1 Kings 8: Why Did God Save You?

"...that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” 1 Kings 8:60-61

A professor by the name of Dr. Akin spoke in chapel yesterday, and he began with asking the following question: why did God save you? Of all of the people on earth, why did God choose to save you and not someone else? To be honest, this question got me. Although I could have offered up in my own mind the "Christianeze" answer of God's grace and choosing of me before the foundation of the world, the ultimate question still remained: why did God save ME?

In 1 Kings 8, we see a similar idea to what Dr. Akin preached on yesterday. In the context of this chapter, the ark has just been brought to the temple, and now God's physical presence resides in the Holy of Holies. Because of this, Solomon for the entirety of chapter 8 exclaims to the Lord great praises and petitions. However, the greatest thing about all of his praises and petitions is that they are outward-focused.

Notice the verse quoted above. After asking for God's presence amidst the Israelite people in order that the Israelites might have the power to obey God, Solomon asks that this happen in order that "all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God." You see, Solomon's ultimate end was not having God be with the Israelites. Furthemore, Solomon's ultimate end was not having the Israelites obey God. Rather, Solomon's ultimate end was having the entire world know that Yahweh is God and God alone.

So, we come back to the question in which we started with: why did God save you? Answer: so that you can make his name known throughout all of the earth. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations" (Psalm 67:1-2). God's salvation in our lives is not our end. If it were so, he would have raptured us to heaven the minute after we were saved. However, God did not do so, but rather kept us hear on earth that we might make his name great here on earth and establish his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. As Tony Evan puts it, we are blessed to be a blessing. If we are using all of God's blessings for ourselves, we have wasted them. Like the parable of the wicked servant, we waste the talents that the Lord has given us, ultimately leading to our condemntation (Luke 19:11-27).

So, where is the application today? Hear the words of Solomon: "Let your heart be therefore wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day." Let your heart be wholly true to the Lord, which means that you are using your blessing from God to bless others for God. If we are wholly true to the Lord, we will not be inward-focused, but outward-focused on his glory in all the nations. Why did God save you? Answer: so that you can go and save someone else. So go, and make his name known throughout all the earth:

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." Luke 24:46b-47a