1 Humble and Contrite Spirit Appeals To God

1 Humble and Contrite Spirit Appeals To God

1 KING 8:46-49

When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near;and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say,

‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause.

We are traceable to the first man who was made from dust. We are born of flesh and borne the image of Adam from whom sin entered the world. Solomon understood humans are prone to sin- for there is no one who does not sin. “And we have borne the image of the man of dust, so shall we bare the image of the heavenly man.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

Therefore,1 Humble and Contrite Spirit Appeals To God, when Solomon offered a petition of mercy to God to hear, forgive and act when He and his kinsmen in captivity acknowledged their sin, confess it and confess His name, because God rewards each man according to his ways. Solomon asked God, rich in mercy, to hear from heaven, forgive their sin and bring them back to the land He gave their fathers. (Deuteronomy 7:9)

Solomon also asked God, righteous in all His way, to lead them in the path of righteousness for His name sake and lead them to the city He had choose and the temple that bears His name to main their cause .“As a Father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him, for He knows our frame; He remember that we are dust…the mercy of the Lord is from ever lasting to ever lasting to those who fear Him and His righteousness to children’s children. (Psalms 103:13-14)

Pause & think?

• What is sin, and does the law always define sin; how does sin impact our relationship with God and others?
• What is the difference between repentance and confession, and are they mutually exclusive?
• What is the difference between prayer and supplication and what was the focus of Solomon’s supplication and prayer?

1 KING 8:50-53

And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. “May your eyes be open to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

Therefore, 1 Humble and Contrite Spirit Appeals To God foreshadowing our Advocate, Jesus the righteous one, when Solomon sought God and asked Him to forgive His people sin, and all the offenses they would commit against Him to restore their relationship according to His mercy, compassion and abundant love. “ If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse from all unrighteousness.

He also asked God to cause their captor to show them mercy “when a man please the Lord He makes his enemy be at peace with Him” because they are His people, His inheritance, whom He brought from the house of bondage in Egypt through His greatness and mighty hand. Solomon asked God to see with His eyes and hear with His ear to listen to the plea of His people. “The helpless call to him, and he answers; he saves them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:6)

Solomon reminded the Lord, He choose Israel from all the nation as His own inheritance and brought them out of captivity and set them free from oppression. Jesus said: The spirit of the Lord is upon me to set the captive free and give liberty to the oppressed. Solomon plea can also be likened to how God delivered the prodigal son from prodigal living when he turn toward God with a repentant heart, and confess his sin. God, according to His compassion and mercy heard, listened and accepted the prodigal as his son, and then restored his inheritance. 

Jesus said: I say to you likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than one ninety-nine just person who needs no repentance. (John 15:7)

Jesus said: All those the Father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.(John 6:37)

 In Christ, we are liberated from the entanglement of bondage, through His death-He release us from the fear of death, through His burial-He swallowed up death in victory and through His resurrection-He justify us to have eternal life. Brethren, let us therefore, stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Although, we are called to liberty, may sin not have dominion over us, rather may the fear of God cause us to have repentant hearts toward God, to confess our sins and obey His words to glorify Him in our lands, our cities and our temples/body for His namesake to the praise of our living Father’s glory.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. “And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

Draw near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

Pause & think

• Why does God forgive sin and does God forgive reoccurring sins?
• What does the bible says about forgiveness?
• How are the elements of prayer revealed in Solomon’s prayer?

1KING 8:54-60

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 ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May He turn our hearts to him; to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 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.

Solomon in a posture of worship, kneeling with his hands spread toward heaven, in total surrender to God, finished his prayer and petition for mercy to the Lord. He stood up and blessed the assembly of Israel saying:  Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people and keeps His promises. In praise, Solomon describes how the Lord fulfilled His promises –Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through His servant Moses- a similar promise God made to Joshua and David (2 Samuel 7:12-17) and it applies to believers this day .

For all the promises of God are Yes in Christ and through Him Amen and is spoken by us to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20) 

Solomon asked the Lord our God for His abiding presence, for obedient hearts toward God’s commands and decrees. He also asked the Lord to be attentive to his prayers day and night to uphold his cause and the cause of His people Israel as each day required because no one knows what a day brings except the Lord who made the day. Solomon declared God’s answer to his petition would be a testimony that proclaim the Lord is God, He is to be fear above all gods and none can be liken to Him to all the peoples of the earth.

Similarly, Solomon petition can be likened to how Jesus pray to our Holy Father and asked Him to uphold our cause by keeping us through His name, sanctifying us by truth, keeping us from the evil one so we may all be one just as He and our Father are one, and the world may know the God sent Jesus to save us not only from our sin but also to reconcile us to God through Faith in Jesus Christ. (John 17: 1-26)

Pause & thinks

What are the different postures of worship and how did Solomon worshiped God?

What is praise and why is praise significant to God and how why did Solomon praise God?

What is repentance, how often should you repent and why is it necessary?