When they sin
against you . . . and you . . . give them over to their enemies, who take them
captive to his own land… (1 Kings 8:46).
The long awaited temple has finally been completed. Solomon
offers a grand dedication prayer with some rather odd elements.
Solomon takes it as a given
that Israel will fall away from God and be exiled into a foreign land. It’s
awkward to believe the king would be such a wet blanket during Israel’s
greatest national celebration to date. In fact, this passage fits better with
our premise that this collection of materials (Joshua through 2 Kings – the
Deuteronomic History) was gathered into its final form when the people were
still stunned from their recent exile. We know chapters 24 and 25 of 2 Kings
were written after the fall of Jerusalem. In the end he thrust them from
his presence (2 Kings 24:20).
Imagine a nation’s disbelief, having taken for granted that
Jerusalem was invincible. The temple in Jerusalem housed the greatest of all
gods (they still probably weren’t quite monotheistic – chasing after other gods
is what got them in this mess). If Yahweh were the strongest god, how could
they have been defeated?
Then we understand Solomon’s odd dedication prayer.
Who’s the audience? Not people standing around listening to
Solomon pray, but Israeli exiles 375 years later, wondering what happened and
how they ended up in Babylon.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
What does God want you to
learn from the hard times in your life?
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