“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.”
– 2 Chronicles 6:32–33
This is Solomon praying the dedication of the temple, and certainly he’s praying for God’s glory to be made known among his people, the people of Israel. But here, at this point in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33, he specifically prays for the nation’s beyond Israel, for foreigners who will come to this house, this place, where the glory of God dwells in the middle of his people and prays to God.
Every nation, tribe, and tongue, every people group gathered around the throne of God, giving him praise, knowing his name and fearing him.
Solomon says, “Hear their prayer and answer them in order that…” Did you hear that phrase? “In order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.” “In order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.” This is why we pray continually on this podcast for the spread of the gospel to more and more people groups, because this is the purpose of God in the world.
2 Chronicles 6:32-33 Reveals God’s Purpose
This is the purpose of God in his word from cover to cover, from the beginning, and Genesis 1-2, God creating man and woman in his image and saying, “Spread my glory throughout the earth, multiply and fill the earth.” Genesis 12, “I’m going to bless you, Abraham, so that my blessing will be made known among all the peoples of the earth.” All the way to the end, Revelation 5-7. Every nation, tribe, and tongue, every people group gathered around the throne of God, giving him praise, knowing his name and fearing him.
And this is the purpose of our lives in this world, to make the glory of our God known among all the peoples of the earth. This is the purpose of our lives, our families, the church. This is why we’re here, this is where all of history is headed. And it’s what we are created to do. This is why we pray like this. I hope that this is not the only time you pray for the spread of the gospel to unreached people, to people who don’t know the name of Jesus and have not been brought to faith in Jesus, where the gospel hasn’t gone and the church hasn’t been planted. That we would pray together continually for the spread of the gospel, the glory of our God to all the peoples of the earth.
The Temple
The whole picture here in 2 Chronicles was the nations will come to the temple. But when you get to the New Testament, it’s not about the nations coming to a physical temple. Why? Because, what’s the temple of the holy spirit now? Our lives, our bodies, and the church, the body of Christ. And it’s about our lives, our body, the church, the body of Christ, going to the nations for the spread of the gospel. This is what Jesus said. “Go and make disciples of all the nations.”
A Prayer Based on 2 Chronicles 6:32-33
God, we pray based on your word from cover to cover, based on your purpose in all of history. We pray together right now exactly what Solomon prayed in 2 Chronicles 6. That all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you. God, we pray for the Halebi Romani people of Egypt, 380,000 of them know, followers of Jesus among them. God, we pray that the Halebi Romani people of Egypt would know your name and fear you. We pray for the spread of the gospel, the good news of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. We pray for the spread of the gospel among this people group and those the gospel has not reached.
God, we pray that you would help us. As your people, as your church, and our lives and our families and our local churches to live. To see all the peoples of the earth praising your name. We look forward to the day when that will be a reality. When every nation, tribe, and tongue will gather around your throne and sing your praise. And we pray that you would use, lead, and direct our lives toward that end. For the praise of your name among all the peoples of the earth. We pray this in light of 2 Chronicle 6:32–33 in Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
