1 Kings 8:48-53 - If they turn back to you

8:48-51

When they do wholeheartedly turn back to the Lord, Solomon calls on God to hear their cries for mercy. This is based on the original promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Solomon asks God to  forgive all their sins, and also for their captors to show them mercy. This happened in the Babylonian captivity. Cyrus sent them back to Israel, and Artaxerxes showed mercy by allowing Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem to organise the rebuilding work. Solomon reminds God of how He brought the Israelites out of Egypt. God has a long term commitment to Israel. We need to realise that God has a long term commitment to us, His favour is not based on a whim.

8:52,53

God being open to the cry of His people is considered essential by Solomon. Indeed, a repeated characteristic of people being in right relationship with the Lord is that they cry out to Him and that He hears them. The basis for Solomon expecting this is that God “singled them out”. God chose and formed Israel. We too have been chosen by Christ (John 15:16). We should expect God to hear our prayers.

Mark 14:53-56 - Many testified falsely

14:53-55

This “court” was highly unusual, meeting late at night. All the Jewish religious leaders were involved. Peter had followed at a distance and had even gone into the courtyard. He was warming himself by the fire. The Council (the Sanhedrin) wanted to find an excuse to put Jesus to death. When fear and self-interest get a hold our thinking becomes very warped, and here the Council was totally blind to how wrong their actions were, effectively contemplating murder. We can always wonder how others can be so blind. Many of us are amazed at how pro-abortionists can be so blind to the fact that abortion involves killing a human being. But we must always be aware that we can be blind to our own sins. That is part of the reason we need the Holy Spirit, and that we need each other. For God will often use others to make us aware of areas of our lives that need to change.

14:56

In seeking to achieve their aims they could find many willing to bear false witness, but their testimonies did not add up. We should be aware of how evil works. There will be elements where evil seems to succeed, but because of the inherent contradictions in evil it will always ultimately fall.

Mark 12:34,35 - You are not far from the kingdom of God

12:34

Despite my thinking the man is a bit full of himself, Jesus thinks he has answered wisely, which of course he has, but then says “You are not far from the kingdom of God”. The man may well have many right insights and views, but this alone does not save him. We all need to beware of thinking that because we have the right doctrine or views, then that makes us right.

“And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions”. Luke does not have the greatest commandment encounter, and places this comment immediately after the confrontation with the Sadducees, which seems a more appropriate place for it in some ways. However, in Mark’s account it would have looked a bit silly there as the teacher of the Law then asks another question!

12:35

Having been asked a number of questions, Jesus now poses His own question, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that the Messiah is the son of David?”. Now the greatest commandment questioner was a teacher of the Law, and if he was trying to show how clever he was, Jesus is showing that the Teachers of the Law were not as clever as they thought they were. We should understand that Jesus did not object to the term “Son of David” per se, for He had used it Himself, rather their understanding was very limited. The Messiah was much more than the “Son of David”. 

1 Kings 8:41-47 - As for the foreigner

8:41-43

God’s promise to Abraham was that all peoples would be blessed through him (Gen 12:3). We see here Solomon looking forward to that promise being fulfilled. How would it happen? The nations would hear of the great name of the Lord and what He has done. Then they would come to pray towards God’s temple. When this happens, Solomon calls on God to hear their prayers. Solomon sees everything focused around the temple, in terms of the temple representing God’s presence.

8:44,45

This prayer does not involve Israel’s sin! It concerns God’s people going out to war against their enemies. “Wherever you send them”, then “when they pray to the Lord”, with the temple again being mentioned. So here the people are acting in obedience to the Lord, In those circumstances Solomon asks God to “uphold their cause”.

8:46,47

We are back to sin! “When they sins against you ...” Solomon knows that all people sin, and Israel is no different. The Old Testament is completely clear on the sinfulness of Israel, and the whole of the world. Solomon also knows that this will result in God’s judgement upon Israel. He then goes on to consider the possibility of the people realising that they have sinned, and turning back to the Lord.

Mark 12:29-33 -Hear, O Israel

12:29-31

Jesus responds by citing the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One” and then going on to say that we should love God with all that we have (Deut 6:4,5). Jesus then goes on to say “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18). In Matt 22:39 Jesus says “and the second is like it”. 1 John emphasises the point that if we say we love God but do not love our neighbour, then our supposed love for God is a sham. Loving God can become very theoretical, loving our neighbour roots it in reality.

12:32.33

“Well said teacher ...” seems a little like the teacher is giving Jesus high marks, as though he is the one judging Jesus. He congratulates Jesus on saying God is one, and is above all. He then adds the comment that loving God and loving our neighbour is more important than “all burnt offerings and sacrifices”, and there is Biblical warrant for this in the Old Testament.

1 Kings 8:35-40 - When the heavens are shut up

8:35,36

Next is the case where there is no rain “because your people have sinned against you”. Again, it looks forward to the time when they turn back to God and repent of their sins “because you have afflicted”. We need to face up to the fact that sometimes God does afflict people because of their sin. The result asked for here is God sending rain back to the land.

8:37-40

Next come plagues, or an enemy besieging the cities. It then becomes even more general, “whatever disease or disaster may come”. Yet again Solomon asks God to hear their plea when they turn back to God and His temple, asking for help. Solomon recognises that God alone knows the hearts of all men. The goal is that the people fear the Lord (which is equivalent to knowing the Lord) and will live in the “land you gave our ancestors”. All the requests look to seeing God’s purposes being fulfilled.

Mark 14:67-72 - You were with Jesus

14:67-7

Peter may have thought he was escsping scrutiny, but there was no escape. Another servant girl saw him and studied him closely, she recognized that he had been with Jesus and told him so. Again, Peter denied it \\yet again Peer tried to escape, and yet again failed.  The more accusations, the more vehemently \ Peter denied knowing Jesus. Then the cock crowed s second time and peter remembered \jedSus’ words . Peter realised what a failure he was, and broke down and cried bitterly.