“There is no God like you!”

1 Kings 8:22-43

Pastor Tom Johnson, June 2, 2013

Solomon is realizing his dad’s dream. King David wanted to build the Temple in Jerusalem but he had too much blood on his hands, God tells him. So, his son Solomon takes the material and plans David prepared, and builds the Temple. It is here in our reading from 1 Kings that Solomon prays a masterful prayer. His prayer is conversational, reverent, and filled with wisdom—yes, with the Wisdom of Solomon.

“O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath!”

“You are wholly unique, God! Any conception of deity pales in comparison to the truth of who you are in all the universe!”

For many, such statements of the uniqueness of the God of Scripture as the true and living God may make us feel a bit uncomfortable. “Why must we have competition between religions?” someone might very well ask. “This is not a race! Believing in the God of the Bible is not an exclusive club. Why condemn people who follow other gods and other religions?” someone might also very well ask.

That is what I love about Solomon’s prayer! It is not adversarial. It does not condemn people. It is not exclusive. It is winsome, welcoming, and inclusive! You’ll remember that Solomon shares his difficult journey of faith in the book of Ecclesiastes. There he talks about the meaninglessness he found in worldliness. He shares the futility of human wisdom and empty pursuit of pleasure. He exhausts many pursuits to fill the void inside his soul. And he is left with his God-shaped void that only the true and living God can fill. And so Solomon reaches the place in his journey where can worship and praise God, saying, “O Yahweh! There is no God like you!”

As a result, he has a very different view of this building made of stone and mortar, cedar and gold, and intricately woven fabric. He sees a very different place this house of worship has in his Hebrew world-class city. Maybe it is no accident that we have begun a discussion about our brick and mortar needs for this building. Perhaps God is reminding us of the role this structure plays in the lives of our community of faith. The Temple is not a place where God dwells, Solomon reminds us in this same prayer. The universe could not contain him. And yet, he dwells in the hearts and communities of his people. The Temple is not reserved for one race, language, and culture. From the first day of its dedication, Solomon had the wisdom and vision of what would happen on the Day of Pentecost when people from all over the world were filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Kingdom shatters earthly boundaries and distinctions. Long before John had his revelation of worship in heaven from a multitude that no one could number from every tribe, nation, language, and people, Solomon envisions God already drawing all humanity to himself.

This makes the God of Solomon unique—not exclusive—but special among the pantheon of gods in the ancient world. Each culture—often times each village—had its own Baal—its very own god that was their god exclusively. It was not very different our schools that each have a mascot that always cheers for the home team. Yahweh has always been on the cutting edge of inclusivity. It’s been on his heart and in his plan to draw a multiethnic humanity to himself from before the foundation of the world. And it seems like we are the ones catching up to the broad swath of his love. We get to discover how wide the embrace of his outstretched arms truly is.

“When a foreigner…comes from a distant land” Solomon prays, “…hearing of your greatness…when they pray, hear them,”

“Answer their prayer, God! Reveal yourself to every soul…so that all the peoples on this terrestrial ball may know your name and fear you.”

I love the fact that Solomon’s prayer gives people time and space to reach their own conclusions—to allow God to reveal himself so that they can say, “There is no God like Yahweh!” Can his prayer be any more inclusive and evangelistic? And how about that challenge to God?! How bold Solomon is to pray to God like that! “God you are a promise keeper and Lover of your creation—keeping covenant and steadfast love. So do what you promise to do! Extend your gracious love to all the world! Use this building—and us—to be conduits of your promise keeping love.”

Solomon prays that people have intimate knowledge—a relationship with their Creator and filled with reverential awe because although he is Almighty and transcends the universe, he lovingly interacts with his people.

“O God, there is no God like You! Just be who you are and it is enough! Simply do what you have promised to do and your blessing will rain down on your creation! O God, there is no God like You! For you so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son to live, heal, tell the good news, die, and rise again for all.”

“There is no God like You!” “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” “There is no God like You!”  Every twist and unexpected turn in our journey has led to confident trust in the uniqueness of your grace and love for all humanity. There is no God like him, indeed.”