May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are now doing.
1 Kings 8:61
Into the Text
After King David died, his son Solomon took over the throne. Solomon’s reign was marked by great highs and lows.
Solomon was known as the wisest man who ever lived. He is the author of many of the Proverbs as well as the books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.
God kept His promise to David that Solomon would be the one to build the temple. The temple was to be the place where God’s people could be in God’s presence through the work of the high priest.
The decorations of the temple were to resemble the garden of Eden, reminding the people of God’s work to bring them back into a relationship with Himself. God was essentially saying, “All hope is not lost.”
As we look at God’s call to Solomon and Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, we notice a common theme. God cares most about our hearts. God is not looking for women who are merely good at following the rules and doing outwardly impressive things. He wants a relationship with us where we trust Him as we daily offer up our time and work to Him.
We don’t have to go to the temple anymore in order to meet with God. We can turn to Him in prayer moment by moment, day by day.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for coming and making a way for me to have a relationship with you. I pray that you would help me live with a heart surrendered to you. Amen.