In 1 Kings 8:24, Solomon speaks to God of a promise that God has already kept in that very day. However, the next two verses move to a promise that is yet to be fulfilled. Solomon sets that promise of God in these words: You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.
It is noteworthy that Solomon does not consider the fact that he sits upon David’s throne as an indication that God has fulfilled his promise in its entirety. Many believe that Solomon thought he was the fulfillment of God’s promise to his father. This apparently is not the case because Solomon treats his promise as still unfulfilled and begs the Lord to fulfill it.
The only true fulfillment of this promise would be in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, and he alone, can be said to sit on David’s throne forever. The words of Solomon remind us of Jesus’ declaration to his opponents that the Scriptures testify to him. Solomon must have known that the word he was speaking pointed beyond himself to someone who was to come.
It is noteworthy also that Solomon seeks something besides the fulfillment of God’s promise. He says that he wants the Lord to confirm the promise and to confirm in that very day. Indeed, the next chapter, 1 Kings 9:1–28, opens with such a confirmation from the Lord.
25 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’