Blessed Assurance and Dedication

1 Kings 8:54-66
    54 And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
    62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
    65 At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.

Solomon blessed the people of God with the assurance of His promises after prayers of supplication.  He prayed on his knees with hands lifted toward heaven, a striking combination of modern positions of prayer that seem to signify humility low to the ground as if bowing in submission while raising hands of praise in assurance of mercy and good will to men.  We can learn much from this way Solomon prayed, as well as what he said before the assembly and before the LORD.  He praised God for rest in the promises, for the certainty of the promises in God’s word, for God being for them and not opposed, and made it clear that the blessings of assurance had an expectation of continued obedience as a result of His work in them to move their hearts and wills to align with His words (Philippians 2:12-13).  He knew the LORD gave the desire and ability to willing obedience of the heart, and prayed this as both praise to Him and exhortation to the assembly.  We would do well to do the same now in the assembly of the saints (Hebrews 10:24-25)!  Solomon further prayed that his words of this praise and supplication would continue to reverberate in their hearts and minds that they would follow God and bear witness to Him and His majesty in the fruit of their lives.  This the challenge to a loyal heart and following feet to walk out their worship in obedience.  May we also learn to hear with disciples’ ears and see with eyes kept open.  The sacrifices Solomon and the people made were extensive, as ours should be with ourselves as the sacrifices nailed to the selfsame cross (Romans 12:1, Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23) of denial to self and following feet driven by a glad heart of obedience and thankful love.  We should then do as the people here, feasting in celebration of God’s great goodness in blessed assurance, dedicating the temples of ourselves to Him, especially in remembrance of Christ in the Lord’s Supper in the assembly of the saints.  We are blessed, we have eternal assurance of deliverance, and our response can be none other than daily dedication of our lives to Christ.