Inclined Hearts: Solomon's Benediction

 

One of the most beautiful things about Scripture is the fact that it doesn't grow old. You can never wear out the Word of God--His mercies are new every morn, and He can choose to reveal new truths through the same passage a million times over. (How cool and intentional is that? He is so purposeful.) 

I've read through 1 Kings several times, and am reading it again for the Bible plan I am on, but this time around, something new struck me in chapter 8 that I hadn't noticed before. In verses 54-61, Solomon delivers his benediction at the dedication of his newly-finished temple to the Lord. His words are so intentional and heartfelt, touching on so many matters of importance with a succinctness that long-winded storytellers like myself can only dream about. A true gem of a passage that I'm resolved to pray through each day. It reads like this:

Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” (1 Kings 8:54-61, ESV)

I love how Solomon opens it up with praise. Solomon knows the Lord's character and recognizes it verbally before the people. I especially love how verse 56 emphasizes that the Lord gave rest to His people, "according to all that He promised". Our Father is a giver of rest. This was no doubt especially encouraging to a people whose near distant past included forty years of wandering in the desert. Rest is sweet honey. Rest is something that we seek and work towards. We build up lives for ourselves, saving, earning, planning so that we can retire comfortably and have rest. But we're sort of missing the mark, aren't we? Rest is something the Lord provides His people, not something we can make for ourselves. True rest is a Divine gift--true peace, found in His arms. 

The reminders of how faithful His promises are are also treasures. The knowledge that the Lord's promises are good and will always come to fruition has been such a mindblower for me this year. The fact that the Lord is a Man of His Word, never promising anything He won't deliver on, is so touching to me. How sweet it is that we can fully know that He will never give us false hope or lead us on. Solomon says that not ONE WORD has failed of all His good promise, and isn't that true. His love pours over us, dependable and incessant. 

There is a shift here...Solomon turns to plead with the Lord, asking that He never forsake His children and that He would intentionally incline their hearts towards Himself so they might be obedient and faithful to Him. These things aren't said for a lack of trust in God, for we know He will never leave nor forsake us, but as an act of humility. What a scene it must've been; the renowned, wealthy, handsome, intelligent king of all Israel looking towards the Father, crying out praise and asking for Him to remember and work in His people. We must choose to do the same each day. Regardless of how much or little He has blessed us with, it is important to set aside time to humble ourselves while lifting Him up--asking for His continued faithfulness (though knowing we have it) because we must remind ourselves daily that we are desperately in need of His help. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, and we can do absolutely nothing of worth without Him.

Another thing on this. I like how Solomon specifically asks that the Lord incline their hearts to Him. We have seen in Exodus how the Lord's hand can harden hearts as easily as He can soften them. Pharaoh was an obstinate and prideful man, so the Lord hardened his heart in order to work about His great plan. We can resist and drag our feet all we want, but the truth of the matter is, His plan will work out. The question is, what role will we play in it? Will we be willing servants with inclined and obedient hearts, or will we be hardened hearts who will be used as examples of God's glory and victory over sin and shame? Solomon knew the power the Lord held, and he wanted his people to be on the right side of the story--he wanted Israel to have hearts inclined and ready to serve for the purpose of His glory. That is, I think, the kind of heart that we should each be praying earnestly for. :) 

Verse 59 says of the Lord, "...and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God, there is no other." This reminds me of the part in the Lord's Prayer that asks "give us today our daily bread". Solomon is reminding the people of the beautiful truth that the Lord will provide the energy and means that each of us requires to face each new day. He will maintain the cause of an inclined heart because an inclined heart is seeking to carry out His will. An inclined heart has learned to see through the Father's eyes and feel through the Father's heart. An inclined heart truly desires for His will to be done, and so the Lord will honor His promises and grant the inclined heart the strength and grace for the challenges ahead.

A final note: Solomon ends with this call to action: "Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day." The words, "as at this day" are huge to me, because they signify that Solomon knows that every day wouldn't be the same. No doubt, on the day of the new temple's dedication, the people felt on fire for the Lord and it was easy to praise Him. But hard days are bound to come, and there will be times when we feel so parched from the Living Water that we can barely rasp a word of praise off our cracked lips. It is because of those days that Solomon encourages the people to be wholly true to the Lord and to walk in His commandments. because even in desert seasons, an intentionally trained inclined heart can still walk in faith, keeping His commandments and walking in His statutes though it may be hard. That's the real test of faith after all; will we be able to serve and obey Him as consistently and joyfully in seasons of dryness as we did in seasons of fruit? An inclined heart will maintain and reflect upon (though not perfectly--that's when we need also rely upon His grace) a Habakkuk mindset that says there is still a reason to rejoice even if there is no blossom on the fig tree or fruit on the vine. An inclined heart finds true joy and hope in the faithfulness and promises of the Father, not on whatever his deceptive heart may feel.

Inclined hearts. Something to think about.