Integrity of Heart

1 Kings 9:4
"As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,

Yes, what if? The royal throne would be established forever. That was God's promise to David, but there were conditions.
It's actually quite unique and wonderful, this promise. Because it came true in the person of Jesus, descended from David, and at this point, at least half a millennium away in terms of His coming as a man.
But as far as Solomon and Israel, the ending wasn't so happy. Solomon's integrity of heart came to have some holes in it as time went along. The false gods of his wives proved powerful enough to tilt his uprightness askew
In verse 7 I got an answer to my questions about the permanence of the temple and God's presence there. If Solomon or any of his descendants ceased to worship God, Israel would be taken from its land, and God would reject the temple.
Of course I knew God wouldn't be bound to a place--unless He wanted to be. He set reasonable conditions for His continued presence.
Integrity of heart is the beginning.

God's Heart

1 Kings 9:3
The LORD said to him: "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Though this follows immediately after the prayers and speeches of chapter 8, there may be a gap of time. The chapter opens by saying Solomon had achieved all he desired to do. Imagine that. Chapter 9 goes on to list other miscellaneous activities of Solomon, as if the temple was the high point for him, the one achievement for which he was born.
God appeared to him once more, "as he had appeared to him at Gibeon." Does that mean in another dream?
God acknowledged Solomon's plea that the temple be always before Him, and answers that He has consecrated it with His name. Forever.
That whole idea is mind-boggling, like so many in this episode. What does it mean that He put His name there? God's name is His character, His Self. And how is it there forever? The temple isn't even there. Does it have anything to do with the Wall that remains? Or is it totally nonmaterial somehow?
God's eyes are always there, always seeing what goes on. God's heart is always there, the core of God, God's innermost self and thoughts.
So heavy. What can it mean?

Joyful Hearts

1 Kings 8:66
On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

After Solomon finished speaking, sacrifices were offered, over one hundred thousand animals. The number is mind-boggling. And what would it have been like to witness? The blood, the sounds, the smoke...
From what I know, little as it is, I think it's possible that a significant portion of the meat was eaten. Considering the crowd that was there, the herds of cattle, sheep and goats probably didn't seem excessive. The blood was offered, the fat burned, the meat boiled and shared.
After seven days and seven nights of this celebration, everyone went home. The mood was joyful. They were so happy, they blessed the king. What a wonderful moment in history. Nothing but good to say! Grateful, not griping. Hearts were glad and full of joy. They had experienced God, and for a point in time, they saw the river of history flowing straight from Him, over David and the whole nation.
God, give me that vision daily, of all you've done for me, my nation, and our national leaders. Help me remember to bless them everyday, from a glad and joyful heart.

Fully Committed Hearts

1 Kings 8:61
But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."

Solomon goes on to ask that his prayer be near God, that God would uphold Israel daily--here's the important part--'so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.'
That was the plan from the beginning of Israel. If the whole world was a town, Israel was the priest.
But just as the preacher can't live any way he pleases and still show God to his community, there were conditions for Israel. Here's one. 'Hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God.' Live and obey with all the enthusiasm they felt at that moment, standing before the newly built temple, full of the vision of God's glory.
Hard to do. But worth trying for.

Turn My Heart

1 Kings 8:58
May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers.

Solomon finished talking to God and rose from his knees. At the beginning, he was standing; he must have knelt sometime during the prayer. Once more, he blessed the Israelites.
The blessing begins with praise for God. "Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses." As he continues, he asks God to be with them and to turn their hearts to Him.
I would also ask for God to turn my secret thoughts to Him, my conscience, my soul, my personality, my center. Turn my heart to walk in all His ways, to keep His commands.

Praying Heart

1 Kings 8:48
and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name;

This follows yesterday's changed hearts. Chapter 8 may well have more hearts than any other single chapter; there are 3 more after this one, and 2 more in the beginning of chapter 9.
After the change of heart, the people should turn to God with all their heart and pray. This verse describes an aspect of the prayer that has come up before, though I don't think I've commented on it.
This verse and others speak of praying toward the temple, maybe because it was the dedication of it. First the verses speak of praying in the temple, then praying toward the temple or toward 'this place.' Verse 44 mentions the chosen city and the temple. Finally, this verse speaks of the land, the city, and the temple.
There is something Islamic about this, a hint of praying toward Mecca. It's not something I've noticed anywhere else in the Bible. Maybe Solomon was carried away with the grandeur of his temple and wanted to believe God's glory would always be there, as Peter imagined for a crazy minute that the glorified Jesus could stay in a tent atop the mountain.
Of course, the sad thing is that Solomon's temple was destroyed. I'm reading that part in my daily Bible. Solomon could imagine his people in exile, but he didn't imagine his temple looted and burned. Another temple after that was destroyed as well. There is no temple now.
But there is Israel. And Jerusalem. And God who hears from heaven when we turn with all our heart.

