“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake 42 (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.
1 Kings 8:41-43
God’s heart is that of a missionary. His plan from the beginning has been to redeem people from every nation, tribe, people, and language. (Revelation 7:9) It is not without significance that God’s missionary heart was revealed at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. Our quoted Scripture above is part of Solomon’s dedication prayer in which he addresses the foreigner, the non-Israelite or Gentile.
Solomon’s dedicatory prayer is made up of several requests for God to answer prayer when Israel, both corporately and as individuals, pray toward the temple. He asks that God’s name be honored because of answered prayer demonstrating his goodness and power. Solomon had great concern for God’s reputation and honor.
Israel, the descendants of Abraham, are God’s chosen people. It makes sense that Solomon would be concerned that they would be heard by God when they call on him when praying toward the newly constructed and now dedicated temple, the earthly dwelling place of the name of God. Solomon had better theology than to believe God’s presence was limited to that building.
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
1 Kings 8: 27-30
The mission of God is evident from the early pages of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 15, to be exact.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
Genesis 3:15
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.
This is the seminal promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus, who has now bruised Satan’s head while having only his heel bruised by death. Of course, Jesus overcame death through his resurrection and ascension and resolved the broken relationship between God and his creation. God has been on mission since at least Genesis 3:15.
It is only proper that the mission of God to the Gentiles should be spoken of at the dedication of the temple, the place of worship of Yahweh. The mission to the nations, tribes, peoples, and languages is all about worship. It is about reuniting human beings separated from God by sin so they can become part of the great body of Christ who worships him who is worthy.
As we watch God’s action throughout the pages of Scripture in all 66 books of the Bible, we see him on mission to reach his people. Have you ever wondered if you are really worth it, whatever it is? Understanding that God has always been that hound of heaven sniffing after his lost children should upgrade our sense of self-worth. We who have been created in the image and likeness of God are the object of God’s love and mission.
We are the object of God’s mission to redeem us. Worship is the object of God’s redemption of us so we can join in the eternal band of worshippers where we experience the greatest joy one can experience, intimacy with our creator God who is to be our lover God.
All of his redeemed children are called to join him in his mission as we become his ambassadors in Christ. We are privileged to enter into the great cosmic plan to complete the redemption of all things. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 clarifies two significant aspects of our identity in Christ. We are new creations, and we are ambassadors. If you are one, you are the other. You can’t be one without being the other.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 corinthians 5:17-21
The goal of Solomon’s prayer for the foreigner was that “all peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.” We can enter into the fulfillment of that prayer by walking in our identity as both new creations and ambassadors of Christ.
