“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, 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.” – 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
Have you seen this Bible passage recently?
I have. I’ve seen various memes on Facebook and articles written which quote this passage. I used to see it occasionally, but, now that we are in the middle of a pandemic, I see it even more.
It seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? There is a pestilence on our land called COVID 19. The solution is everyone has to humble themselves, pray, turn to God, and stop all the evil stuff. If we do that, then God will remove the coronavirus.
Is this passage relevant to today or to the United States?
We love to pull Bible passages out of context and claim them as our own, but without context, we can misunderstand the Bible pretty badly. This particular passage is between God and Solomon right after the building of the Temple in Jerusalem was completed. It was a message for Israel.
It’s interesting that when I see this passage quoted, people point out the command to humble themselves and turn to God, etc. However, they leave out the two verses that follow.
“Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 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.” – 2 Chronicles 7:15-16
If we read it all together, then we would not only have to humble ourselves, pray, etc., we would need to do it in the Temple in Jerusalem. It has been destroyed, though, so that’s going to be difficult.
So, What Does This Passage Tell Me?
This passage is a promise for a particular people. God treated Israel differently than He did other nations and the reality is America isn’t Isreal.
What we learn, here, is the kind of God God is.
These are eternal attributes of God. They are still relevant, today, for us.
The Church, Not the U.S.
If you want to make a stronger direct association with something, today, this passage would better fit when applied to the church than the U.S. It’s still not a perfect parallel as the church is not a nation, but the Church is God’s people. God promises to hear us when we pray. If we turn from Him, He will work to bring us back (think of the parable of the Good Shepherd). When we return, God shows us mercy on us, forgives us, and heals the church.
So, yes, we should turn to God in humble repentance. We should do that whether there is a pandemic or not. We should also be confident that God will not seek us out when we wander and that He will show us mercy when we repent.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for your love and mercy. When we in Your church go astray, please seek us out and bring us back, even through discipline. We know that just as a loving father disciplines his children, Your discipline is love for us.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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