Second Chronicles 6:10

The Bible says in Second Chronicles 6:10-16, “The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.[11] And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel.[12] And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands:[13] For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,[14] And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:[15] Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.[16] Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.” Once again Solomon makes a very important statement in the first part of verse one. He says, “The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken…” God always performs His Word that He has spoken. That is why every prophecy about the future will be fulfilled. If you want to know what the future holds, read the Biblical prophesies about the future. If you want to have a lot of faith in God, read the promises. If you want to know truth, read the Bible. God’s Word is true. God keeps His Word.

Solomon was the leader of the nation of Israel. He prayed and the people saw him pray. They knew that the leader of their nation was seeking God and seeking God’s will. As Solomon prayed, notice what he said about God in verse fourteen. He said that God “keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts.” The covenant that Solomon lived under was the old covenant, the Old Testament. That covenant had two parts to it: God’s part and man’s part. God’s part was to bless Israel and take care of His people. The people’s part was to obey the commandments. Unfortunately, people are not very good at obeying commandments faithfully. We are all sinners. That is why we need “mercy.” Because of Jesus and His death on the cross, there is a great deal of mercy available to us. Thank God that He is merciful, or we would have no hope. Thank God that He is merciful, or we could not go to heaven. Thank God that He is merciful because that is how we avoid any judgment against ourselves. Once we have tasted of God’s mercy, then believers should follow Christ “with all their hearts.” He died for us, and so we owe Him everything. If we do not serve the Lord Jesus with all of our heart, then we have idolatry going on and that is a great sin.

The Bible says in Second Chronicles 6:17-21, “Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.[18] But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built![19] Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:[20] That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.[21] Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.” Solomon prayed in verse seventeen, “let thy word be verified.” That is a prayer that is always answered. That is a prayer that is answered before anyone prays it. God’s Word is verified evert day in every life, and it will continue to be so until the end of time. Love the Word, learn it, and think about it because it is God’s Word.

In verse eighteen Solomon asked a question: “But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?” God is everywhere. God’s greatest glory is in heaven, and those that are saved by faith in Christ will see it one day. But God does choose to dwell among men because God is the greatest of social creatures and He loves man. God loves close contact with His creation, that includes men and women and boys and girls. That is one reason that God had the temple built in Jerusalem. God wanted Jerusalem and the temple in Jerusalem to symbolize and to teach that God does dwell with man. In the New Testament times God has entered into the bodies of every believer. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God is in us once we believe in Jesus.

Once God is in us and with us, what kind of life does He want us to live? Solomon mentions prayer in verses nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one. The Lord wants us to live a life of prayer. In verse nineteen Solomon mentioned prayer twice and the word “supplication.” In verse twenty Solomon mentioned prayer again and the verb “to pray.” And then in verse twenty-one Solomon mentioned “supplications” again. And then in verse twenty-one Solomon asked that God would “forgive.” Asking for forgiveness should always be part of our prayers. Jesus said that we should pray, “Forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive others who trespass against us.” Thankfully, the Lord always forgives us when we ask Him to. He loves us and He is merciful.

The Bible says in Second Chronicles 6:22-23, “If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;[23] Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.” It is interesting that Solomon asks for God to intervene to take care of wicked people in the nation. Solomon is king and he can do whatever he wants, but Solomon asks God to punish the wicked and to reward the righteous. God works in people’s lives much better than we ever can. We need the Lord to move, and to act. After all, the Lord knows better than anyone what others need to happen in their lives.

The Bible says in Second Chronicles 6:24-30, “And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;[25] Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.[26] When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;[27] Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.[28] If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:[29] Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:[30] Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)” The spiritual principle that Solomon was praying about in these verses still applies in the age of the New Testament. God chastises His children, if and when they need chastisement. This truth is stated very clearly in Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:[12] For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” And it is also stated clearly in the New Testament in Hebrews 12:5-6, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:[6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” God loves His children, and He wants to see us improve and become better at being followers of Christ. He also wants us to stay in fellowship with Him and to keep following our Savior. If a Christian starts going the wrong way by doing something that is not God’s will, the Lord has His ways of getting our attention. It is called chastisement. He can make things very unpleasant for us to wake us up and to remind us that we need to be following Jesus. Also, the Lord gives us the opportunity to evaluate our own lives, confess our sins when necessary, and thus avoid chastisement. It says in First Corinthians 11:30-32, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.[31] For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.[32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” Confess your sins quickly, and thereby stay in fellowship with the Lord, and He will have no need to chastise you.

Notice what Solomon says to God at the end of verse thirty, “for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men.” That is a very important statement. That is one reason why we should not judge others, and especially not their motives. We do not know why anyone does something. Only God knows. And only God knows what consequences a person needs for their actions. Also, only God can touch someone’s heart. Remember that when you speak to someone about spiritual things. Only God knows the heart, and only God can touch the heart. That is also why we need to rely upon the Word of God both in preaching and in witnessing. God uses the Word as the power to touch the heart. It says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word “quick” means “alive.” The living Word of God is powerful and it touches the heart. That is why we need it, and that is why others need it. That is why Paul told Timothy, “Preach the Word.” Do not preach your own ideas. Do not preach your theology. Do not have too many illustrations. Preach the Word.

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