2 Chronicles 6:16
Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: 'You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.'
Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel
This phrase acknowledges the sovereignty and covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The Hebrew term for "LORD" is "YHWH," the sacred name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. "God of Israel" signifies the special relationship and covenant God has with the nation of Israel, chosen to be His people. This invocation sets the tone for a prayer rooted in historical and divine promises.

keep for Your servant David my father the promise You made to him
The word "keep" in Hebrew is "shamar," which means to guard, watch over, or preserve. It reflects a plea for God’s faithfulness in maintaining His covenant. The "promise" refers to the Davidic Covenant, a pivotal moment in biblical history where God assured David of an everlasting dynasty. This covenant is foundational for understanding the messianic hope that permeates the Old Testament, pointing ultimately to Jesus Christ.

when You said, ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel
This promise is a direct reference to 2 Samuel 7:12-16, where God assures David of a perpetual lineage. The phrase "never fail" underscores the certainty and divine guarantee of this promise. The "throne of Israel" symbolizes not just political authority but also spiritual leadership, as the king was to lead the people in covenant faithfulness to God.

if only your descendants guard their way to walk in My Law
The conditional "if only" introduces the requirement of obedience for the continuation of the promise. "Guard their way" uses the same Hebrew root "shamar," emphasizing vigilance in living according to God’s statutes. "Walk in My Law" reflects the Hebrew concept of "halakha," meaning to live or conduct oneself according to God’s commandments. This highlights the biblical theme that blessings are contingent upon obedience to God’s revealed will.

as you have walked before Me
This phrase commends David’s own faithfulness and sets a standard for his descendants. "Walked before Me" implies living a life in the presence of God, with integrity and devotion. It is a call to emulate David’s heart for God, despite his imperfections, as seen in his repentance and pursuit of God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14). This sets a model for leadership that is accountable to God above all.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
The son of David and the king of Israel who is offering this prayer during the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem.

2. David
Solomon's father, the second king of Israel, to whom God made a covenant promising that his descendants would continue to rule Israel.

3. The LORD, God of Israel
The covenant-keeping God who made promises to David regarding his lineage and the throne of Israel.

4. The Temple in Jerusalem
The newly built temple where Solomon is dedicating this prayer, symbolizing God's presence among His people.

5. The Davidic Covenant
The promise God made to David, ensuring that his lineage would continue to rule Israel, contingent upon their faithfulness to God's Law.
Teaching Points
God's Faithfulness to His Promises
God is faithful to His promises, as seen in His covenant with David. Believers can trust in God's unchanging nature and His commitment to fulfill His word.

The Importance of Obedience
The promise to David's descendants was conditional upon their obedience to God's Law. This highlights the importance of living a life that aligns with God's commands.

The Role of Leadership
Leaders are called to walk in God's ways, setting an example for others. Solomon's prayer reflects the responsibility of leaders to seek God's guidance and remain faithful.

The Fulfillment in Christ
The ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is found in Jesus Christ, the eternal King. This points to the continuity of God's plan through history and the assurance of salvation through Christ.

Prayer as a Means of Covenant Renewal
Solomon's prayer is an act of renewing the covenant with God. Prayer remains a vital practice for believers to align themselves with God's will and seek His guidance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Solomon's prayer in 2 Chronicles 6:16 reflect the importance of God's promises in your own life?

2. In what ways can you ensure that you are walking in God's Law, as David was instructed to do?

3. How does the Davidic Covenant find its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and what does this mean for your faith?

4. What role does prayer play in renewing your commitment to God's promises and commands?

5. How can you, as a leader in your community or family, set an example of faithfulness and obedience to God's Word?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Samuel 7
This chapter details the original covenant God made with David, promising that his throne would be established forever.

1 Kings 2:4
David instructs Solomon to walk in God's ways to ensure the fulfillment of God's promise.

Psalm 132
A psalm that reflects on God's promises to David and the importance of faithfulness.

Jeremiah 33:17
Reaffirms the promise that David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel.

Matthew 1:1
The genealogy of Jesus, showing the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant through Christ.
The Dedication of the Temple: 3. the Consecration PrayerT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 6:12-21
People
David, Solomon
Places
Egypt, Holy Place, Jerusalem
Topics
Careful, David, Fail, Heed, Law, O, Promised, Promises, Saying, Servant, Sight, Sit, Sons, Throne, Walk, Walked
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 6:16

     5581   throne

2 Chronicles 6:16-17

     1351   covenant, with David

Library
December the Eighth Judged by Our Aspirations
"Thou didst well, it was in thine heart." --2 CHRONICLES vi. 1-15. And this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize. It was a temple built in the substance of dreams, but never established in wood and stone. And God took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile. The sacred intention was regarded as a finished work. The will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built. And hence I discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire, even though it
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Eleventh Lesson. Believe that Ye have Received;'
Believe that ye have received;' Or, The Faith that Takes. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them.'--Mark xi. 24 WHAT a promise! so large, so Divine, that our little hearts cannot take it in, and in every possible way seek to limit it to what we think safe or probable; instead of allowing it, in its quickening power and energy, just as He gave it, to enter in, and to enlarge our hearts to the measure of what
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl.
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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