V.1-11 Solomon now is in complete charge of the worship. In his person, he combines the work of priest and king. So the Lord Jesus shall be King and Priest in the millennium. He is King (John 1:49); Prophet (Luke 24:19); Priest (Heb. 3:1).
And, do you want to learn a secret? You who have accepted Christ as your Savior, have been made, not only priests, but kings as well. You had better believe it, because you can read it in Revelation 5:10. Are we acting each day as if we believe it?
V.4 Our words and our deeds should be the same.
V.12-42 Listen carefully to this wonderful prayer to the Lord.
V.22-23 In affairs between two people, Solomon asks God to judge righteously.
V.24-25 If the nation is beaten in battle, it will be because they have sinned.
V.26-27 If there is no rain falling on the land, it will be because they have sinned.
V.28-31 The prayer becomes more individual. If individually or collectively they would turn back to the Lord, confess and pray to Him, then Solomon prays that the Lord would deal individually with them according to each state of soul.
V.32-42 Solomon asks the Lord to answer the prayers of the people.
V.32-33 An outsider, individually praying, wanting to learn about the Lord.
V.34-35 When the people were away in another land, at war, and prayed collectively, facing toward Jerusalem.
V.36-39 If things go very bad for them because of sin; but if they even turn to the Lord in that far-away place.
V.40-42 Closes his prayer. Contrast these verses with Numbers 10:33-36. There, God was searching a resting place, here was a fixed place. There, enemies had to be scattered, here no enemies (Also Psa. 132:8). What a wonderful prayer! But Solomon didn’t have the secrets nor the power you and I have, since Christ has given us a new life, like His, and He lives in us (John 17:26). Read it. The Lord looks for one thing — brokenness of heart. How much we need to learn this!