We're turning back this evening to that first Bible reading in 1 Kings 8. 1 Kings 8, and we'll be looking at some of the verses in that chapter. So, what is happening here, as we read, is concerning the construction and really the inauguration, the opening of the Temple of Solomon, the best-known temple. There were three temples. built over the ages, Solomon's Temple, and then the temple reconstructed after the Babylonian captivity, and then finally Herod's Temple, which was the one standing in the time of our Lord. So the time had now come for this construction. David, Solomon's father, had a great desire to have built that temple. He wanted to do so for the honor of the Lord, his God. But it wasn't given him to do so. But he had begun to make the plans and the planning because this was an enormous project. But the time wasn't right then. The land had not been subdued. There were still enemies about. But at the end of King David's reign, most of those Canaanite enemies had been subdued and peace had come at last. And into such a time Solomon was born and appointed king in his place. And it was a fit time now, where it was not a time of battle and warfare, but a time of building. And so the temple was begun. The land began to prosper and flourish, and they had the means to finance the materials needed for that. The place of worship, as you will recall, had been the tabernacle, that movable tent which had to be Erected and taken down each time the children of Israel moved through the wilderness. And then when they arrived in the promised land, there was not yet a temple. So there was worship at Shiloh, but apparently in other places also. And so they didn't have a central place for the worship of God. But now the long promised time had come. We're told earlier on in this chapter that the construction began in Solomon's fourth year. And this was 480 years, we're told in the Bible, after the Exodus. And some dates put that at about 957 BC. There's some debate, as often there is with these dates, but thereabouts. And it took seven years to build. And if you read the data, there were thousands and thousands of artisans and laborers and workers They had to assemble, bring all the materials, the stone had to be cut, the timbers, cedars, and other lumber brought for the construction. The king of Tyre, Hyrum, was the great building project manager, if you will. Solomon asked him and he agreed to provide so much of the material and the labor. There was a kind of conscription actually also in the land of Israel whereby thousands each month had to give their time and energies and labors to the building of the temple and no expense was spared. It was in the end a glorious, dazzling, if you will, building. Panels of cedar everywhere and intricate carvings and gold covered so many things. It was completely impressive. But this wasn't a show of wealth and success. This was to reflect, to indicate as far as humanly possible. And of course, we can never do adequate justice to the glory of God. The temple was to be the place of worship. And then we come to now the verses that we've been considering, the dedication. the assembling of the people, the opening of the temple in verse 14 of 1 Kings 8, and the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood. So this is the occasion that we're looking at. But before we proceed further, what was the temple for? It might seem a fairly straightforward answer, and in many ways it is. Well, it was to be the house of the Lord. it was to be a representation of where God is, not literally. People perhaps misunderstand that, and even today there is a sense where people go into grand cathedrals and religious edifices, and they think somehow that God is there especially. Well, it might be conducive to quiet contemplation and reflection, that is true, but the building itself can only signify the person and character of God. It was to be the focus of worship then, and sacrifice. That's very, very important. Sacrifice. And the amount of sacrifice, the number of animals was extraordinary on this occasion. And afterward, for many days, they continued to sacrifice thousands and thousands of animals. to inaugurate the temple, but to show its purpose, the shedding of blood, to signify that one day there would come one who would shed his own blood. All these sacrifices achieved nothing, actually. They were a reminder to the people that there had to be a price paid. There had to be punishment and bloodshed. And there was a priesthood The people couldn't just attend there and offer their sacrifice. There had to be mediation, a priesthood, go-betweens, representing the great priesthood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And they would find forgiveness. They would humble themselves. In the temple, as you know, there was the Holy of Holies. There was that chamber. There was that room. which was not to be entered at all except once a year and that by the high priest after he had himself offered sacrifices, we're told in the scriptures. And that represents very clearly that God is holy and no man or woman can enter into his presence without the shedding of blood. There is that holy of holies in a sense that the temple was for the people, contained within its walls was an exclusion that though they offered those sacrifices and the priests mediated and