After yesterday's prayer of dedication, God displays his
acceptance of all that has occurred and been said in a quite spectacular
style. If that happened in a church
where we worshipped, we too would kneel and face the ground, partly from
terror, partly from a feeling of how small we are compared to God. It is interesting to speculate whether an
account of what happened would have reached the ears of other neighbouring
tribes. There could be no mistaking who
was The God. And so after all the
ceremonies, Solomon sends the people home full of joy and gladness for all God
had done for the king and the people. Do
we leave church feeling like that?
Surely God would want us to, but maybe our own attitudes and
pre-occupations choke the joy and gladness.
And then in the privacy of the night, God tells Solomon that
he will indeed do as Solomon has asked for all the people. But God also makes the same message personal
to Solomon. If you follow me, I will
bless you; if you don't the people of Israel
(member of Christ Church