2Chronicles 7:11-16

This Is Who We Are, Part 3

Our Place in the Land
There is a new breed of detective show today. One with more brain and
less brawn. These cops are no Bruce Willis, surviving impossible odds by wits
and a smidgen of luck. The cops I'm thinking of don't give us cute little catch
phrases like "Yippe Kai Yeah!"
The cop I'm thinking of is more of a super-sleuth. He or she is known as a
profiler. A profiler is a breed of cop that arises out of our need for some way to
combat the latest evolution of evil, the serial-killer. Profilers are specifically
trained to think with the criminal mind, to place themselves in the shoes of the
perpetrator. Their tools are the clues of a crime scene -- the resources used to
commit the crime, the victim selected, the evidence left purposely by the criminal
to serve as his calling card. From these clues the profiler recreates the crime and
then reasons back to what type of person might perform such an act. With the
right information, these super-sleuths can give you the approximate age, the
ethnicity, probable motive and some of the background of the criminal. All this,
simply from piecing together the circumstances of the crime scene.
In the last ten years or so and as recently as this past September, I've heard
a lot of the leaders in popular Christianity make proclamations which makes me
think of them as profilers for God. Theological profilers, if you will. They watch
the horror of September 11 and begin to instantly interpret it as an act of an angry
God. Anthrax tainted mail slithers its way through our society on its way to
prominent targets, and it is deemed God's judgment. Then in reverent tones they
say "If America doesn't repent soon God's going to have to apologize to Sodom
and Gomorrah." They cry out for America to repent. Turn back before the wrath
of God comes to rest upon our land. It's time for revival! All the while forgetting

1
that now we see as through a darkened mirror.
And I say, wait a minute. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for revival sweeping
the land. I live for the day when I come to church and have to lay on my face in
the aisle because the presence of God is so thick, it is the only acceptable form of
worship. I am pro-repentance! As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's a
prerequisite. But I want to examine this judgment thing. Instead of simply
looking at the circumstances of earth and trying to read into them the truths of
heaven, I say let's take a deep breath, pause for a moment and see if the Scriptures
can illumine our counsels with wisdom. Instead of dusting the events of the day
for the fingerprints of God -- looking for some clue which can tell us what he's up
to -- let's go back to the one place where he has recorded his thoughts already, the
Bible.
In 2 Chronicles 7:11-16, we find a rather peculiar story. A story that speaks
of what can be thought of as a disturbing pattern. I want to spend this morning
exploring this pattern -- what it signifies and what it means for us. To do this we
need to look at three things. The first is answering the question "Why was the
book of Chronicles written?" That completed we then need to answer a second
question. "What events lead up to the story in the text?" In other words, what's
the context? And finally, we'll explore how the pattern we find impacts us today
by asking, "Who's God speaking to?"

Our text this morning, comes out of one of only two books in the Scriptures
that records all of human history from creation to the time of the author. In the
original text, first and second Chronicles are one book and looking at the two
combined is like standing over a time-line and seeing all of history in one glance.
The chronicler accomplished this by making the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles
a genealogy that stretches back to Adam. The other book that does this is the
Gospel of Matthew.

2
 The reason Chronicles covers such a broad scope is because it was written
to answer some huge questions for the people of Israel as they were coming out of
exile. It was written for those who were returning to the Promised Land after the
Babylonian captivity, when Cyrus decreed that the temple should be rebuilt. The
remnant of Israel was returning to a land that was stripped of its former glory
known under Solomon and it was kingless, without an heir to David's throne. It
seemed as if all the promises of God were null and void. So they naturally asked,
"Does the covenant remain? Are we still God's people? Or are we godless?"
The writer of Chronicles answers these questions with his written history of
Israel. By including the genealogies in the first nine chapters -- a portion of
Scripture known by one commentator as "Scriptural Sominex" -- the writer first
shows their connection to our original parents and the promises extended to
Abraham. He then pays particular attention to God's faithfulness in keeping his
promises toward Israel, especially the promise to maintain David's throne.
In order to do this and give hope to the remnant, the chronicler has to
answer two questions:

1. How did they then end up in exile?

2. How do you see God's faithfulness in the exile?
Sound's like a tall order doesn't it? Just remember, the writer was under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The writer answers these questions by showing a cause and effect
relationship between Israel's obedience to the law and the land. If Israel was to
remain secure, she must keep God's commandments. She must fulfill her task of
being a light to the nations. How does she do this? By living according to the law.
Such a life would reflect the glory of God to all those around and draw them into a
faith in God. Isn't it funny? That's still what God's people are about today. Jesus
said that people would know we are his disciples by our love for one another. In
3
Romans 13:8, Paul says that the one who loves his neighbor fulfills the law. In
other words, God's purpose for his people hasn't changed. He commands his
people, "Bless the nations with the good news of my grace and mercy that led you
up out of the land of slavery -- out of the bondage of sin. Do this by leading lives
full of grace and mercy. As I have done toward you in Jesus Christ, do toward
your neighbor." Israel failed to live according to that command, and so was
exiled.
You see, what the writer does by demonstrating that Israel's disobedience is
the cause of their exile is show that God is faithful to his promise. It was Israel
who was unfaithful. So the covenant remains -- God's promises stand -- awaiting
the grateful acceptance of his people.
We can see this most clearly in v. 14 of our text today.

