June 9-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3, When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”
Observe what it is saying.
These supernatural acts of God revealed God’s presence and pleasure in response to King Solomon’s prayer. As on the day of Pentecost, fire came down. The Holy Spirit filled the believers who were all gathered together. Here the glory of the Lord filled the temple. We find one major difference between the two events. Here, because of the consuming glory of the Lord filled the temple, the priests could not enter the temple. On the day of Pentecost when God’s glory came down, everyone was able to stay in the room and be filled. Jesus made the difference. Because of His righteousness imputed to these believers, they could stay in the presence of His glory. In both cases, prayer prepared the way for God’s glory to come. When the people saw this occur, they reacted by putting their faces to the ground in humble worship and offered their thanks in declaring that God is good and His love endures forever.
Relate it to your life
When have I encountered God’s glory in such a powerful way that it put me on my knees in worship?
Do something.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Amen.
June 10-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:4-7, Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
Observe what it is saying.
The priests and Levites led the worship in dedicating the temple with musical instruments that King David had made for the very purpose for praising the Lord. King David was a worship leader at heart and led the nation to joyfully worship the Lord. Everyone participated in the offering time. King Solomon offered the most as the king, which models good leadership, but everyone was involved. It reminds us of God’s instructions to the Israelites as they were being formed into a nation, Deuteronomy 16:16-17, “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” Willful and joyful giving flows from the awareness that God has blessed us and offers a proportionate amount in light of what God has generously provided for us.
Relate it to your life.
I give to God as an expression of my thanks and praise in recognition for all that He has given me.
Do something.
Father, my heart overflows with praise to You through my joyful singing and my generous offering. Amen.
June 11-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:7-10, Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions. 8 So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.
Observe what it is saying.
There were so many offerings that the altar could not contain them so Solomon consecrated a space in the courtyard to become a holy place for the sacrifices made by all the people who had gathered. "The fat" of the fellowship/peace offerings, along with certain other choice pieces, was presented as a token sacrifice to God, prior to the people feasting on the remaining portions. Solomon had delayed the temple's dedication for a number of months so that it might be celebrated along with the harvest Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel would be coming in pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They gathered "from Lebo Hamath" in Lebanon, toward the Euphrates River in the northeast down "to the Wadi of Egypt," midway between Palestine and Egypt to the southwest. These people spent several days together remembering and celebrating the Lord’s goodness and blessing. When you spend such extended time in the presence of the Lord, you will go home with joyful and glad hearts as they did.
Relate it to your life.
I need to take extended time in the presence of the Lord to deepen my spiritual life and increase my joy.
Do something.
Father, give me the willingness to seek opportunities to linger longer in your presence. Amen.
June 12-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:11-12, When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
Observe what it is saying.
This event occurred only after the king had also completed his royal palace some thirteen years later. This was the Lord's second appearance to Solomon; the first having occurred at Gibeon at the start of his reign after he had worshiped the Lord. This second appearance was meant to personally assure Solomon that his prayers on behalf of the temple would be answered. God was gracious to reveal Himself to Solomon and affirm that He hears and answers prayers. We have the same promise offered to us in several Scriptures. John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” James 5:16b, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Relate it to your life.
God promises to hear and answer the prayers of those who are righteous and remain in Him.
Do something.
Father, thank You for hearing and answering my prayers as I trust in Your righteousness. Amen.
June 13-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:13-16, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
Observe what it is saying.
God's speaking of times when He would "shut up the heavens," and other acts specifically reflects back to Solomon's prayer of dedication which he envisioned his people being punished when they turned their away from God and then would awaken to pray for the help of heaven. Here, we find the Lord promises to answer those petitions Solomon asked God to hear. This passage goes on to tell what is the best known and most loved verse in all Chronicles. It offers the stipulations that God laid down for a nation to experience His renewed blessing. Those who are chosen to be His people (which includes all believers) must cease from their sins, turn from living lives of proud self-centeredness, pray to the Lord, and yield their desires to his Word and his will. Then, God will graciously hear, forgive, and heal their land.
Relate it to your life.
God’s grace is always available if we are willing to confess, repent, and receive His gifts of healing.
Do something.
Father, thank You for giving us this terrific promise that is fulfilled in Jesus’ atonement. I choose to come humbly before You, confess my sin, turn wholeheartedly to You for forgiveness and healing. Amen.
June 14-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:17-22, “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
Observe what it is saying.
The Lord's promise that David’s dynasty would "never fail to have a man to rule over Israel" includes the promise that the Messiah would come from this same line. God's covenant to establish his throne forever originated when God spoke to David about his son, 1 Chronicles 17:12, “He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.” However, there was also a divinely imposed condition of faithful obedience, which if broken would bring disaster upon the nation. The possibility that Solomon and his successors might "go off to serve other gods" was what actually happened, and it led to the very results that God had foretold and Solomon anticipated in his temple dedication prayer.
Relate it to your life.
We cannot expect the blessings of God to continue if we refuse to humbly follow His lead in all things.
Do something.
Father, lead me in the paths of righteousness and keep my heart from turning away from You. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3, When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”
Observe what it is saying.
