seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Chronicles 6:32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has comefrom a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
34 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
36 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37 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 captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.
40 “Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
41 “Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.
Remember the great love promised to David your servant.”
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one.
Remember the great love promised to David your servant.”
Now I have to be honest, yet again. I've read through the Bible before.... and I went to church and Sunday School for decades but I never saw "pray to you toward this city" before. I heard other religions face a certain way.... but I never saw this before... Interesting.
This is from Enduringword.com.
Moreover, concerning a foreigner: The temple was in Israel but it was always intended to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). God wanted the court of the Gentiles to be a place where the nations could come and pray.
The violation of this principle made Jesus angry. When He came to the temple and found the outer courts – the only place where the Gentile nations could come and pray – more like a swap meet than a house of prayer, He drove out the moneychangers and the merchants (Matthew 21:13).
When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin): This is a succinct Old Testament statement of the principle most clearly stated in Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
“The sense that sin is all-pervading dominates, epitomized in one of the clearest biblical statements about sin’s universality (there is no-one who does not sin, v. 36). No greater indication of the need for a place of atonement and forgiveness could be given.” (Selman)
I used the easy English site yesterday.... so I'm going back today....Situation 5: A foreigner’s prayer
The temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:6-7). It was not only for the Israelites to worship their God. God’s power and his greatness would attract people from all parts of the world. They would come to the temple to pray to the God of heaven. God’s great name would attract them. They will hear what he has done. They will know about his power.
Solomon asks God to answer the prayers of these foreigners. They will know fear for God, who created the whole world. And they will know that this is his temple.
Situation 6: God orders Israel to go to war
There may be occasions when the LORD sends his people to war. In particular, this might happen because an enemy is attacking them. Then they will pray to the LORD to give them success. They will make their prayers toward Jerusalem and to the temple. Solomon asks the LORD to help them in the battle.
Situation 7: Exile because of sin by Israel’s people
Nobody is perfect. Nobody is without sin (Romans 3:23). And the LORD is always angry against sin. When Israel’s people turn from the LORD, he will allow their enemies to defeat them. And he will cause their enemies to take them from their country into exile (Leviticus 26:33).
As I recall, Daniel prayed toward the Temple. So.... this is why.... Solomon's prayer must have become an edict. Makes sense.