"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
will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will hear their
land."
What the chronicler is saying to his people through this story is "Yes! God is
faithful. When we were in exile, we humbled ourselves and prayed, we sought his
face and repented of the sins of our fathers and look! God delivered us! We are
back in the land! God is with Israel. We are his people and he is our God! His
goodness and promises endure forever."
I don't know about you, but this stirs my blood! This is our God people!
Faithful. Patient. Forbearing.

Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;

Praise his holy name!
For his anger lasts only a moment,
But his favor lasts a lifetime!
The chronicler shows his people through their history that God's promises

4
endure. They have reason for confidence that though they forsook the Lord, he
did not forsake them. God was still with Israel. That's the background for why the
text was written.
But now, let's narrow the focus a little and look at the circumstances
surrounding the text itself. Although it isn't directly stated in the text, there is a
thirteen-year period that lay between v.10 and v.11 of chapter 7. In vv. 1-10, we
see Solomon dedicating the temple after its completion. There is feasting,
celebration and sacrifices in plenty. All of Israel is packed into the regions
surrounding Jerusalem for God's house-warming party. And then, the glory of the
Lord fills the temple. Such was the presence of God that the priests couldn't
continue with their rituals.
My grandfather, who lived his life as a back-woods Wesleyan preacher,
used to tell a story about an old church nestled deep in the hills of West Virginia.
The church sat perched on the feet of a steep hillside near the one dirt road that led
into the community. Papaw used to say that when they held revivals in that
church, the Spirit of God would become so manifest there among them that you
could feel his presence long before you ever got to the door. He said you'd be
walking down the hill, and wham! It'd hit you. So heavy was the weight of God's
holiness on that place, that by the time you got to the door all you could do was
fall down face first in awe. The whole assembly, he'd say, would be on their faces,
prostrate before God praying. All the whooping and singing they had planned to
do was forgotten in the face of such an awesome presence.
That's how I picture the dedication of the temple. All those grand plans, for
naught. God fills the place and teaches a lesson in humility on how he will be
worshipped. The Scriptures say that God's glory was manifested so greatly that it
filled and surrounded the temple so that all present saw it and was in awe.
Just prior to this tremendous manifestation of God's presence, Solomon
5
offered a prayer of dedication asking God to remember his covenant with Israel
and to hear the prayers offered in this place. Particularly, Solomon spoke of when
Israel walked in disobedience, bringing judgment, that God would hear the cry of
those who prayed in this place and respond with mercy.
This brings us to v.11 of our text this morning. The celebration of
dedication for the temple is a memory now. Solomon has had time to build the
royal palace as well, some thirteen years later. Everything he had in mind to do
both in his palace and the temple has been completed. Solomon can rest now.
He's got his place, God's got his -- the God of all creation who fills all he has
created manifested himself particularly in the city of Jerusalem in the temple. But
all the giddy excitement of the day when the temple was first opened has receded
behind the press of every day life. And then, God makes a house call. Look at
vv.12-16.
The 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.
“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, 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their
sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my
ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have
chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be
there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.1
There are a few things I want to note about this text, a few important
details. The first is this -- God is answering Solomon's prayer of dedication found
in chapter 6. Let that sink in for a moment. This is thirteen years after the prayer
is offered. I almost have to wonder if Solomon recognizes what is happening. I
know that I find it hard to remember what I prayed last week unless I write it

1The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
6
down. This is thirteen years later!
Regardless of whether Solomon remembers or not is not the issue. The
issue is that God does, and in his time he is offering an answer. Christian, be
encouraged by this. We may not see immediate response to our prayers, but that
doesn't mean there is no response. Our God is faithful. He hears and he honors
every prayer of faith, in his time.
The second thing I want to note is who God is talking to in this passage.
His people who are called by his name. What you have to remember about Israel
at this time is that the Israelites were not the only ones in the land. Although they
were instructed under Joshua to drive out all of the Canaanites, the Hebrews made
a treaty with some and allowed them to live. Since that time, intermarriage has
occurred, contact and trade with foreign nations has made Israel prosperous, and
the king's heart was being slowly turned to accept foreign gods by his foreign
wives and concubines. So the Israelites are not the only ones in the land, yet God
is speaking specifically to them.
Now, bearing these two things in mind, let's look again at what God says to
Solomon.

