A Direct Message From God
A direct message from God comes to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV. Out of the thousands of verses in the Bible, this is one I use over and over because it has a clear formula for living built right in.
‘If my people,,,’
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV
This verse was given by God directly to King Solomon shortly after Solomon built the great temple in Jerusalem. God promised Solomon that many good things would follow for him and for Israel, provided that Solomon and the people of Israel followed God’s laws.
Remember this last point…’provided that Solomon and the people of Israel followed God’s laws…’ We’ll get back to it. It applies to us too. What makes this verse stand out are three related elements:
- It is a direct message to from God
- It has a clear formula with four steps
- It gives an eternal promise
Young King Solomon
Solomon was very young when he became king. God had loved Solomon’s father, King David, and He also blessed Solomon with wisdom and wealth.
King Solomon also organized the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. The great structure was so closely tied to the young king that it became known as Solomon’s Temple. As part of the dedication ceremony of the new temple, Solomon made a request of God. He asked God to give the people a way to return to Him if they had strayed.
To get the full impact of this verse, let’s go back to see how it went when God met with and spoke directly to the young king:
‘The Lord appeared to him’
When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12the LORD appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:11-14 NIV
A formula from God for success…or failure
In verse 14, we have a God-given formula for returning to Him after sin has separated us. This solution, this formula, works for us as individuals and it would work for us as a nation. If we follow this formula, then we can be reunited with God.
There are four elements or requirements God has given us in this verse:
- ‘humble themselves’
God wants us to come before Him humbly. He is the Creator, and we are the ones He has created. He is the potter. We are the clay. We must recognize that relationship and come before Him with humility. - ‘pray’
When we realize we have strayed, God tells us to pray. Pray for guidance, pray for forgiveness. Pray for a renewal of our relationship with Him. - ‘seek my face’
God tells us to seek His face. His presence. Look to Him in the sunrise and the sunset. Listen for His voice and recognize the power and glory of His creation. Love Him. Trust Him. Praise Him. Pray to Him and be present with Him. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. - ‘turn from their wicked ways’
God commands us to stop sinning. Whatever it is that separates you from God, stop. We cannot ask God to forgive us if we have not stopped sinning. So turn away from the world and turn back to God.
God finished this verse with a promise to King Solomon and the people that He would hear them when they fulfilled the four requirements.
‘Then will i hear from heaven’
…then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Where did Solomon go wrong?
Now I’m sorry to say that King Solomon did not heed God’s advice all of his life. I don’t want to seem harsh, as Solomon ascended to the throne at a young age. He had incredible, amazing success, including great wealth, a bevy of beautiful wives, and assorted mistresses. He also received universal acclaim as the wisest man on earth and so on.
Few or even none of us could have withstood that ‘rock star’ treatment Solomon received and come away unscathed and unaffected.
But If the smartest man in the world fell…
In His infinite wisdom, God knew Solomon would fall away and dissipate the kingdom God had given to King David. Though Solomon was reputed to be the wisest man in the world, he still lost sight of God and fell into sin. He gave up the amazing relationship he had with God and squandered the legacy he had received.
If the smartest man in the world fell, what chance do we have? On our own merits and efforts, none.
God knew that we would never, could never live a righteous life on our own. So He sent us a Messiah. One who could live a righteous life and who could bear the burden of sin that even King Solomon, in all his glory, could not bear.
The absolute need for the Messiah: Jesus Christ
If the wisest man in the world could not keep God’s law, then that spells trouble for most of us. In fact, our inability to live in accordance with God’s law led directly to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
‘Christ is the mediator’
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:15 NIV
God gave us the formula in 2 Chronicles 7:14. But we could not and would not follow the four requirements, so God also gave us the Messiah, the Christ. We can restore our relationship with God based on the redemption of Jesus..
God’s Promise
God’s promise is that He will hear us, will forgive us, and will heal our land if we follow the steps given in 2 Chronicles 7:14. I don’t know about you, but I believe our hearts and our land could stand some healing right now.
Following these steps will lead to healing. And following these steps will lead to eternal life in the presence of God. Are you ready?
Humble yourself before God
Pray to the living God in the name of Jesus Christ
Seek His presence in your life
Stop sinning and turn to God
Then He has promised that He will hear you and will forgive you and that He will heal the land.
Yours in Christ, Kurt
Someone asked (maybe it was Charles Stanley) if we are more likely to meet Solomon or Nebuchadnezzor in heaven.
The Light came into the world but I preferred the darkness thinking that He could not see my sin in the dark. I remember the exact moment I decided on that.
There was not even any particularly gaudy sin involved, just a resolve to put my desires above what He had in his mind.
Our sins as a people do seem weighty and if we were a ship bearing down on an iceberg we might not be able to turn in time, certainly not, if we are relying on our hands on the wheel and our calculations of momentum and so forth.
But there is no increment of time small enough to prevent Him from changing it all. Not for Solomon, Israel or us.