1 Kings 8:30

_AND HEARKEN THOU TO THE SUPPLICATION OF THY SERVANT, AND OF THY PEOPLE ISRAEL, WHEN THEY SHALL PRAY TOWARD THIS PLACE: AND HEAR THOU IN HEAVEN THY DWELLING PLACE: AND WHEN THOU HEAREST, FORGIVE._ Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place. That house of prayer which Solomon was then dedicating was a type of the spiritual temple afterward to be built of living stones. And the purport of the king's petition, which was afterward answered by a covenant or solemn agreement (see the notes at 1 Kings 9:3), was, that whatever was spoken in the earthly temple should be heard and ratified in the heavenly temple....

22-53 In this excellent prayer, Solomon does as we should do in every prayer; he gives glory to God. Fresh experiences of the truth of God's promises call for larger praises. He sues for grace and favour from God. The experiences we have of God's performing his promises, should encourage us to depend upon them, and to plead them with him; and those who expect further mercies, must be thankful for former mercies. God's promises must be the guide of our desires, and the ground of our hopes and expectations in prayer. The sacrifices, the incense, and the whole service of the temple, were all typical of the Redeemer's offices, oblation, and intercession. The temple, therefore, was continually to be remembered. Under one word, "forgive," Solomon expressed all that he could ask in behalf of his people. For, as all misery springs from sin, forgiveness of sin prepares the way for the removal of...

Verse 30. _TOWARD THIS PLACE_] Both tabernacle and temple were types of our Lord Jesus, or of _God manifested in the flesh_; and he was and is the Mediator between God and man. All prayer, to be acceptable, and to be entitled to a hearing, must go to God _through Him_. The _human nature_ of Christ is the temple in which _dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily_; therefore with propriety all prayer must be offered to God through Him. "If they pray toward this place, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive." This appears to me to be the true sense and doctrine of this verse....

AND WHEN THOU HEAREST, FORGIVE - literally, “both hear and forgive” - i. e., “hear the prayer, and forgive the sin” which alone causes God to chasten men or to withhold from them His choicest blessings....

EXPOSITION THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.—The stately and impressive service with which the Temple, the character and contents of which have now been described, was dedicated, is related in this chapter, and divides itself into four sections. We have (1) the removal of the ark and Solomon's ascription of praise on the occasion (1 Kings 8:1). (2) The prayer of consecration (1 Kings 8:23-11). (3) The benediction of the congregation (1 Kings 8:55-11), and (4) the festal sacrifices which followed on and completed the dedication ...

AND HEARKEN THOU TO THE SUPPLICATION OF THY SERVANT, AND OF THY PEOPLE ISRAEL, WHEN THEY SHALL PRAY TOWARDS THIS PLACE,.... Not only he desires his prayers might be heard, but those of the people of Israel, then, and at all times in succeeding ages, whenever they should look towards the temple, and to him that was typified by it; to whose blood, righteousness, sacrifice and mediation, the acceptance of prayers with God is to be ascribed: AND HEAR THOU IN HEAVEN THY DWELLINGPLACE; for though he condescended to take up his residence in the temple, yet his more proper and more glorious dwelling was in heaven, and from whence, notwithstanding the distance of it, he could hear the prayers of his people, and does: AND WHEN THOU HEAREST, FORGIVE; manifest and apply pardoning grace and mercy on account of sins confessed, and repented of; or remove calamities and distresses on account of sin, w...

CHAPTER 8THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE _ 1. The great assembly (1 Kings 8:1)_ 2. The transportation of the ark (1 Kings 8:3) 3. The glory of the LORD filling the house (1 Kings 8:10) 4. Solomon's opening words (1 Kings 8:12) 5. Solomon's great prayer (1 Kings 8:22) 6. Solomon's benediction (1 Kings 8:54) 7. The sacrifices and the feast ...

SOLOMON'S DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE, PRAYER AND ADDRESS. This chapter is mainly Deuteronomic, being clearly written from the standpoint of one who has seen the Temple as the one national sanctuary of Israel, and has either witnessed its downfall or perceived that it was imminent. 1 Kings 8:1 is, however, probably from the early record of how the house of Yahweh was dedicated by Solomon, of which 1 Kings 8:62 is the continuation, the prayer of Solomon being Deuteronomic. In 1 Kings 8:12 f. we may have preserved an authentic poetic utterance of Solomon himself in the words of the dedication of the Temple. As they are given in the LXX they read as follows: Yahweh set the sun in heaven,...

DWELLING PLACE. Figure of speech _Anthropopatheia._ App-6....

DISCOURSE: 333 FOR THE OPENING OF TRINITY CHURCH AT CHELTENHAM 1 Kings 8:28. _Have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to-day: that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place: and when thou hearest, forgive_ [Note: The Author being taken ill at Cheltenham at the time that this Discourse was to have been preached, it was not delivered according to his intention.]. THE consecration of buildings erected for public wo