I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Chronicles 5-7.

I commented yesterday how before this year it had never registered to me that the Tabernacle was not in Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant.  As a result, when I read how Solomon had the ‘special tent” brought into the Temple along with the Ark I thought it meant the Tabernacle.  Now I realize that this “special tent” was one which King David had had made when he brought the Ark to Jerusalem.  Another interesting detail mentioned here is that the only thing in the Ark when it was brought into the Temple were the stone tablets which Moses had placed in the Ark at Mount Sinai.  This is noteworthy for two reasons.  First, Moses had also placed a jar of manna and Aaron’s staff in the Ark.  The writer tells us that they were gone when the Ark was moved to the Temple.  Second, this means that someone looked into the Ark. The only previous account where someone looked into the Ark was 1 Samuel 6:19, where 70 men died because they looked into the Ark. 

Once the Ark had been moved into the Temple, Solomon dedicated the Temple to God.  Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple and God’s reply provide us with several lessons about prayer and whose prayer God will answer.  Actually there is more than even that. 

Solomon begins his prayer by acknowledging that God is unique among gods and that He cannot be contained in any temple, city, or geographical location.  He goes on to ask God to nevertheless treat the Temple and Jerusalem as special.  Further Solomon asks God to always respond to prayers prayed towards the Temple.  God responds to Solomon’s prayer by saying that the Temple is dear to His heart and He will always watch over it.  However, before He said that God replied that if His people (we will come back to who they are in a moment) will humble themselves, pray and seek His face, and turn from wickedness, He will hear, forgive, and restore.  Notice that while God places special significance on the Temple, praying towards it is not one of the conditions on Him hearing and answering our prayers.

Now I want to touch on who God’s people are.  Solomon asked God to hear and answer the prayers of those foreigners who hear of God and pray to Him.  In His reply to Solomon God tells Solomon, and us, that His people are those who are called by His name.  Not just the descendants of Jacob, or Isaac, or Abraham, but everyone who chooses to be called by His name.  That sounds simple and inclusive, and it is every bit as simple and inclusive as it sounds.  In fact it is as universal as Universalist and Unitarians often make it out to be.  But there is a catch, if God’s people do not obey His commands, or if they worship other gods (which right there is a failure to obey His commands), they will suffer, God will bring disasters upon them.