Solomon prayed that God would hear from His dwelling place in the heavens the supplication offered to Him by His people when they prayed toward the temple as His dwelling place on the earth. This indicates that God has two dwelling places, one in the heavens and one on the earth. Actually, these two are one; they are the two ends of God’s one dwelling place. Today the believers in Christ as God’s dwelling place (Eph. 2:21-22) are a particular people, a people who are in the heavens and on the earth (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1-3). See note Gen. 28:17¹.

See note Matt. 1:1^3c.

The glory of Jehovah filled the temple (cf. Exo. 40:34), bringing the God who is in the heavens to the earth and joining the earth to the heavens. See note Gen. 28:12².

Verses 1-11 show that the tabernacle was merged with the temple. The contents of the tabernacle were placed in the temple, indicating that as God’s dwelling place the tabernacle and the temple were one. The tabernacle was a portable precursor moving through the wilderness, whereas the temple was a consummation of God’s building in typology.

Verses 31-48 mention seven conditions concerning God’s listening to the prayers of His elect. In this, the last, condition three things are stressed (v. 48): the Holy Land, typifying Christ as the portion allotted by God to the believers (see note Deut. 8:7¹); the holy city, signifying the kingdom of God in Christ (Psa. 48:1-2); and the holy temple, signifying God’s house, the church, on the earth (Eph. 2:21; 1 Tim. 3:15). These are the three crucial things regarding God’s economy. During the Babylonian captivity Daniel prayed toward the Holy Land, the holy city, and the holy temple three times a day by opening his window toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10). This indicates that God will listen to our prayer when our prayer to God is toward Christ, the kingdom of God, and the house of God as the goal in God’s eternal economy. This means that no matter for whom we are praying, our prayers should be aimed at the interests of God, i.e., at Christ and the church as God’s interests on earth, for the fulfilling of God’s economy.

For God to maintain the cause of His people means that He executes justice regarding their situation. Throughout the centuries God has maintained the cause of His people Israel. When they were wrong with Him, He chastised them and disciplined them through the hands of the Gentile powers, including the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires. But when these nations went too far in dealing with Israel, God maintained Israel’s cause, punishing those who mistreated them (see note Isa. 10:5^1a and note Isa. 26:13¹, par. 1). This indicates that behind the physical realm there is the spiritual realm, in which God governs the entire universe, executing justice for His people every day as each day requires. God does this for His elect, for both Israel and the believers in Christ (1 Pet. 4:17 and note 1 Pet. 4:17^1a).

See notes on the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering in Lev. chs. 1—3.