If My People

 If My People

Nov 22, 2024

Yesterday, we were talking about the manifest presence of God at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. The story continues in chapter 7 with more amazing signs.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (NASB95) 

1 Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory ofthe LORD filled the house. 2 The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’S house. 3 All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Now, after this powerful event, the Lord appeared to Solomon’s and made him a promise:

2 Chronicles 7:12-14 (NASB95) 

12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a houseof sacrifice. 13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Verse 14 is often quoted without the surrounding context. We see when we look at the whole story that this promise was made in the midst of an powerful appearance by the Lord with fire and in a cloud. This harkens back to the journey through the wilderness where the Lord’s presence was with them daily for forty years in the cloud and in the fire. For all those forty years, the Lord fed them mana and protected them. Thus, Solomon and the people would have had this in mind when they experienced this magnificent worship service in the new temple. And after that, the Lord reminded them how he would protect and heal them if they humble themselves and pray.

Our nation has also been blessed and protected by the Lord over the years. In this troubled time, we need to remember how the Lord has been with us, humble ourselves, and pray, and ask him to heal our land one more time. We can see signed around us that He is moving , but there are also troubling signers around us of wars and rumors of wars. The Bible says to expect that in the last days, so we should not be surprised, but seek the Lord all the more. Just as He was able to fill the temple with a cloud and ignite the offering on fire, He is able to hear us today and forgive our sins and heal our land. 

“Truly He is good, truly His loving kindness is everlasting.”