they worshipped there and so on, nevertheless, they were reminded that they could not just enter into God's presence. And within that room was the Ark of the Covenant, and within it was the two tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments. So they were a representation, a statement of the laws and rules of God. of what was expected of man. They were God's standards of holiness. And so we're reminded there that that's what he required from us. Still requires, nothing's changed, but we're unable to keep the dictates of those commandments. But there they were in that most important place, silently, if you will, telling us that there are standards that man cannot keep. But these things were only representations, as we said. This was a grand building, most marvellous, perhaps possibly unique in the world at that time. But despite that, Despite all the labors and the careful following of the law, the plans, the architectural plans, the instructions were given in the Bible to Moses, and they had to be followed to the T. There was no option for embellishments or for personal style or choice. This must be done God's way. And that really, incidentally, is a lesson to us. We're not free to worship God as we wish, as we choose. Not really my subject tonight, but just looking at the temple would be a lesson enough for churches that make up things and innovate and add to or subtract from or diminish the holiness of God. The temple really teaches us all those things. But despite its grandeur, Solomon was aware it was only a representation. It was only a visual aid. Grand though it was, impressive though it was, and he says so in verse 27. of 1 Kings 8. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house that I have built it. And that's most wonderful. Solomon was, of course, given that wonderful wisdom, unique, perhaps the wisest man, certainly the wisest man after Christ, who ever lived And he understood that God wasn't contained in a building. God is much bigger than that. He's not a regional God. That's one of the indications of religions that are not real. They're regional. They're for a particular people only. Particular language group. Particular nationality. But the true God has ever and always has been the God of the whole earth. And he cannot be contained. He is infinite. And you can see even perhaps a degree of humility here. How much less this house that I have built. There's humility there. There wasn't a basking in the glory. Look at this wonderful building. Haven't we done well? Haven't everything come together most marvelously? No. It wasn't enough. This house, even this wonderful place, really cannot contain God. But then he begins to outline some of the scenarios. Imagine him there. Actually, he's in an attitude of prayer. So what follows is a prayer to God. And he has his hands outspread. He is praying audibly to all the people gathered there. And we read in verse 54, and it was so that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread to heaven. So the verses that I'm going to look at now were from his knees, humility, hands open, looking to God. And there's a lesson there already before we even proceed. That's how we approach God—humble. We're not standing proudly. We have nothing to offer, nothing to give, though we may be ever so privileged to know God's nearness and presence. But then, as I said, he begins to outline some of the scenarios whereby we come to God come to the temple. What is it all about? What is it for? Why may we come? And so we can begin there in verse 31, for example, or rather I'll start in verse 30. Hearken now unto the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest, forgive. In other words, he's saying to the Lord in prayer, when the people of Israel come with their particular needs to the temple, which is only a representation, as I said, of the presence and help of God, then hear them. And then he gives us some scenarios. There's 31, if someone trespass against a neighbor and they've made an oath or a covenant and they break that, and they need to repent. And verse 32, hear thou in heaven and do judge thy servant condemning the wicked and so on. Verse 33, when thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy because they have sinned against thee and turn against thee and so on. Verse 34, again, this familiar refrain, hear thou in heaven and bring them again unto the land which thou gave us then. Then there's another. I won't spend time on these, but I'm just showing you what Solomon is doing. As he inaugurates, as they open that temple, he's saying to the Lord and before the people, Lord, when they come to you, when they come to the temple, hear them in these various situations, and they're not exhaustive. Here's another one in verse 35. When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against thee, then hear their prayers. And there's the principle there that God will judge his people. The rain will be withheld. It's a punishment. It's a judgment. It's a reminder that all things are at God's hands, and we can't take them for granted. And if we offend against him, then there will be consequences. And then we can go down in verse 37, which is a kind of summary verse. He lists a number of scenarios. