Scripture:
2 Chronicles 7:11-18 ESV
- [11] Thus, Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. [12] Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. [13] 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, [14] 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. [15] Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. [16] For now, I have chosen and consecrated this house so that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all the time. [17] And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, [18] then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’
Observation:
Solomon was successful at what he did. Building the temple and his own house. He made a plan and stuck to it after 20 years. He got to see the final product. That’s a long time to be working on a project. However, the payoff was not small. Solomon’s name would go down in history. He would not only be known as the wisest man on the planet, but he would be known for building the house of the LORD after the hard work was done. The LORD came to see him. HE confirmed the work that had been done and told Solomon thank you in a way. By saying I have chosen this place as a house of sacrifice. Solomon had been praying just before the LORD appeared to him, and HE made sure Solomon knew that he was heard. Now I have to say verse 13 almost seems out of place. The LORD switches the conversation from I heard you to… When devastation happens. I almost wonder what Solomon’s face looked like at that moment. I picture him a little puzzled. Like, wait, I just built a house for myself, and you LORD, and you’re telling me that locust pestilence and drought will take place. How did we get to this part of the conversation again…? GOD knows the heart of man. He knows that when things are good, we have a tendency to forget about HIM, and when things are bad, we have a tendency to blame HIM. Corrective measures were sometimes needed. HE made sure in verse 14 to tell Solomon how to get back on track when that time came. This is one of my favorite verses because it gives a plan of action. The Bible tells in more than one spot that GOD resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. HIS instructions to Solomon for the people were simple… trun… pray… seek… but most of all remain humble, and these things WILL happen. GOD loves to hear the prayers of a humble heart. HIS guidance to Solomon confirms that by telling him, his eyes and ears will be open to the prayers offered to HIM in the place Solomon had built for HIM. Now, I do have to say that the LORD had laid out the path to the good life… it’s following the ways HE had laid out. Verses 17-18 tell Solomon this is how to make it happen… do what David did, and you will never lack a man on the throne. So the question remains: What did David do…? Well again, look back at verse 14… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways, seek my face I will…
Application:
If your life is not good, it’s not GOD’S fault. HE has given us instructions on how to correct anything we have going on. Remain humble and talk to HIM. When we go to blaming HIM for decisions that we made, it’s very prideful. You see, we have this thing called free will. We make our own choices, and things happen according to the choices we make. So when things go bad, it’s because we have not sought the face of GOD or we did but did not like HIS answer and did it our way. Either way, it’s not GOD’S fault. Now, how do we get back on track when we find ourselves in the wrong place. Again, just like yesterday’s SOAP, we have to acknowledge our sins and turn from them. This type of action can only happen with a humble heart. A heart that is willing to seek the face of GOD. It does not matter how much good we do if our heart is out of position with GOD. We can never earn our way. But if we seek HIM, HE will open doors for us. HE will guide our feet to the path HE laid out for us. It’s honestly no different than the path HE laid out for David or his son Solomon or Moses or Abraham or Jacob or many others. HE used in a mighty way. Follow HIM, and you will walk a straight path. Acknowledge your sin and turn from it. At the beginning of my walk with GOD and recovery. I was what you might call unstable. I thought some things were OK because the government said they were stuff like pot kratom and alcohol. The further along, I got, and the more I sought HIS face, the more I realized it’s all or nothing, I had to give HIM the very best of me. I have never regretted that decision. I have to say that when I seek GOD’S face, my life is awesome. I’m not saying I don’t face things because I do, but I know HE has got me, and I count those things joy and see them as growth opportunities rather than setbacks. I know GOD’S got me. Not because I am something… but because HE is my everything… when people let me down, HE never will. When everyone else leaves, HE never forgets about me. Acknowledge and turn, and HE will make your path straight.
Prayer:
Father, you are good. Help us to see where we need to make changes. We want you. We want to be molded and shaped like your son. Allow us to be humble and move forward in the plan you have for us. It may not be an easy path, but with you on our side, we know that nothing can get in our way. We pray that our hearts remain repented and that rather than hide our sin, we bring it to you so you can remove it as far as the east is from the west. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.