Solomon wisely knew that, when God’s people fail, He is the go-to Friend every time.
It’s good when people commune with God as they confide in close friends. He is, after all, the best Friend one could have. Here Solomon speaks to the Lord as he has just spoken to the people. “Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. You have kept what You promised…You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day” (1 Ki 8:23-24). These words are almost identical to his message to the nation. God is as good as His word, and in this He is unrivaled. But here the king includes a vital addition. God not only keeps His covenant promises; He also keeps “mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.” There can be no failure on God’s part. We, on the other hand, often fail to follow through. Hopefully it isn’t because we are half-hearted. Sometimes “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:41). On such occasions, when we seek His face, the Lord’s undeserved mercy is richly made available to us. As Solomon’s father famously wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Ps 23:6), goodness to inspire the best in me and mercy to forgive the worst. It is this that occupies the rest of Solomon’s prayer. He tries to think of every possible need for mercy among God’s people, and then implores the Lord to “hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back…” (1 Ki 8:34; see also vv 30, 32, 36, 39). This is a classic example of intercession, bringing others before the Lord for His blessing upon them, and seen best in our Lord’s prayer for us in John 17. Are you an intercessor?