1 Kings 8:33-34 also records this request.
Israel was the Lord’s chosen people because of the faith of Abraham. The Lord helped them grow and mature. The Lord made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. He was their God, and they were his people.
The covenant they agreed to was two-sided; each had their part to uphold. When they sinned, the Lord did not abandon them. He always dealt with them when they broke their end of the covenant.
The first thing the Lord would do when they sinned (the main one was always turning away from God to worship idols) was to remove his hand of protection and blessing. This would cause the Israelites to turn back to the Lord and confess his name (24). They would pray and make supplication (24). The temple Solomon had just dedicated was the place where they were to pray and make supplication.
When the Israelites repented in this manner, the Lord would hear them and forgive the sins of his people (25). When they were brought into captivity, he brought them back to the promised land (25).
Today I live in a new covenant made in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus. Yet the Lord is the same with me and all in the new covenant as he was with Israel and their covenant. He chose me, and I stand by faith (Mark 2:5; Luke 7:50). Jesus promised that he would never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).
If and when I sin, I have one who speaks to the Father in my defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 2:1). I can confess my sin. He is faithful and just and will forgive me my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9,10). I do not need to go to the temple, church, pastor, or priest, for since God’s Spirit dwells in me, I am a temple and a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).
