1 KINGS
MOMENT – (15APR19) The temple was finally ready to be dedicated to the Lord and
the priest and Levites brought the ark to its final resting place inside the
temple. When the ark was placed inside the Holy of Holies, the Lord filled the
temple with His presence. Solomon led out in a prayer of dedication for the
temple and the Children of Israel. Included in this prayer were words of
blessings and warnings for the Children of Israel regarding their obedience or
disobedience. Here are some of the major highlights concerning Solomon’s prophetic
prayer and some things we can take from it today.
a.)
Solomon, being the king, was the one who led the
people in this dedication of the Lord’s temple. God had chosen David, his
father, to succeed Saul in ruling Israel due to his rebellion against the Lord.
Once David took the throne, God promised David that his successor would be one
from his own blood. Solomon was that successor and God tasked him with the
responsibility of building His temple. In today’s time, many Christians make
the mistake of thinking that God is not concerned with the affairs of man
regarding the politics of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. The
Bible says, “He changes times
and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21). God
has always been involved in politics, and He has wanted to have leaders after His
own heart who would be responsible for leading His people and the nation in the
right way. There is the erroneous belief, however, that there should be a
separation of Church and State, but when it comes to God, the Church should be
leading the State, so that the nation will not be full of sin. Although, there
should not be a state established religion, God needs men and women to govern
the land in righteousness. Unfortunately, due to the Church not appointing
Godly leaders in the nation, and many becoming corrupt by 501c3 legislation in
times past, this has led to the silencing of the church and ungodly laws being
passed such as abortions, gay marriage, infanticide, prayers taken out of
school, Ten Commandments removed from government buildings, crosses taken down
from state places, schools teaching evolution as factual science, and more
because pastors have failed to talk about these things in their pulpits and warn
their congregants to vote against such ungodliness and those who would stand
for it. Many pastors, unfortunately, when they do mention politics, have
encouraged people to be loyal to a political party instead of being loyal to
GOD and standing for His righteousness. This has been a huge error that has had
major consequences in our churches and nation.
b.)
Solomon prayed that the Lord would hear His
people when their prayers rose up to Him from His temple. Solomon knew the
power of prayer and that God was the only one who could grant them answers to
their prayers. He did not pray that He become their god, but He prayed that God
would be the one to hear and answer them when their hearts were turned towards
Him. Many leaders today in the 5-fold ministry (apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers, and evangelists) are taking the glory that God deserves and making
themselves out of gods. They create titles to esteem themselves above others
such as master prophets, first ladies, reverends, fathers, etc., that goes
against the Word of God. The Bible says, “But you are not to be
called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’
for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one
Instructor, the Messiah. The
greatest among you will be your servant. For
those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted” (Matthew 23:8-12). The reason that there is so
much confusion in the church regarding prophecies these days is that Christians
are chasing after man’s word rather than God’s word due to the titles that many
hold. Yes, the Bible does tell us to not be hostile towards prophecies, but
people must realize that if a word does not line up with the Bible, it is not a
word from God. If a prophet has to keep readjusting their dates because they keep
getting it wrong, that is not a prophecy from God. The Bible says, “You may say to yourselves, “ ‘How can we know when a
message has not been spoken by the Lord?’
If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the
Lord does
not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not
be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Therefore,
we are to never put man on a pedestal, but confirm all things with God and
align all prophecies up with His WORD.
c.)
Solomon asked God to be the reigning judge over His
people so that when cases were needed to be decided, the Lord would vindicate
the innocent and condemn the guilty. Today, we are seeing where there has been
much injustice in the land. The FBI, CIA, DOJ, NSA, DHS, and others who are
supposed to serve the nation justly, have allegedly been the ones to break the
laws themselves – leaving many to wonder where the real justice in the land is.
Solomon prayed for God’s justice to be established in the land and so must we
when we hear of injustice being done to anyone, or that those guilty of wrong
have gotten away with it. The Bible says,
“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers”
(Proverbs 21:15).
As Christians, we are not to align ourselves with evil doers or go along to get
along with injustice occurs. We are to stand for TRUTH because God is a God of
Truth and does not lie. The Bible says, “When the Spirit
of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on
his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to
you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).
d.)
