Ki. 8:35-36; 2Chron. 6:26-27)  “35  "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36  then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.”

 

“26  "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; 27  then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.”

 

This section is about drought and this was a very severe punishment from the Lord and it came to the children of Israel whenever they had sinned.  Deut. 11:10-14 says the following:  “10  "For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. 11  "But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12  a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year. 13  "It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14  that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.”  Now it must be remembered that this portion of the covenant with Israel that the Lord made with them is called a conditional covenant, if Israel obeyed then God would bless them, if not, in this case He would hold back the rain.  This happened in a big way in 1Kings chapter 18 where for over three years the Lord stopped the rain in Israel because of great sin.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As in the case of Solomon I need to know the Scriptures for they are the Word of God in which I receive my direction, where wisdom is found, where salvation is found, where the story of my Lord is found.  I am to obey the commandants of the Lord, for Jesus said that if you love Me then keep my commandants. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to trust the Lord to direct my path.

2.      To rely on the Lord at all times, for the Lord will bring things into my life in order for me to begin to rely on Him, such as a new job that I face at this time.

3.      I need to remember that I am in a Spiritual battle and in need of the Spiritual armor, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ each and every day.

 

1/7/2011 7:41:40 AM

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