Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 8
The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4). He is the God who created heaven and earth by his word and by his wisdom (Genesis 1:1-28; Proverbs 8:22-31; John 1:1).
Unlike a false god, he sees all things and he knows all things – he even knows future events (Isaiah 44:6-20).
At the time of the Bible, Israel was the only nation that served the real God. In other nations, few or none of the people knew the real God. Instead, they prayed in front of the images of false gods, called idols.
The Bible constantly urges God’s people not to have proud attitudes, but to be humble (for example, Isaiah 57:15). They do not deserve to have a right relationship with God and they cannot earn it – rather, they received it as a free gift from God (Romans 4:1-8). In other words, they only know God because of God’s great kindness, and not because of their own efforts.
There was a reason why God chose to work in the lives of Israel’s people. He told Abraham that he would use his future family (the nation called Israel) to show his kindness to people in all the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Isaiah 42:6-8 describes Israel’s people as God’s special servant, who would free the people in other nations from their idols.
Solomon too saw that God’s work among Israel’s people would achieve this purpose. As God answered the prayers of Israel’s people, the people in other nations would hear about God’s goodness. That would cause those foreigners too, to give honour and to make their prayers to the real God (8:41-43).
Next part: God's people must obey God (1 Kings 8:61)
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