Solomon’s prayer had many prophetic words that
came to pass in the lives of Israel. He prayed that when Israel had been
defeated by their enemies because of disobedience, but would turn back to Him
and His temple, that God would hear them and forgive them of their transgressions.
At the time that Solomon had given this word, Israel was under the rule of one
king, which was himself. Yet, this word would eventually come to pass because
of Israel’s defiance against God, but He would indeed hear from Heaven when
they turned back towards Him. America as a nation has turned her back to God.
We are seeing the judgments of God come down on the land by way of wild fires,
floods brought on by hurricanes and cyclones, animal deaths, mass shootings,
sink holes, strange weather patterns, and more. Unfortunately, more must come
in order to wake up not only America as a nation, but those who claim to be in
the body of Christ. The Bible says, “We
would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go
every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is
lifted up even to the skies” (Jeremiah 51:9).
Something to ponder… We will
continue breaking down Solomon’s prophetic prayer in our second 1 KINGS MOMENT.
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (15APR19) Solomon dedicated the temple of the Lord, so that the Lord
would be pleased and dwell inside. So, where does God dwell today? The Bible
says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (1
Corinthians 6:19-20). God is not living
in a man-made temple anymore. He lives within all who will accept Him into
their hearts. The Jews in Israel are in the process of building a third temple
because they believe that God will once again be in their modern-day Holy of
Holies. What they do not know and fail to acknowledge is that there is no longer
any need for sacrificial lambs, bulls, sheep, doves, pigeons and goats. Our
bodies are His temple and we are to live sacrificially unto the Lord every day.
The Bible says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his
good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). Are you living as
if your body is God’s Holy Temple? Is He free to dwell on the inside of you?
Are you a sacrifice for Him by slaughtering the sins of the flesh and dying to
self everyday? Have you allowed the Lord to create a new thought process in
you, so that you think, speak, act, and live for Him? We must all examine
ourselves to ensure that we are living holy unto God daily, for we are His Temple.
Jesus bought us with the price of His own life and shed His blood, so that we
may live. Something to ponder…
1 KINGS
MOMENT – (15APR19) Solomon had been given wisdom as no other man on earth had
ever received. During this dedication to the temple, he prayed for Israel to
receive blessings, but there were also warnings that they needed to heed should
they ever fall away from God. Solomon also needed to take heed of his own words,
so that he would not fall himself. The Apostle Paul wrote many encouraging
letters to the church as well as gave instructions as to how the church was to
operate and behave. Yet, he knew that he had to be careful to follow Christ as
well, so that he would not become victim to the enemy’s schemes and devices. The
Bible says, “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my
slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Let’s continue our
study into Solomon’s prophetic prayer.
e.)
Solomon prayed that when the heavens were shut, so that
there would be no rain because of the people’s sins, and when they would repent,
The Lord would hear from Heaven and forgive them. Then He would send rain and
teach them the right way to live. The Lord did shut the heavens, so that Israel
did not receive rain for three years during the days of Elijah. For years,
there have been wild fires in California and one of the things that help wild
fires is rain. There are many theories as to the cause of the fires, but God is
allowing things to happen rather man-made or of some other nature because of man’s
rebellion against Him. Currently, California, for example, has made it illegal
for counselors, pastors, therapists, or anyone to give young people of a
certain age what they call “conversion therapy” when it comes to their sexuality.
This means that if a parent brings their child to a pastor to counsel them
regarding the confusion as it relates to their sexuality, that pastor could be
in trouble with the law. Pastors, however, must defy such laws because God’s law
supersedes man’s law and ungodly laws such as this is why California is being
brought down even if they do not realize it yet. The apostles were faced with a
similar situation where they had to choose between obeying the law of man or
the command from Jesus. The Bible says, “The apostles were brought
in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.
‘We gave
you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled
Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s
blood.’ Peter and the other apostles
replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’ ” (Acts 5:27-29). When God withholds the
rain that is needed for plants to produce and animals to drink, it is
oftentimes because of unrepentant SIN.
f.)