Changed Heart

1 Kings 8:47
and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly';

Yet another heart in Solomon's prayer.
He continues down the list, naming situations in which people might pray toward the temple. This setting is when Israel sins--and he acknowledges that all have sinned--and they are punished by exile.
The next thing that should happen is a change of heart. Torn from their homes and ordinary lives, they are vulnerable to conviction. The innermost thoughts turn from lust and pride to repentance.
Next, they plead with the God they forgot back when they had it good. I like the comprehensive confession: 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'.
God, change my heart as often as I need it. God, help me to lose my pride sufficiently to plead with you. God, inspire me to confession continually.

Known Heart

1 Kings 8:39
then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men),

I gave away part of this yesterday, but I didn't want to put both verses together, since the hearts are rather different in meaning. Yesterday's verse is from man's point of view, though it is all part of Solomon's prayer. He mentions the prayerful person, all too aware of the things he is suffering.
He goes on to ask God to forgive and act. Yet he is not talking about Israel as a nation, but about each person who comes before God. The heart is that of one human being, not a national heart.
God knows the heart. In fact, only God knows every heart.
That is a fact most interesting to contemplate. I have a bad habit of thinking I know more than I do. So many things only God knows, like the heart of every person I know, and every person I don't.
Like my heart.

Afflicted Heart

1 Kings 8:38
and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple-

Afflictions can mean, simply, something that makes you suffer.
The paragraph containing this verse--continuing Solomon's prayer--begins with a list of problems. Disasters and diseases. From agricultural pests to siege warfare. In the case of any of these, the Israelis were to pray, placing themselves spiritually if not physically in the temple. Holding in each heart a microcosm of the bigger disaster, they were to hold out empty hands to Yahweh.
This section of Solomon's prayer has a refrain: Hear from heaven. He's already admitted that God is too big to live in the beautiful temple. But He can hear from where He is.
Forgive, Solomon asks. Act. Verse 39 says both: Forgive and act.
God, I'm asking you the same. Hear from heaven, where you live. Forgive. Forgive and act. Act today for the Jews of Gaza, and all your people everywhere.

Covenant Heart

1 Kings 8:23
and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

The first part of Solomon's speech was made to the people--he blessed them.
Then he turned to the altar and raised his hands, speaking to Yahweh. Or is it Adonai? I think LORD is Adonai.
First, the praise: There is no God like you in heaven or earth. Unique God! Most high King! Then he speaks of what God has done: kept His convenant of love with those who continue wholeheartedly in His way.
The mention of the covenant is interesting, because he spoke of it two verses earlier, closing his speech to the people. What great continuity! He refers to the Ten Commandments in the ark as God's covenant.
So there it is. Follow the Big Ten, not superficially, but with all you've got. That's our part. With that, the Most High King will then do His part. And what a glorious part it is.

David's Heart

1 Kings 8:17
"My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart.

A few chapters on, Solomon is well into his extravaganza of building. He built palaces for himself and his wives, but from his father he inherited the privilege of building a palace for God.
The temple is built now, and the ark has been brought up. Countless sheep and cattle were sacrificed. The ark is placed in its new Most Holy Place, beneath the impressive gold cherubim. By this time it has only the tablets with the ten commandments in it.
As the priests leave the ark, the Glory of God comes to fill the place. When the Glory comes, human beings have to abandon their activities. Nothing else matters, when the Glory comes.
Solomon made his speech after that. He pointed out that God had never chosen a city, but He chose David. Because David was chosen, the plans of his heart were blessed. The temple Solomon built fulfilled David's dream. The Temple that lived in David's innermost thoughts, deep in his true self, was made real in stone, wood, bronze, and gold, because God allowed it.
God, please put the right dreams in my heart, and make them real, if not in my day, then in my children's.

Wise and Discerning Heart

1 Kings 3:12
I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

God came to Solomon in a dream. This is emphasized at the beginning of the episode, and again at the end. Why a dream? Because it was a dream did not mean it wasn't real. And how did God look in the dream? Or was it mainly his voice? It was a very verbal dream, with specific words quoted. There are a fair number of dreams in the Bible, and most were very visual. I suppose a dream wouldn't be mentioned in the Bible if it didn't communicate something very real.
With this verse, it's back to God. He liked Solomon's answer, and He promised to give him a wise and discerning heart, plus everything else that a lesser human would have asked for. And He did. Unlike the God-seeking warrior-shepherd-king his father was, Solomon was an opulent, bigger-than-life, dazzling figure of a king, with too much of everything.
Yet he had this wise and discerning heart, that God promised would never be equaled. I read somewhere, I wish I could remember exactly how it was put, that much scientific knowledge must have originated with Solomon, because God gave it to him.
God, I know you didn't offer it to me, but could you please give me a discerning heart, to know right from wrong?

Discerning Heart

1 Kings 3:9
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

This is Solomon's answer. He asked God for a heart, specifically a discerning heart.
I suppose this would be heart meaning one's secret thoughts, innermost soul, conscience. How excellent that Solomon asked for a heart-gift. His first reason is so he can govern God's people--he has not lost sight of the origin and ownership of Israel. His second reason is to distinguish between right and wrong.
That is why I would ask for the same thing.
Governing was heavy on Solomon's mind, though, because he brought it up a second time. 'Who is able to govern this great people--OF YOURS?'
Only with the help of God, only with the gift of a discerning heart.
God liked that request. But that will come up tomorrow.