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar, if their enemy besieged them in the land of their cities, whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be, and then what prayer and supplications whoever be made by any man. And so you can see that Solomon is imploring and pleading and petitioning God, as he has promised he will do, but to remind the people that this temple represents the place where they can find forgiveness, restoration for their sins, help and healing. But there's a change really in verse 38, although Further on it resumes, but these prayers have been for the people generally, for the nation Israel, for the people in their various perhaps civic situations when there are conflicts. But they're for the people, that the rain would have been withheld from all of the people. The punishment would have been for all the people when they have sinned against them. And now it comes to specifics. And now we come to this in verse 38, and it's the plague. We've heard about plague here, whatsoever plague, but then we hear about a different type of plague. And if you like, this would be the verse, my verse tonight, verse 38. This plague is of the heart. You see, God moves from the general, and this is how the word of God deals with us. Mankind in general has sin, the people of the nation have sinned, we all together have sinned, but really there's no individual or personal accountability. We're just somebody in the crowd. We're just somebody that perhaps, it wasn't me, it was the leaders, it was our elders, I wasn't involved, I'm not responsible, or I was responsible, but maybe I won't be noticed in the crowd. We all did it. But then it becomes specific, verse 38. What prayer and supplication shall ever be made by any man, so we come to the specifics, by any man, or the people in general, individually that is, which shall know every man, you see the personal approach, the plague of his own heart. So now Solomon is inspired to pray for the plague of the individual personal heart. Now it's you. Now it's me. And we can't escape that. It's all of us, and it says so in the passage. It says so in the text. And so Solomon is saying, as well as for those national needs, this temple represents grace, forgiveness, help for the individual personal sinner. And that's the primary purpose, really, of all of these things. And it speaks about the plague of his own heart. And I'll come back to that. And spreads forth his hands towards this house. You see now, it's not just Solomon. He was already doing that. But he's saying, the individual that does that. And of course, it's not the gesture. It's not an affectation. That is a statement of the soul. Lord, what can I do? Help me, my hands are empty. These hands have sinned. I have wronged thee, but I open my heart to you. And forgive me, the plague of his own heart. And there's that prayer, here thou in heaven, thy dwelling place, and forgive and do, and give to every man according to his ways. And I'll come back to that, the verses that follow, the words that follow. there but the plague of his own heart every man has sinned it says here all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that's all of us and look at this it's not just a New Testament teaching and of course it's elsewhere in the Old Testament look at this in verse 46 if they sin against thee For there is no man that sinneth not. You see, through the Bible, from cover to cover, not one of us has not sinned, has not offended against God in any age. But here are the remedy, here is the cure, here is the provision. What a project! But it was all to send a statement out that these things, terrible though they are, can be forgiven. The plague of the heart Sin, of course, is the plague. He's not talking about an infection, a medical condition, a health crisis, heart disease. Not the physical heart. He's talking about the plague of the person. A plague. It's not a mild irritation, a treatable condition. It's a plague which is treacherous and feared. and decimates populations. We know that the plague of the heart, well, it's dreaded and it robs the victim. You can think of the bubonic plague, that's the most obvious one, in the 1300s through Europe, 1600s, Europe, Britain, the hundreds and the thousands that were carried away in carts, households, Villages, large communities, taken away because the plague spread. And it came in through that smallest of animals, not the rat. The rat carried the fleas and it was on the fleas, almost unseen, unnoticed, bitten. But that bacteria then transmitted into the bloodstream and its evil work flourished and grew. That's what sin does to us. may be numerous bites, if you will, of those fleas of sin, but they carry the plague. And once we've sinned and our consciences are broken, and our lusts are inflamed, and our thinking is perverted, and our desires are corrupted, and selfishness consumed, and unbelief, these are symptoms of the plague of the heart. And we're told that the mortality rate of that plague, bubonic plague, there were other similar plagues actually, but the bubonic plague was something like 70%. Seven out of 10 people would die. But actually with the plague of sin, it's 100%. There's no one that will recover. We have no natural defenses. and left to itself, untreated, the plague of the heart will carry you away to a lost eternity. It will destroy your life. In fact, if you're not the Lord's, it's at