1 Kings 8:54

SOLOMON'S BENEDICTION

"And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. He stood, and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. Jehovah our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us, nor forsake us; that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as every day requireth; that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah, he is God; there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day."

"He arose ... from kneeling on his knees, etc." (1 Kings 8:54). "This is the first mention of kneeling for prayer in the Bible. The Jews usually stood to pray (Luke 18:11,13)."[29]

"That all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah, he is God; there is none else" (1 Kings 8:60). "Israel had a mission to discharge to the other nations of the world ... by exhibiting conspicuously ... the moral principles upon which God governed mankind ... and also to teach mankind through the agency of their prophets."[30] Israel's colossal failure to live up to their responsibility in these Divine assignments is the great tragedy of the O.T.