Sunday, March 25, 2018

Transcription

1 Sunday, March 25, 2018 Lesson: II Chronicles 7:12-22; Time of Action: 959 B.C.; Place of Action: Jerusalem Golden Text: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14). I. INTRODUCTION. Many times when we need help we tend to seek it from other people, especially trusted friends and counselors. There s nothing wrong with that because God intends for us to help one another. However, sometimes we are so concerned about seeking out other people that we forget to seek the Lord. But just what does it mean to seek the Lord? It means to follow after Him and His way when we face a decision or a problem. This week s lesson directs us to seek God s face, which adds a personal element to this instruction.

2 II. LESSON BACKGROUND. II Chronicles chapters 2-5 record King Solomon s building and furnishing the temple of God in Jerusalem. In II Chronicles 6:1-11, as Solomon conducts the dedication service, he recounts the history behind the building project. Then in verses 12-42, Solomon offers a prayer of dedication for the temple, which included a request for God to forgive His people for their sins. In chapter 7, from which our lesson comes, verses 1-11 continue to describe the events of the temple dedication by revealing the ways in which the king and the people worshiped God during that dedication service. Our lesson begins with verse 12. III. THE BLESSINGS THAT COME WITH SEEKING GOD S FACE (II Chronicles 7:12-18 ) A. The Lord appears to Solomon (II Chronicles 7:12). Our first verse says And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. After the king and the people completed the dedication service, Solomon sent them to their homes glad and happy that God had shown His goodness to David (see I Kings 8:66), Solomon and to the people. When Solomon returned to his house, this verse says, And

3 the Lord appeared to Solomon by night. This was the second time that God had appeared to Solomon at night (see II Chronicles 1:7), not long after he ascended to the throne. We are not told just how God appeared to Solomon, but it must have been in some way that made him positive that it was the Lord. It s interesting that both times God appeared to Solomon were at night. Whether there is a special meaning to this or not, we can t be sure. But it is likely that God chose the nighttime so that Solomon could give Him his complete attention. God often brings thoughts to us at nighttime when there are fewer things to cloud our minds. When God appeared to Solomon this second time, He said unto him, I have heard thy prayer. God assured Solomon that He had heard his prayer meaning that He had accepted his prayer (see II Chronicles 6:12-42). In addition, God said that he had also chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. In other words, God was affirming that He had chosen the temple as His special place to accept their sacrifices. B. The Lord presents His remedy for judgment (II Chronicles 7:13-14). 1. (vs.13). In this verse God says If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people. Here the Lord begins His message to Solomon with a warning about Israel s future. He gives some probable judgments that could fall upon His people if they

4 were disobedient. First, the Lord said If I shut up heaven that there be no rain. One of the judgments that God would bring upon Israel for disobedience would be holding back the rain. Then God said or if I command the locusts to devour the land. A second probable judgment that could fall upon Israel was God sending swarms of locusts or grasshoppers to eat up their crops. Finally God said or if I send pestilence among my people. A third probable judgment upon a sinful Israel would be God sending an epidemic of diseases which could potentially kill many people. God was reminding Solomon and the nation that future disobedience would bring discipline in the form of natural disasters, like drought, locusts, and plagues. God made it clear that these judgments were not hypothetical, but would actually occur in order to discipline His people if they failed to obey Him. But certainly, Israel s punishment for disobedience would include more than the judgments God listed here (see Deuteronomy 28:15-48). 2. (vs. 14). In this verse God goes on to say If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Not only does God tell Solomon what judgments could fall upon Israel for disobedience, He also tells him what the people could do to remedy or fix any of those situations should they occur. If Israel was disobedient and God brought these judgments upon them, there was nothing the people could do to prevent the judgments, but God offered them a way to end the judgments. First, notice that even though Israel may be

