◄ 2 Chronicles 6:19 ►
Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.
Study Bible
Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant
This phrase highlights Solomon's humility and recognition of his role as a servant before God. In the context of 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon is dedicating the newly built temple, a significant event in Israel's history. The temple represents God's dwelling place among His people, and Solomon's request for God to regard his prayer underscores the importance of divine attention and favor. The term "servant" is significant, as it reflects a posture of submission and dependence on God, a theme prevalent throughout the Old Testament, seen in figures like Moses and David.

O LORD my God
The use of "LORD" (Yahweh) emphasizes the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. "My God" personalizes this relationship, indicating Solomon's personal faith and commitment. This phrase is a reminder of the unique identity of Israel's God, distinct from the pagan deities of surrounding nations. It also reflects the monotheistic belief central to Israel's faith, as seen in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4).

so that You may hear the cry and the prayer
Solomon's request for God to hear his cry and prayer indicates the earnestness and urgency of his petition. The dual mention of "cry" and "prayer" suggests both an emotional plea and a formal request, covering the spectrum of human communication with God. This reflects the biblical understanding that God is attentive to the prayers of His people, as seen in passages like Psalm 34:15 and 1 Peter 3:12.

that Your servant is praying before You
The phrase "before You" signifies the presence of God, which is a central theme in the temple's dedication. The temple serves as a physical representation of God's presence among His people. Solomon's acknowledgment of praying "before You" underscores the belief that God is not distant but accessible to those who seek Him. This concept is echoed in the New Testament, where believers are encouraged to approach God with confidence through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
The king of Israel who built the temple in Jerusalem and is offering this prayer during its dedication.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The God of Israel, to whom Solomon is directing his prayer.

3. The Temple in Jerusalem
The newly constructed house of worship where Solomon is dedicating his prayer.

4. Israel
The nation for whom Solomon is interceding, seeking God's attention and favor.

5. The Dedication of the Temple
A significant event where Solomon prays for God's presence and blessing upon the temple and the people.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Humble Petition
Solomon's prayer demonstrates humility and recognition of God's sovereignty. We should approach God with a humble heart, acknowledging our dependence on Him.

God's Attentiveness to Prayer
Solomon's request for God to "hear the cry and the prayer" assures us that God is attentive to the prayers of His people. We can be confident that our prayers are heard by a loving and responsive God.

Intercessory Prayer
Solomon prays not only for himself but for the entire nation of Israel. This teaches us the value of interceding for others, lifting up their needs before God.

The Role of the Temple
The temple was a place where God's presence dwelled among His people. Today, believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should live in a way that honors God's presence within us.

Consistency in Prayer
Solomon's dedication prayer is a model of consistent and earnest prayer. We should strive to maintain a regular and sincere prayer life, seeking God's guidance and blessing.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Solomon's approach to God in 2 Chronicles 6:19 reflect the attitude we should have in our own prayers?

2. In what ways can we incorporate intercessory prayer into our daily lives, following Solomon's example?

3. How does understanding that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit influence the way we live and pray?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure our prayers are consistent and heartfelt?

5. How can we be assured that God hears our prayers, and what scriptures can we turn to for encouragement in this truth?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 8
This chapter provides a parallel account of Solomon's prayer of dedication, offering additional insights into his requests and the significance of the temple.

Psalm 141:2
This verse speaks of prayer as incense before God, highlighting the importance of prayer as a pleasing offering to the Lord.

Philippians 4:6
Encourages believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, emphasizing the importance of prayer in the life of a believer.

Hebrews 4:16
Invites believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, reflecting the boldness Solomon exhibits in his prayer.
Sermons
The Dedication of the Temple: 3. the Consecration PrayerT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 6:12-21
God in the SanctuaryW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 6:18-21
People
David, Solomon
Places
Egypt, Holy Place, Jerusalem
Topics
Attention, Cry, Ear, Grace, Hast, Hearken, Hearkening, Heart, Listen, Makes, Mercy, O, Plea, Prayer, Prayeth, Praying, Prays, Presence, Regard, Respect, Servant, Servant's, Supplication, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 6:19

     6687   mercy, God's

2 Chronicles 6:18-19

     8610   prayer, asking God

Library
December the Eighth Judged by Our Aspirations
"Thou didst well, it was in thine heart." --2 CHRONICLES vi. 1-15. And this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize. It was a temple built in the substance of dreams, but never established in wood and stone. And God took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile. The sacred intention was regarded as a finished work. The will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built. And hence I discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire, even though it …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Eleventh Lesson. Believe that Ye have Received;'
Believe that ye have received;' Or, The Faith that Takes. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them.'--Mark xi. 24 WHAT a promise! so large, so Divine, that our little hearts cannot take it in, and in every possible way seek to limit it to what we think safe or probable; instead of allowing it, in its quickening power and energy, just as He gave it, to enter in, and to enlarge our hearts to the measure of what …
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl. …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there …
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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