1. FIGURES, TYPES & DRAMATISED PROPHECIES
If you have studied with Stewarton Bible School for any length
of time you will know by now that we firmly believe that virtually
all Old Testament events are 'dramatised prophecies,' 'living
blueprints' and 'miniature models' of
events due to occur in the closing days of this age. In other
words, Bible events were especially staged and recorded by the
LORD God of Israel to inform angel and human beings of what to
expect in the days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The
presence of those 'scriptural blueprints' is an inexhaustible source of information. The following verse
first drew my attention to the astonishing purpose of those 'dramatised
prophecies.'
| 1 Cor.10: | 11: Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. |
Notice that little word 'all;' a word with colossal implications.
Yes, 'ALL' those Old Testament events are meaningful 'ensamples.'
In Strong's Dictionary the Greek word translated 'ensamples'
is tupos (#5179).
It means: a
figure, pattern, … an example to be imitated…
a person or thing prefiguring a future (Messianic) person or thing.
So in future when you read a Bible story, remember this vital
fact, that all the events recorded in God's Word are 'examples,' 'types,' 'shadows,' 'prophetic models' and 'miniature blueprints,'
which were staged by God and recorded in the Scriptures
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
2. SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
This morning we will consider the 'model' of Solomon's
temple which he built some 3000 years ago; and especially the
prayer Solomon offered up to God when that temple
was dedicated. Bear in mind that Solomon's temple was but a 'blueprint'
of the eternal Temple Yeshua the Messiah, One greater
than Solomon, is currently building. It is a Spiritual Temple
and the materials used in its construction (that is the
foundation stones, timbers, pillars and vessels etc.) are the
true believers in Jehovah (Yahweh) the Almighty God of
Israel.
We are told that whilst building the temple in Jerusalem, the builders rejected a gigantic, awkward looking stone which had been sent to them by the stone masons in the quarries. Upon investigation that rejected stone turned out to be the main corner stone of the Temple! That rejected foundation/corner stone represents Yeshua (Jesus Christ) the Messiah; who was, as we all know, rejected by His chosen people Israel.
| Luke 20: | 17: And he beheld them, and said, What is this then
that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the
same is become the head of the corner? |
In a similar but less cruel way, tens of millions of true believers have also been rejected by the church hierarchy as unfit. But the fact is, every true believer has a divinely ordained place in the eternal, spiritual Temple of God; and only the Most High, the Divine Architect, knows where that place is. Even we don't know where we fit in.
| 1 Peter 2: | 4: To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. |
| 1Cor:6: | 19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? |
In 2 Chronicles chapters 3 & 4 we read the details concerning
Solomon's temple. Make no mistake, every article and every detail
of every article, has deep spiritual significance. All those details
are significant and they all point to true believers and
the God-given authority with which we will be invested
for all eternity.
The Seventh Month
Even the timing of the Temple's dedication is significant.
It was dedicated, we are told, in the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri)
of the sacred calendar; a month which has 4 annual and 4 weekly
Sabbaths in it; which is more than any other month.
| 2 Chron.5: | 3: Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves
unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month. |
3. SOLOMON'S PRAYER
At the dedication of the temple, king Solomon prayed a prayer
which includes every follower of Israel's God, be he/she
Jew or Gentile. Solomon's prayer is recorded in 2 Chronicles
Chapter 6.
I have highlighted a few of the many important parts
of this prayer; the parts which apply to all of us who constitute
the spiritual Temple of God, which the Saviour is currently
building.
Solomon's Prayer
| 2 Chron.6: | 12: And he stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread
forth his hands: 13: For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, 14: And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: 15: Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. 16: Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. 17: Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David. 18: But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! 19: Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: 20: That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. 21: Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. |
| verse 22 | If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid
upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar
in this house; 23: Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness. |
| verse 24: | And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before
the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall
return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before
thee in this house; 25: Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. |
| verse 26 | When the heaven is shut up, and there is no
rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray
toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin,
when thou dost afflict them; 27: Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. |
| verse 28 | If there be dearth in the land, if there
be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew,
locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies
besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore
or whatsoever sickness there be: 29: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of ANY man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: 30: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) 31: That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. |
| verse 32 | Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of
thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy
great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out
arm; if they come and pray in this house; 33: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. |
| verse 34 | If thy people go out to war against their
enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto
thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which
I have built for thy name; 35: Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. |
| Dan:6: | 10: Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. |
Forgive Us Our Private Sins
| verse 36 | If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which
sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them
over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto
a land far off or near; 37: Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; 38: If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: 39: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. |
| verse 40 | Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open,
and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this
place. 41: Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. 42: O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. |
4. YAHWEH'S ANSWER
As mentioned previously, the dedication service described here is a spiritual blueprint. It occurred during the holy month of Ethanim (Tishri). No doubt Yahweh's Temple, His Church, will also be dedicated during this festival month in a soon-coming year. That is why we in Stewarton pay so much attention to the Feast Days of
the God of Israel; because the realities they foreshadow will
certainly come to pass on the very same Feast days in some future
year!
Yahweh's Fire & Glory
| 2 Chron. 7: | 1: Now when Solomon had made an end of praying,
the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt
offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD
filled the house. 2: And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's house. 3: And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. |
| verse 4 | Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before
the LORD. 5: And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. |
| verse 6 | And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites
also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king
had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever,
when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. 7: Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat. 8: Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. 9: And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10: And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people. 11: Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. |
5. YAHWEH'S CONDITIONS
No one will doubt but that this was a wonderful prayer and we
know that the Holy One of Israel answered it - and will continue
to answer it - if His conditions are met. What are those
conditions? Let us now study them.
| 2 Chron.7: | 12: And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and
said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place
to myself for an house of sacrifice. 13: If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14: If my people, which 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. 15: Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 16: For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 17: And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgements; 18: Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. 19: BUT if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20: Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21: And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? 22: And it shall be answered, BECAUSE THEY FORSOOK THE LORD GOD OF THEIR FATHERS, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. |
SUMMARY
For those who have the will to learn and obey, the lessons of Solomon's prayer and Yahweh's response are plain
to see and easy to understand. In essence Solomon's prayer tells us, that:
In times of trouble we should pray to the LORD God of Israel
and He will answer our prayers; provided we repent, forsake our sins
and return to the pathway of obedience.
This may sound simple enough. But you'll need the power of the Holy Spirit to put it into practice. See the Everlasting Gospel Page for details about Salvation.
Now let me summarise what we have learned this morning.
| 2 Chron.7: | 14: If my people, which 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.
... 19: BUT if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20: Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21: And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, WHY hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? 22: And it shall be answered, BECAUSE they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. |
Let all who hear or read these solemn words, pay close
attention to those divine conditions; because they apply to all of us
as surely as they applied to Israel of old!
And now may the LORD God of Israel grant us all the wisdom to recognise His Truth and the
power to put it into practice for His name's sake. Amen.
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