5 disciplined by God for their sins, He still refers to them as my people, which are called by my name. They were God s people because He had called them for Himself; they belonged to Him (see Exodus 19:4-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:17-19; 27:9). Note: Since God chose Israel, they will always be His people. Israel did commit some of the most atrocious sins over their history, but God never abandoned them in favor of a different people. Yes, He would severely punish them, but He never wrote them off. They remained His even when they walked far from Him. The same thing is true of believers today. We were chosen by God for salvation (see John 15:16-19; Ephesians 1:3-14) and belong to Him (see Titus 2:14; I Peter 2:9-10). And no matter what we do, once we are saved, we can t lose our salvation nor will we ever stop being God s people (see John 10:27-29; I Peter 1:3-5), because nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:34-39). Since God was speaking about Israel as a nation, national repentance is in view here. The whole nation was expected to do at least four things in order to stop God s judgments. a. First, God said His people must humble themselves. The Hebrew word for humble means to subdue one s pride and submit in self-denying loyalty to God and His will. Humility is the first step in returning to God s favor. Without it there can be no true recognition of having done wrong. Whenever Israel, God s people dishonored His name by their iniquity, in humility they should honour His name by accepting their punishment (see Leviticus 26:41). They needed to let go of their pride and realize their

6 wrongdoing and need for God. b. Second, God said His people must pray. The word pray in this context refers to a shameless acknowledgment and confession of personal sin and a plea for God s mercy, much like that of David s prayer of repentance (see Psalms 51:1-2). c. Third, God said His people must seek my face. The word seek in Hebrew is often used in desperate situations in which God is the only possible hope for deliverance (see Deuteronomy 4:29-30). The Hebrew word for face can be translated as presence since seeing a person s face means being in their presence. So, to seek God s face means to seek His presence, and reestablish a broken fellowship. In the psalm that David gave to Asaph and his brethren, he said Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually (see I Chronicles 16:7-11). d. Even if Israel did the first three things, it would mean nothing unless they did the fourth thing: turn from their wicked ways, and return to the God from whom they have rebelled. The Hebrew word for turn is the Old Testament term for repentance and signifies a complete change of direction away from sin and toward God (see Ezekiel 18:30-32), as in an about face in military language. Turning from wickedness is the essential mark of true repentance. It is a transformed heart and a desire to be genuinely pleasing to God again. The activities of humbling, praying, seeking, and turning should be understood as four aspects of the act (or even the process) of biblical

7 repentance. God said that if His people, the Israelite nation, would do the four things He demanded, then He would hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. The phrase hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, was a direct answer to Solomon s prayer that God would hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive (see II Chronicles 6:21). God also added that He would heal their land. This probably refers to restoring the land to usefulness after the natural disasters that God would bring upon it for disobedience. It may also refer to restoring the people to their land like God did after the Babylonian Captivity. Because there was national sin, God promised national mercy by forgiving their sin, and healing their land. This proves that God s forgiving mercy leads to His healing mercy (see Psalms 103:3; Matthew 9:2-8). Note: I have often heard pastors and teachers use II Chronicles 7:14 to explain how a country can turn back to the Lord. All Scripture has either an interpretation or an application. The interpretation of a passage is who the words were originally intended for. The application is when there is a principle involved that can be applied to others. Yes, this verse does show the principle that God will restore in response to obedience, but we need to be careful about interpreting it as being for the United States or any other country. We must remember that God made this promise especially to the nation of Israel, His covenant people. Israel is the only nation or country that God chose as His own. So this verse is not a promise to Christians or whatever nation they live in. Of course, we should try to influence the spiritual direction of our country, but we should be

8 careful when applying this promise directly to our nation. Remember, God made His covenant with Israel, not America or any other nation. His new covenant or testament, is with individual Christians (see Matthew 26:28; I Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 10:11-18). The principle of II Chronicles 7:14 is for individual Christians. So, when we sin as individuals, the principle of II Chronicles 7:14 applies to us, that if we humble ourselves, and pray, and seek God s face, and turn from our wicked ways, we can expect God to hear from heaven, and forgive our personal sin, and heal our personal circumstances. C. The Lord s blessings to Israel (II Chronicles 7:15-16). 1. (vs. 15). Now that God had directed Solomon on how he and the people should respond to Him when they sinned, God said in this verse Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. In other words, God declared that going forward His eyes will always look favorably on the temple and His ears would be attentive to prayer offered in the temple. The reference to God s eyes and ears is what we call anthropomorphisms, which means applying human qualities to God for better human understanding of God. Of course God is a Spirit and has no physical eyes or ears. But the writers used those human terms to help the readers better understand God s qualities.