work now. Maybe you're not aware of the symptoms so much. But perhaps by God's grace, you might become aware of some of them, that unease. Maybe you're a perfectly fit and healthy person. You're careful about what you eat. You exercise. But it's too late. There's something within. There's an antagonism to God. There's unbelief. And it results in unhappiness and confusion. and uncertainty, and lack of purpose, self-denial, and numbness probably, so that we don't think about these things, we don't consider them, and we think that's fine, that's how I deal with those questions, those religious questions, heaven and hell, life and death, well I just don't think about them. They're actually, I despise them, they're for weak-minded people, but actually That's one of the symptoms, that sin doing that for you. It's barricading you in, it's blocking your view of truth. So this is the dreaded plague, robbing us of joy. That's what sin does, ultimately, for all the claims and boasts, because the world does, and we did. When we proclaim such a message, we never stand there saying, well, I never did that. We were all the same, all of us. but we might claim that we're having the time of our lives, but the more we continue away from God, our joy, our real peace, our real happiness, not a pretend fake presentation, I'm doing well, everything's going great for me, but inwardly, the soul, the heart is perishing, weakening, disfiguring, it's unattractive. Plague, of course, became quite evident. There were symptoms in the coloration and the pallor of the victims, of the individuals. And there were perhaps rashes and other blemishes that broke out. And there was weakness. Those are all symptoms, too, of the plague. And it's infectious. Isn't sin infectious? Doesn't our bad example infect others? How many have deeply regretted introducing a friend or perhaps a loved one into some sinful practice? And it was the beginning of the end. Their lives were ruined. Perhaps it was drink or drugs or some immoral situation. And it seemed fun at the time to introduce them. But you infected them. And maybe you escaped. Maybe you didn't bear the consequences so much. But they have become lost. How often has that happened? That someone was introduced by a friend to something. So it's very, very infectious. The meaning in the Hebrew comes from the word stricken and afflicted, and that's what it is. But our message is a positive one. It is about the cure. And that's what the temple represents. It's about the remedy. It's about the deliverance, the escape from this deadly disease. And we've read that the wages of sin is death. In 1897, I read in British India, a vaccine was developed against the plague. It seems rather late in history. I suppose there hadn't been any tremendous outbreaks, but the plague was still around. In fact, I believe it still is, but it's far less prevalent. You hardly ever hear about it. And so a vaccine was finally developed, and it could be treated, and people could recover from these things. But we're not immune from these things. From time to time, there are reminders. The COVID epidemic reminds us that even though we live in an age of good health care and medicine and hygiene and good understanding of how to look after ourselves. We're not completely immune from these things. A vaccine was developed, but there's no vaccine for sin. There's no quick fix. There's no remedial course that you can go on, 12-step program, anything of that kind, philosophy, renewal of thinking of the mind, meditation, counseling. They might treat some of the symptoms. There's no vaccine. There's no cure. except here. Here is the remedy. God himself. Only God. The triune God. It's that serious, friends. You're dying from it. You're going to perish. There's no intervention. And that's not being overdramatic. That's simply the message of the Bible. We're reading about it tonight. It's right here. So we can't overdramatize it. It's just a reality. But the reality is, too, that God has provided the remedy. When he gave the design of the temple, it was a teaching aid. Salvation doesn't depend on the construction of the temple. Of course not. People were saved before that. But it embodied, it put into reality, it put into a physical building all the teaching from the scripture about how to approach God and how to find forgiveness. We need to spread forth our hands towards this house. Well, the temple has gone, that temple. That was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in the time of Jeremiah, broken down. Another temple was erected, as I told you, by the returnees. Another again by Herod. That was destroyed in AD 70. There are no more temples physically, no more buildings, but everything that the temples represented is still here, unchanged, the same. As Solomon himself said, God doesn't dwell in a temple. And so the principles are what we need to look at here and understand that we need to pray towards heaven. Let's look then at that prayer for the plague, for the forgiveness of our sins, verse 39. then hear thou on heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, that's all we can ask, and do, intervene, act, and give to every man, you see the individual, emphasis, according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest. You see, this is probing now beyond the surface. This has