These supernatural acts of God revealed God’s presence and pleasure in response to King Solomon’s prayer. As on the day of Pentecost, fire came down. The Holy Spirit filled the believers who were all gathered together. Here the glory of the Lord filled the temple. We find one major difference between the two events. Here, because of the consuming glory of the Lord filled the temple, the priests could not enter the temple. On the day of Pentecost when God’s glory came down, everyone was able to stay in the room and be filled. Jesus made the difference. Because of His righteousness imputed to these believers, they could stay in the presence of His glory. In both cases, prayer prepared the way for God’s glory to come. When the people saw this occur, they reacted by putting their faces to the ground in humble worship and offered their thanks in declaring that God is good and His love endures forever.
Relate it to your life
When have I encountered God’s glory in such a powerful way that it put me on my knees in worship?
Do something.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Amen.
June 10-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:4-7, Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
Observe what it is saying.
The priests and Levites led the worship in dedicating the temple with musical instruments that King David had made for the very purpose for praising the Lord. King David was a worship leader at heart and led the nation to joyfully worship the Lord. Everyone participated in the offering time. King Solomon offered the most as the king, which models good leadership, but everyone was involved. It reminds us of God’s instructions to the Israelites as they were being formed into a nation, Deuteronomy 16:16-17, “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” Willful and joyful giving flows from the awareness that God has blessed us and offers a proportionate amount in light of what God has generously provided for us.
Relate it to your life.
I give to God as an expression of my thanks and praise in recognition for all that He has given me.
Do something.
Father, my heart overflows with praise to You through my joyful singing and my generous offering. Amen.
June 11-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:7-10, Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions. 8 So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.
Observe what it is saying.
There were so many offerings that the altar could not contain them so Solomon consecrated a space in the courtyard to become a holy place for the sacrifices made by all the people who had gathered. "The fat" of the fellowship/peace offerings, along with certain other choice pieces, was presented as a token sacrifice to God, prior to the people feasting on the remaining portions. Solomon had delayed the temple's dedication for a number of months so that it might be celebrated along with the harvest Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel would be coming in pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They gathered "from Lebo Hamath" in Lebanon, toward the Euphrates River in the northeast down "to the Wadi of Egypt," midway between Palestine and Egypt to the southwest. These people spent several days together remembering and celebrating the Lord’s goodness and blessing. When you spend such extended time in the presence of the Lord, you will go home with joyful and glad hearts as they did.
Relate it to your life.
I need to take extended time in the presence of the Lord to deepen my spiritual life and increase my joy.
Do something.
Father, give me the willingness to seek opportunities to linger longer in your presence. Amen.
June 12-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:11-12, When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
Observe what it is saying.
This event occurred only after the king had also completed his royal palace some thirteen years later. This was the Lord's second appearance to Solomon; the first having occurred at Gibeon at the start of his reign after he had worshiped the Lord. This second appearance was meant to personally assure Solomon that his prayers on behalf of the temple would be answered. God was gracious to reveal Himself to Solomon and affirm that He hears and answers prayers. We have the same promise offered to us in several Scriptures. John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” James 5:16b, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Relate it to your life.
God promises to hear and answer the prayers of those who are righteous and remain in Him.
Do something.
Father, thank You for hearing and answering my prayers as I trust in Your righteousness. Amen.
June 13-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:13-16, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
Observe what it is saying.
God's speaking of times when He would "shut up the heavens," and other acts specifically reflects back to Solomon's prayer of dedication which he envisioned his people being punished when they turned their away from God and then would awaken to pray for the help of heaven. Here, we find the Lord promises to answer those petitions Solomon asked God to hear. This passage goes on to tell what is the best known and most loved verse in all Chronicles. It offers the stipulations that God laid down for a nation to experience His renewed blessing. Those who are chosen to be His people (which includes all believers) must cease from their sins, turn from living lives of proud self-centeredness, pray to the Lord, and yield their desires to his Word and his will. Then, God will graciously hear, forgive, and heal their land.
Relate it to your life.
God’s grace is always available if we are willing to confess, repent, and receive His gifts of healing.
Do something.
Father, thank You for giving us this terrific promise that is fulfilled in Jesus’ atonement. I choose to come humbly before You, confess my sin, turn wholeheartedly to You for forgiveness and healing. Amen.
June 14-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
2 Chronicles 7:17-22, “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
Observe what it is saying.
The Lord's promise that David’s dynasty would "never fail to have a man to rule over Israel" includes the promise that the Messiah would come from this same line. God's covenant to establish his throne forever originated when God spoke to David about his son, 1 Chronicles 17:12, “He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.” However, there was also a divinely imposed condition of faithful obedience, which if broken would bring disaster upon the nation. The possibility that Solomon and his successors might "go off to serve other gods" was what actually happened, and it led to the very results that God had foretold and Solomon anticipated in his temple dedication prayer.
Relate it to your life.
We cannot expect the blessings of God to continue if we refuse to humbly follow His lead in all things.
Do something.
Father, lead me in the paths of righteousness and keep my heart from turning away from You. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals