1 Kings 8:54-61
Timeless Truths from Solomon

When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."

New International Version

After reading this passage, is it any wonder that King Solomon was praised for his wisdom? Solomon, at the close of the dedication of the first permanent temple to God, delivers a benediction that captures so many truths about the nature of God and of our relationship to God.

First, God never changes. God is always good, and God is always faithful, no matter whether we are faithful in return. There is nothing that we do to cause or provoke God's blessings -- all we can do is to accept them, or we can interfere with and refuse God's blessings.

God so much wants to live in harmony with us and bless us that God provides the ways for us to have that relationship. From our perspective, it is hard to think of the Old Testament without thinking of the rules for purification and the instructions for the proper preparation of a myriad of different burnt offerings. In contrast, Solomon speaks to what truly matters when he tells the Israelites that God "will turn our hearts to Him" so that we can have that relationship. If only we are willing, God takes care of the rest.

God has another motivation for giving us blessings, and that is so the rest of the world will know about God. We know God wants to bless us, because we are God's children, but if we're logical about this, we'd see that God will bless us far greater in heaven than God can bless us here on earth. So why doesn't God just scoop us up into the skies now? Because to do so, God would be giving up on those who are left.

Finally, we have the obligation to be faithful to God. There was no greater time in the history of Israel than the event that had just taken place in this scripture passage. Solomon was the greatest, richest king that ever ruled that country, but towards the end of his life, he, too, had become ensnared in political alliances and compromised religion. The country split in two after his death, with both the Northern and Southern kingdoms succumbing to sin and being conquered. In Jesus' day, the religious leaders selectively determined what to believe and teach so they could control the people and defy the conquerors as they longed for how Israel had prospered under Solomon.

It is so easy to be faithful to God when we perceive God's miracles in the blessings we receive. It is harder to be faithful when everything is falling apart, but God often uses those times of despair to call us back into faithfulness. The most difficult time to be faithful to God are the times when God's miracles have become commonplace to us. When we are no longer awed by God's care for us, when we believe we are due the blessings we receive, and when we lose our sense of gratitude for God's work in our lives, we have lost that relationship.

Don't let go of that awe of God. Don't forget Who blesses us and is always faithful to us.