"When I shut up the heavens....or command the locusts to devour....or

send a plague among my people...."
Okay, let me concede that God is speaking about judgment here. God is saying,
"Solomon, there's judgment coming. The people are going to live in continuous
disobedience against me and when they do, I'm going to break out against you."
But note who it is God is speaking to? Who is it that God is going to break
out against? Is it the heathens in the land? Those who don't believe in God? No!
Look at v.14

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from..." what? "Their wicked ways!"
7
It's his people! They are the ones who are bringing judgment upon the land, not
the sinners -- it's the saints! What is so interesting about this passage and what is
found through out the history of Israel is that judgment always comes when Israel
fails to obey and live out her calling before God. You see, that's the pattern. The
prophets are thick with it.
You see, when we speak of judgment, for us it is always, in every way,
punitive. Judgment is God getting back at us puny humans for dissing him. So
when we see a great woe upon the land, or a dread disease sweeping through a
people group, we point and say, "God's mad at them." The problem is that we
have a wrong view of what judgment is about. Now, let me clarify by saying there
is coming a day when the wrath stored up for those who reject God's offer of
mercy and atonement on the merits of Christ's finished work will be unleashed.
But folks, that's the final judgment.
My point is this, if we see judgment here -- on earth -- its not because God
is mad at those who don't know him. It's not because the slaves of sin play with
their chains. It's because his people, the ones he led out of bondage with a strong
arm and a mighty hand -- the ones he set free -- return to their shackles. If
judgment comes, it comes as a wake up call for his people -- in other words it
comes as a means of discipline and its ultimate goal is redemption. That's why we
exercise discipline in the church. Why Paul exhorts us in his letters to the
Corinthians to expel the immoral brother from the assembly. Not to punish him
for being naughty, but to teach him his need for God in the hopes that will lead to
Godly sorrow and repentance -- and in the end, redemption. Look with me at the
last part of v. 14.

"...then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their
land."
Remember the context of the verse. God has come to Solomon in a vision,
8
before Israel is lost in idolatry. And he tells Solomon when -- in other words its
going to happen -- the people go astray, here's what you do. Here's how you read
the judgment I'm sending upon the land. It's not to destroy you. It's to lead you
back home. It's to tell you I'm waiting for you, wanting to forgive and heal. Call
my name, ask for help, and I'll be there. God's words to Solomon are more than
just words of warning -- they are words hope, words of restoration, words of
revival.
May I suggest something here? If there is judgment coming upon this land,
its not because of the sin of unbelievers. It's because of the sin of the saints. Our
nation isn't going to be judged because of what happens in San Francisco. The
recent tragedies in our nation is a consequence of mankind's fall into sin, just as
having your fingers burned is the consequence of grabbing a hot coal. It is the
result of sin twisting that which should be good – a fundamental belief in a
gracious and benevolent Creator – into something violent and evil. But it is not
judgment. If judgment comes, it will be because the church of Jesus Christ chose
to sleep in the light rather combat the forces of darkness.
Christian, let me remind you that for every finger you point at the
unbelieving, there are three pointing back at you. It's so easy for us to see the
misfortune of the godless and call it judgment. I ought to know, I often catch
myself hoping fervently -- nearly daring to pray for it -- that every reckless driver
that whizzes by me talking on a cell phone would meet Trooper Joe over the next
rise. What I should be doing is praying for their safety, hoping they will see the
danger they present before they kill themselves or somebody else.
It shouldn't surprise us when the unbelieving sin, it should break our hearts.
Because we know the riches that they are missing out on. We shouldn't smugly
name the consequences they reap from their life of sin as God's wrath. We should
weep with them, plead with them accept the free gift of God. Without it, they may
9
not know God's wrath now, but they will.
People of God, here's the message. We have a task to do. If there is
judgment coming on the land, it's because we are not doing it. What's the task?
We're to bear witness to Jesus Christ our Lord -- manifest the glory God for others
to see and be drawn to faith in Christ. Like leaven placed in a lump of dough,
we're work our way through out our community, communicating the truth in love.
This is who we are. That's what it means to live in the land of God's freedom -- to
be a citizen of the New Jerusalem, part of the history of blessing . God never
asked us to be theological profilers, pointing the finger of condemnation. Only
Christ has that authority. But he did ask us to be his hands and his feet. We need
to get about the Father's business before it's too late. The day is coming when
Christ will return and this time, it will be as the righteous judge.

10