2 Chronicles 7:11-22--If My People Pray

2 Chronicles 7:11-22
English Standard Version

If My People Pray
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’

​19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

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Most of us probably know 2 Chronicles 7:14 by heart, but it is so quoted out of context that many of us have a wrong idea of what it means because of it being quoted out of context.  We need to take everything into consideration, especially the prayer of dedication from chapter 6 when interpreting God's response in chapter 7.  For now, let's start at the beginning of today's passage.

Once all the work on the Temple and the royal palace was finished, the LORD appeared to Solomon and gave him an answer to the prayer that he had prayed during the dedication of the Temple in chapter 6.  For us, that was maybe one page-turn ago, but there was probably quite a bit of time of quiet waiting here where Solomon would have liked the answer to come sooner.  God's timing is perfect however, and there is benefit to our waiting and trusting on the LORD during the times of "silence."

The LORD makes it clear that He heard all the Solomon prayed and Solomon (I believe through the Spirit) correctly perceived those times of judgment would come on the LORD's people at some point, and He would be the only one able to give relief or reprieve.  That is the context of verse 14.  It's in direct response to this question that Solomon asked in chapter 6:24-25, “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers."  The answer is a resounding, "Yes!," and we see that the LORD was faithful to keep this promise in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah when He brings the people back from captivity, they rebuild the Temple, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and rebuild their culture.  It is not a generic promise to all people of all nations, but specifically a promise to always let the people of the LORD (the Jewish people) return to the Promised Land and to make that Land fertile for them when they return if they turn away from their sin that brought judgment and/or exile upon them.  There is something special promised to the Jewish people living in the Promised Land, and we cannot take a verse out of context and try to usurp that promise for ourselves.  That doesn't mean that the LORD doesn't work in similar ways in other nations--just there are other passages in the Bible that tell us how the LORD plans to deal with "the [Gentile] nations."  Those who are believers are actually going to be part of the healing process for Israel and are going to help them receive these promises and blessings, but always realizing that these promises and these blessings come from the hand of the LORD and not because the help and support that we give--the LORD just may use us as a conduit for His blessings that He has wanted to pour out on the Jewish people.

We see here why the Jews are so concerned about the rebuilding of the Temple and why they will be so excited for it in the end times.  There are promises attached to it that if the people pray towards the Temple for forgiveness, even if they are living in a far-away land, that the LORD will hear their prayers and answer them.  The Jews don't seem to remember that the earthly Temple was modeled after a heavenly Temple that they can always pray towards, but we as Christians can intercede and pray for and with them that they will recognize Jesus not only as Messiah, but as their Great High Priest--better than the Aaronic priesthood--a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The Davidic Covenant is then repeated to Solomon.  It's a conditional covenant that Solomon and his descendants can only expect to be blessed with the privilege of leading the LORD's people if they will lead them in the way of the LORD by obeying His covenant and teaching the others to do the same and executing justice as it prescribes.

However, the LORD knows better and ends this section saying, "But if...." however that if is really more like a "since," because God already knows what the people will do and how He will have to respond to them.  He doesn't want to cast them out of the Land but knows that will be the only thing that will get their attention.  He doesn't want to Temple to have to be destroyed, but He knows that will be what will lead the people to come back together and worship together in one place, worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth (however, we see how messed up they have gotten again by the time of Jesus).  Everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike will know that the judgment the LORD brings on His people will be just and will be because they abandoned Him to worship other gods and because they broke covenant with Him.  However, there is great gospel truth and promise that the LORD's "lovingkindness," His covenant love is not really dependent on our obedience--His plan was not thwarted by the lack of obedience of His people Israel (or by the failures of the Church or Israel today).  The plans of the LORD are steadfast and sure and we can either join Him in what He is doing (see The Great Commission) or try to oppose Him and His work and utterly fail in doing so (see all the nations that have tried to actively oppose the LORD, His people and His work that have been destroyed or at least taken from great nations and empires to next-to-nothing).  It would be wise for us to choose the LORD, serve Him with gladness and to prove our love for Him with obedience which is better than sacrifice.