To Turn from Wicked Ways

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Chronicles 7:12-14 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.  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;  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.”  

     Second Chronicles 7:14 is one of the more famous passages from the Old Testament.  It has been used a lot in promoting a cure for the plagues that come upon any nation and especially our nation as we are leaning more towards Christianity than other religions.  It is used in advertising for prayer programs and for revival.  You can purchase larger formats to hang on your wall or on other articles perhaps even Tee Shirts.

     Verse 12 gives us the timing of the passage.  Solomon had dedicated the temple and oxen and sheep were sacrificed in great numbers.  God consumed the sacrifices with a magnificent display of power and the people were praising God. They were praising God for a time, but then trouble came.  Solomon was the last king of the unified israel and a split came upon the country and Solomoon’s Son would lead only a part of the Kingdom because they did evil and began to do just what God warned them not to do.   Soon, altars appeared in Israel and idolatry began to flourish.  Eventually, Israel and Judah, the now divided kingdom, would go into captivity and the magnificent temple would be destroyed.  We know well the story of what took place  after Solomon’s reign of forty years as it is recorded in the Old Testament.  We, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, know what is needed in our country today and so we quote the above passage.  One thing seems to be lacking however and that is the phrase, “and turn from their wicked ways.”  As a nation, we have failed to do that and as individuals we have also failed to do that.  It is called “repentance.”    Mankind is not willing in the days in which we are now living to come to repentance for our sins.  Our idols still are among us but we have failed to name them.  When people will flock by the thousands to sit out in terrible weather to watch a football game but not be willing to go to a place of worship, then an idol has replaced God.  We have killed over fourteen million babies this year along in the whole world.  Mankind has gone back to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah as sexual pleasure has consumed mankind today.  Where does repentance for a nation begin?  It has to begin with you and me.  Believers need to humble themselves individually and to begin being serious about our relationship with God and to turn from those things which are contrary to God’s Word.  Praise Him for giving us His Standards ford daily living.