9 2. (vs. 16). God continued to say in this verse For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. Here God gives the reason why His eyes and ears would be attentive to Israel s prayers made from the temple. He said For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever. In other words, God had chosen and sanctified, or set aside this house so that His name would be honored there forever. God s name stands for who He is His character and His being. The Lord also said and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. Since God s name would be associated with this sanctified or holy temple, He also said that He would watch over it and think of it always. God s eyes convey the idea that God will always look out for His people. They will always have His full attention. God s heart speaks of His deep concern and care for His people. As noted earlier (see verse 15), the reference to God s eyes and ears are anthropomorphisms, applying human qualities to God for human understanding. D. The Lord s blessings to Solomon (see II Chronicles 7:17-18). 1. (vs. 17). In this verse God said And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my

10 judgments. After God gave instructions for how the nation should respond when they were guilty of rebellion and disobedience, God turned His focus directly to Solomon when He said And as for thee. God was saying Solomon, this is the blessing I have for you. Then God said if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee. God was telling Solomon what he would have to do in order to receive the blessing He had for him. Solomon had to follow God just like his father David had done. He was to constantly seek God s face and be obedient to His commands. David was to be Solomon s example of how to live before God. 2. (vs. 18). God continued to say in this verse Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. If Solomon imitated the life that his father David lived before God, The Lord promised Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father. In other words, God would establish Solomon s throne and kingdom based on the same covenant or promise that He made with his father David. The covenant of promise that God made to David was There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel meaning that David would always have a descendant or successor to rule over Israel. That covenant or promise was the Davidic Covenant and was made to David in II Samuel 7:12-16 and repeated in I Kings 2:4 and II Chronicles 6:16. It declared that God would establish David s kingdom and throne forever. Note: The Davidic Covenant was an

11 unconditional covenant which means that keeping the covenant depended on God s faithfulness alone, and David s behavior, good or bad, had nothing to do with God fulfilling the covenant. However, this verse seems to indicate that Solomon had to be obedient to the Lord in order for God to continue the covenant or promise. If Solomon or his descendants were disobedient, God will still fulfill the promise of this covenant, but He would chastise or discipline Solomon and his descendants (see II Samuel 7:14-16). God promised David that he would always have a descendant with the authority to rule in Judah, but he never made that promise to Solomon. God only promised Solomon that (1) he would build God a house for His name, (2) his kingdom would be established, (3) his throne or royal authority would endure forever, and (4) if Solomon sinned he would be chastised but not removed from the throne. So, Solomon s throne or authority to rule would continue, but his seed or descendants to continue to sit on the throne would not. The accuracy of this prediction is revealed in Israel s history. Israel had nine different dynasties, but Judah had only one David s. Jesus, who will one day sit on David s throne, was not from Solomon s line of descendants; He was a descendant of Nathan, another son of David (see Luke 3:23-31). Joseph, Mary s husband was a descendant of Solomon and through Joseph the throne legally passed to Jesus. Just as we all have two genealogies, so did Jesus. Mary s genealogy is found in Luke chapter 3:23-38, and Joseph s genealogy is found in Matthew 1:1-16. However, the throne or the authority to rule passed to Jesus through Nathan,

12 another son of David. Therefore, the throne or the authority to rule came through Solomon, but the seed, Jesus Christ came through Nathan. The last king in Solomon s line to sit on the throne of Judah was Jehoiachin (or Coniah-see Jeremiah 22:24-30). But the very last king to sit on the throne was Mattaniah whose name was changed by the Babylonians to Zedekiah (see Jeremiah 22:28-30). However, he was a distant relative of Solomon, not a descendant. All of this precisely fulfilled God s promise to David. IV. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT SEEKING GOD S FACE (II Chronicles 7:19-22) A. Israel s falling away (II Chronicles 7:19). In this verse God said But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them. In verse 17, God told Solomon that he expected him to keep all His statues and judgments. Then God turned to specific acts of disobedience Solomon was to avoid. First, God said But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you. The Lord expected Solomon to keep his focus on Him, and not turn away from His laws that he knew very well. Not only was Solomon to keep God s laws, God also forbade him to go and serve other gods, and worship

