The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 154

&o.) The flame of God is the expression to 2 Chron. vi. 18). The latter po.ssnge inform■ man of His nature, attributes, &c.] us that he both stood and knelt upon a Ver. 20.-And the Lord hath performed " brazen scaffold," three cubits high] be- [Sa.me word as in eh. ii. 4. Lit., "hath fore the altar of the Lord [i.e., the bra.zen raised np " (LXX. ,;,,fon,,n). Also same word altar of saorifiee. The platform or soaffold as "risen up" (LXX. av,o-r,1v) below, and was " set in the midst of the court" (2 a.s "set up" in 2 Sam. vii. 12. We might Chron. l.c.) All these rites took place in translate "established" throughout] his the open air. The king had no place with- word that he spa.ke, and I am risen up 1n in the edifioe] 1n the presence [the word is the room of David my father, a.nd sit on not to be pressed to mean "facing the the throne of Israel [eh. i. 48], as the Lord people." It is hardly likely he would pray promised [2 Sam. tii. 12], a.nd have buUt towards the people - he was their '11'po- a.n house for the name of the Lord God of t/>tJT7J~, i.e., he spoke for them to God-or Israel [ib. ver. 13]. turn his back on the sacred Presence just Ver. 21.-.And I have set there a place manifested], and spread forth his hands for the ark, wherein 1s the covenant of the towards heaven: [one attitude of earnest Lord [Hence its name, " the ark of the prayer thoughout the East, as may be ~ covenant " (Exod. xxxiv. 28; cf. Dent. ix. at the present day amongst the Mohnmme- 11)] which he made with our forefathers dans. (See Lane's "Modem Egyptians," when he brought them out of the land of eh. iii., "Religion and Laws.") So com- F.gypt [vers. 9, 16]. pletely we.a this posture identified with sup- plication that to " lift up the hands" came SECTION Il.-Tlze Prayer. to be a synonym for prayer (Exod. ix. The prayer of dedication, properly so 29, 33; Pea. xliv. 20; cxliii. 6; Isa. i. 16; oe.Iled, now begins. This solemn and beau- lxv. 2.)] tiful composition was probably copied by our Ver. 23.-And he said, Lord God of Israel, there 1s no God like thee [Similar words author from the " Book of the Acts of Solo- are found in Exod. xv. 11 ; Paa. lxxxvi. 8, mon" (1 Kings :ri. 41), possibly from the &o. They do not at all imply the existence " Book of Nathan the prophet " (2 Chron. of other gods, but are explained by other iL 29). It was evidently committed to passages (e.g., ver. 60 ; Deut. iv. 39, "the writing beforehand, and would, no doubt, Lord He is God and none else ; " 2 Sam. vii. 22 ; xxii. 82) as meaning that the God of as a matter of course, be religiously pre- Israel stands a.lone, and a.lone is God. It served. The later criticism objects to its would be strange, indeed, if the people authenticity that the many references to whose great peculium was the unity of the the Pentatench (compare ver.12 with Exod. Godhead (Deut. vi. 4 ; Isa. xlii. 8) recog- :rix. 9; ver. 31 with Exod. xxii. 11, Levit. nized other deities. Observe : Solomon be- gins his prayer with an act of pi-aise; with a v. l; ver. 33 with Levit. xxvi. 17, Dent. recognition at once grateful and graceful of :xxviii. 25 ; ver. 36 with Levit. xxvi. 25 ; God's past mercies (cf. Paa. Ixv. 1, 2; Phil. ver. 50 with Levit. xxvi. 40, 42 ; ver. 51 wi~h iv. 6). Exaudit Dominus invocantem, quem Dent. iv. 20, &c.) prove it to be of a later laudantem vidit" (Augustine)], 1n heaven date. Ewald assigns it to the seventh cen- above, or on earth beneath [Josh. ii. 11], who keepest covenant and mercy [ same tury B.c.; but this is simply to beg the words in Deut. vii. 9] with thy servants question of the date of the Pentatench. It that walk before thee with all their heart. is obviously open to reply that these re- [Cf. eh. ii. 4.] ferences only prove that the king was Ver. 24.-Who hast kept with thy ser- acquainted, as he was bound to be (Dent. vant David my rather [Solomon sees in this a special pledge of God's faithfulness xvii 18), with the words of the law. It and truthJ that thou promisedst [Heb. divides itself into three parts. The first spakest, so.me word as below. The altero.tion (vers. 22-30) is general; the second (vers. in the A. V. obscures the connexion]: thou 81-53) consists of seven special petitions; spakest also [Heb. and thou spakest, i.e., the last (vers. 60-53) consists of a general "yea," or " for thou epnkest "] with thy mouth and hast ful11lled it with thine hand conclusion and appeal to God's covenant [ver. 15, and eh. iii. 6. The completion mercy. of the house following the establishment of Ver. 22.-And Solomon stood [i.e., took Solomon up~n the throne,_ was to him pro~f hi.a •tand (LXX. avio-r71). Not" was stand- conclusive that the pro=se of 2 Sam vu. ing." It was but for a moment, however, had received its fulfilment], as it 1s this fol' we find hiJll presently kneeling (ver. 64 ; day, OB. Viii. 1-60.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 153