Solomon prayed prophetically that when famine or
plagues came in the form of mildew, locusts, grasshoppers, disasters, diseases,
or enemies that came to raid their cities did so as a result of God’s judgments
upon Israel because of their sins, if they would repent He would hear. The Lord
would forgive them and act on their behalf for those who were sincere of heart.
Many people look like they’re for Christ, but do not have hearts for Him. If
they did, they would be warning the church and the nation concerning the things
that are coming to this land and about the judgments that are already taking
place. This is why many are being deceived in the body of Christ because they
look at a person’s ministry size, popularity, fame, status, and delivery style,
instead of asking God if the person has a true heart for Him. Only God knows
the heart and is able to give you the discernment as to the leaders who are truly
being led by him. The Bible says, But
the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height,
for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at.
People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"
(1 Samuel 16:7).
We are to always ask God for wisdom when it pertains to where to assemble, who
to follow, or what prophecy to believe.
g.)
Solomon
prayed concerning the foreigners who would enter the land. He prayed that when
they came, because they heard about the Name of the Lord, that they too would
pray towards Heaven and God would grant them their requests. Right now, we have
a crisis at the southern borders of the United States. Many people are trying
to enter this country illegally. There are those in the government who support
this because it will help to guarantee their elections and further their
political agendas. Solomon, however, was praying for foreigners who had a heart
for God and would enter the country because of their belief in what they had
heard about Him. Solomon was not praying for just anyone to enter the land. Remember
that the Israelites were not to associate with their heathen neighbors, so that
their eyes would not be taken off of God and that they would not be tempted to
fall into idolatry, which happened every time they intermingled with heathen
nations. When God established the laws of Moses, everyone, including the
foreigner, was to obey God’s laws and decrees. The Bible says, “…and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them,
then you must destroy them totally. Make
no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their
sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they
will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will
quickly destroy you” (Deuteronomy 7:2-4). Christ has called for us to help others
and evangelize to the whole world, but we too must be mindful of those who wish
to kill, steal, and destroy the values that we are supposed to hold as a nation
towards God. When a nation turns against God, He will allow their enemies to
invade them as part of their judgment. America should have established herself as
such a Christian nation that those who oppose Christ would not feel comfortable
to attempt at establishing their own religious laws on her land. Unfortunately,
we have those of heathen religions who desire for us to change our religious
holidays and celebrations, so that we do not offend their occupying religion. America
has lost her stance as a TRUE Christian nation.
h.)
Solomon prayed that
when Israel went to war against their enemies, and lost due to their rebellious
ways, God would hear from Heaven when they finally repented and turned back to
Him. This was to be done with their whole heart and soul so that their sins
would be forgiven when they were overtaken by their enemies. We know that years
later, the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians because of their
disobedience, so Solomon’s prayer was prophetic in nature because all that he
had spoken came to pass. America’s enemies are plotting against her and even
though they speak of peace, there will never be peace. We are living in the
calm before the storm right now. America is fulfilling the prophecy in
Revelation due to our rebellion against God and having morphed into spiritual
Babylon as well as the church in large part. The Bible says, “After this I saw another angel coming down
from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his
splendor. With a mighty
voice he shouted: ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has
become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable
animal. For all the
nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The
kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the
earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries’ ” (Revelation 18:1-3).
Solomon’s
prayer was full of blessings and prophetic warnings. Yet, the major theme that
we see present here is a call to REPENTANCE. Solomon knew that the people would
not stay faithful, as he failed himself to do, but he also knew that the Lord
was a God of grace and mercy. There is love even in the midst of judgments. God
desires that we would stay faithful and obedient to Him, but sometimes, He has
to allow things to take place in order to get our attention. If the Children of
Israel had heeded the warnings in this prophetic prayer, including Solomon
himself, they could have avoided a lot of the things that caused them to lose
what God had blessed them with. We as a nation have been blessed tremendously
by God, but our blessings are conditional and based on our obedience to Him.
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him and chastises those whom He
loves. There is no doubt that God loves this nation and Christ loves His
church. Unfortunately, we have not always shown our love and obedience to Him.
Things are going to happen in fulfillment of prophecy, but God’s love is
forever abounding, and His mercy endures forever. The Bible says, “If
my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Something
to ponder…
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