13 them. The Lord held this warning in high esteem because it speaks of the very first commandment that God gave to Moses: Thou shalt have no other gods before me (see Exodus 20:3-5). Breaking this command would bring dire consequences. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Solomon and most of the other kings of Judah did (see I Kings 11:4-8). They forsook the Lord and followed the false gods of the surrounding nations. B. Removal from the land and destruction of the temple (II Chronicles 7:20-22). 1. (vs. 20). God says in this verse Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. If Solomon and the succeeding kings refused to heed God s warning, God said Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them. It was only natural that if the king turned from God, it wouldn t be long before the people followed making everyone guilty. So God declared that if Israel rebelled against Him and followed other gods, just like a weed is pulled out of the ground, and tossed away, He would pluck them up by the roots and put them out of the land He had given them. God fulfilled this promise when the Israelites were taken out of the land and carried captive to Assyria and then to Babylon (see II Kings 17:5-23; II Chronicles 36:15-21; Lamentations 1:1-5).

14 Not only would God send His people out of their land, He also said and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. God would cast out of His sight the great and beautiful temple that Solomon built for Him. The same place God made holy by attaching His name to it. This house that took Solomon seven years to complete (see I Kings 6:37-38) would no longer be God s dwelling place. It would certainly be destroyed. And that s just what happened (see II Kings 25:8-10)! God also said that He would make it (the temple) to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. In other words, the destroyed temple would become a laughing stock among the surrounding nations. This wonderful structure that God s people put so much trust in for protection (see Jeremiah 7:4) would become an object of scorn to all nations. Note: God gave this message to Solomon because he was supposed to be a godly example to his people. The nation would tend to follow its king. If he followed God, the country would thrive, and he would have a dynasty. If Solomon strayed from God, he and his nation would suffer judgment. Obedience does lead to blessing, but disobedience leads to disaster (see Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15). 2. (vs. 21). The Lord goes on to say in this verse And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? Still talking about the temple, God went on to say And this house, which is high, shall be

15 an astonishment to every one that passeth by it. All of Israel s neighbors who walked past or through the ruins of the temple will look at it in amazement, causing them to ask Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? Of course, the peoples surrounding Judah would have no idea why Israel s God destroyed the land and the temple, because they knew nothing of Israel s history and God s warnings to them. 3. (vs. 22). In our final verse, God said And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. Not only did God tell Solomon what question those who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple would ask, He also told him what the answer would be. God said And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. In other words, anyone who questioned why God destroyed the nation, their answer would be because Israel abandoned the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) of their fathers; the same God that delivered their ancestors from Egyptian bondage. Instead of being obedient to His many warnings to stay away from false gods, they still laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. The Lord s people gave false gods the worship and service that they should ve given to Him because He alone deserves it. The last part of this verse says

16 therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. In other words, this is the reason that God brought this judgment upon His people. The word evil here does not mean wrong doing or unrighteousness. When used of God, it means disaster, distress or trouble and speaks of God s judgment. V. Conclusion. The idea of seeking God s face is basic to our relationship and fellowship with Him. Once we have trusted in Jesus Christ and His salvation, we become children of God. But just like our human mothers or fathers show their displeasure with our actions by looking away from us and even not talking to us, God also may turn away His face from us (see II Chronicles 30:9). We are still His children, but we might lose daily blessings that come from His favor to us. We can lose the fellowship we have with Him, but we can t lose our relationship with Him (see John 10:26-29). The most wonderful thing about the Christian life is that we have an intimate relationship with our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and with our Father in heaven. Therefore, it should not be hard for us to seek His face continually.

17 ***The Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Union Gospel Press***