Solomon affirms four times in this one chapter that God has kept his promises — the promises he made to David and the promises he made through Moses. Solomon also prays that God will continue to fulfill the promises he has made to David. Our God is a promise keeper — past, present and future.
Much time has passed since Solomon’s time. We have a much larger picture than Solomon had of God keeping his promises. Jesus, the promised Messiah has come! He paid the price for our sins and rose again from the dead. And we have the promise that he will come again. That hope — that expectation — should keep us looking ahead — not with dread, but expectantly. As 2 Peter 3:13 says: “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
There is another word that comes up repeatedly in this chapter — and that’s the word forgive. Solomon prays five times that God will forgive his people — most of the time, only after they have prayed toward the Temple that was being dedicated on the day of his prayer. Now let’s link these two key words together — promise and forgiveness. What do we need to do to get in on God’s forgiveness? We can’t pray toward the temple. It’s not there anymore. But we can confess our sins directly to God in prayer. When we do that, we have the promise from 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We don’t have to carry around a load of guilt. We can find peace as we trust in God’s promise of forgiveness!
Lord, we thank you that you are our faithful Promise-Keeper!
Mary Roller, Hickory, N.C.
