Solomon mentioned the various things that might come upon the people in the government of God because of their sins. He spoke of drought, famine, sickness, warfare, and captivity, and in all these things they were to make God their resource. How beautiful this is, and a fine lesson for us too, for we ought to turn to the Lord in every time of trouble. But alas, how often we try all the other resources we can think of, before we turn to Him, and then, when all others have failed, we look up. How this must grieve His heart, for He is not against us but for us!
Although we do not have an earthly center now as Israel had (called a “house of prayer”), yet it is interesting to see that when the Lord Jesus promised to be in the midst of the two or three who are gathered to His precious name, He made a special promise in connection with assembly prayer. (Matt. 18:19, 2019Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:19‑20).) We do well to ponder this, and to be sure that we do not miss the assembly prayer meeting, if we can possibly be there!
Solomon then reminded the Lord in his prayer that Israel were His people whom He had brought up out of the land of Egypt. This is very touching, for the Lord would never have us forget His goodness in saving us from our sins. He delights to have us claim blessing on the ground of His goodness and grace through redemption, for we cannot claim it in any other way.
Solomon stood and blessed the whole congregation—a beautiful picture of the millennial reign when Christ will reign in the Solomon character as King of peace over Israel and the whole earth. He said, “There hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant”; so all God’s promises of earthly blessing will be fulfilled in that day. What praise will rise from His people then! We notice, however, that blessing here is conditional on the pele’s faithfulness, in which they failed utterly, but in the coming day of which we have spoken God will put a new heart in His people and then they will walk in His ways. (Ezek. 36:25-2825Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:25‑28).)
As we consider the enormity of the number of sacrifices which Solomon offered at this time, we can see something of the thought that in a coming day the people will enter into the value of the work of Christ in a fullness they have never known before. Israel will offer sacrifices even in the millennial temple, but these will be commemorntive, and they will no doubt understand their meaning then. Solomon here takes the place of both king and priest as Christ will in that blessed future time.
On the eighth day Solomon sent the people away joyful and glad of heart. The eighth day brings in the thought of new creation, the beginning of a new week, and points on no doubt to the eternal state. The millennium is but the introduction to this.
We notice in this ninth chapter that the Lord appeared to Solomon. He told him that He had heard his prayer and that He would bless him and establish his house if he walked in His ways. But He warned Solomon that if he or his seed turned away from following the Lord, He would bring His judgment upon them and upon Israel! He would scatter them, making them a proverb and a byword among all people. We know only too well that this has taken place, for the Jews are a despised people even to this, very day.
ML 01/29/1956