nothing to do so much with national affairs, but their misdeeds and sins would have arisen from their personal and individual plague of their hearts. Whose heart thou knowest, and then look at this, for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men. Isn't that wonderful? God knows your secrets. God knows your inner depths and your deepest sins. He knows them better than we know them. There are so many sins we're not even aware of. We've got so used to them, we're so comfortable in that mode. We're comfortable in living as if there is no God, no day of judgment. But He knows. And if He knows, then He knows the cure and He knows the remedy. Individually, he knows our needs. How can God forgive? That's taught here, isn't it, in the temple? Where is the justice? If we've done wrong, how can God forgive? If a man has sinned, there must be punishment. If a man has committed a serious crime, it has to be punished, even if he's forgiven by the victims, by the family. There's a serious offense. If it's an assault, if it's a murder, That has to be paid for, even if the person is repentant and remorseful and asks for mercy and pleads for forgiveness. And even if the offended party gives it, it doesn't remove the offense. They're still liable. to serve a sentence that won't get them off the hook. They won't be let free. They must serve their time. So the temple, as we've already indicated, was where sacrifices were conducted, thousands upon thousands, even on this occasion. And subsequently, and previously also, through the wilderness, all those animals brought, often bloodshed. What for? Wasn't it a waste? No, it was a constant visual reminder. It was dramatic. There was the death of the animal. That was perhaps painful to see and upsetting. But we needed to know that that prefigured something. There had to be the payment for sins. But these were only types. It was only a picture. It was a visual aid. So no matter how many animals were slain, none of them forgave any sins. I'm sure we know that. They didn't forgive any sins. Mind you, if the person in their heart really believed and really repented, then God would have forgiven them, but not on the basis of the animals slain, not on the basis of that bloodshed, but on the basis of another's blood, Christ, of course. And that's plainly taught throughout the Bible, but clearly in the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 10, verse four. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. What a statement. Solomon, whatever were you doing? Bringing all those animals, slaying them, bulls, goats, other animals. If it didn't achieve anything. No, it was an ever constant reminder. But we don't have that anymore. The temple is gone now. Why? Because there's no need of any more sacrifices. We don't need a picture, a visual aid. We have the reality. It goes on to say in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 11, but Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever. And as you come to him, if you desire the cure of the plague of your heart, You come with those arms outstretched, on knees, maybe not literally, but that's the attitude of your soul. And you ask God to forgive you, and to heal you, and to restore you. And you know how he can do that. Because he's paid the price for your sins. Because Christ's blood has been shed. He offered one sacrifice forever. Forevermore. Your sins do not appear before God. forever. There's no memory of them. And so we understand these things. Solomon tells us in his wisdom to look to the temple, but it's gone. To look to what the temple represented. And if you're not the Lord's, you look to that temple, that holy place. You can't go into the holy of holies. There must be an intermediary, a mediator. The Bible says there is one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. He's the high priest. He's the way we can get from our sinful position to union with God. And we're to do that with all our heart and with all our soul. Solomon gives instruction here in many places on how to pray. Verse 48, and so return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul. In sincerity. in genuineness, then we shall be restored, cured, delivered, our health back, vitality flowing through us. I'm afraid you might not have your physical vitality. The Bible doesn't promise that. It doesn't promise health, but it promises something much better, spiritual vitality, life in the soul, union with God. Those symptoms gone, you're cured. There's a lightness in the feet. I think of that man who was cured at the temple also, Peter, John, I believe it was, and he leapt. Physically he leapt, but spiritually we would leap with joy in our hearts. So we give thanks and praise. So hear the wisdom of Solomon, but rather hear that wisdom of that greater Solomon, who is Christ, and bring all your need to him. He will cure you of that plague of the heart. Well, let's pray together. Our Father, we ask Thy help for these matters. We see, we read in the scriptures, that through the ages, men and women have come with their arms, as it were, spread out, asking for forgiveness. And Thou has granted it again and again in millions upon millions of cases. We pray, Lord, that if we are not yet Thine, that we would know that cure and forgiveness. Hear our prayers. We ask them in Jesus' name. Amen.