Sat Mar 22

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the words Lord and offering.

Reading

1 Kings 8:54-66—Blessing to God’s People

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

After praying, Solomon spoke God’s blessing on the people.
Solomon asked for God to bless his people.
This dedication of the temple took fifteen days!

Questions

(some read these before notes, then ask them after)

Why do we want God to bless us?
How do we sacrifice to God today?
How did the people leave the assembly?

Notes

Why do we want God to bless us? Solomon ends his prayer at the dedication of God’s temple with a prayer for blessing. In this prayer for blessing, Inrig comments, there are two requests in the Hebrew text: that God would dwell with his people so his people would live lives of obedience (vv. 57–58) and that God would hear Solomon’s prayer so Israel’s lifestyle would cause pagan nations to know that the Lord alone is God (vv. 59–60).

Aren’t those things reasons why we want God to bless us as well? We long to live lives of obedience and the blessing of God and his answer to our prayers are a help to us in our obedience. We also want non-Christians to become Christians. God blesses us so that non-Christians will see God’s blessing and desire to know this God. In response to this blessing, Solomon and all Israel offered sacrifices to God. Similarly, we, in view of the mercies of God, present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is our true worship (see Romans 12:1).

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday reading for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 134b, 133a

Prayer

Ask God to bless you and use your gospel witness.
Pray for the reading and preaching of God’s word tomorrow.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.