Most of us are familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14:
...and 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Many of us learned it with an, "If," but the actual meaning is not a conditional, "if," but more of a "when," so NASB translated it as "...and." The verse (13) before explains why.
13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people...
God knows His people will "stray" and then return. This promise is that when they "humble themselves, pray, and seek His face," turning from the wicked ways of pride, not praying, and ignoring Him, then He will hear, forgive, and heal. This promise is not unique. In fact, Moses gave them the same thing twice in Deuteronomy. It was not as succinct, but the meaning was identical.
Deuteronomy 4 has the first warning. Basically, Moses warns them that they will be tempted to forget God, or at least add some other gods to His worship. Moses cautions them that it will not "go well" with them. (Verses 25-28) But look at verse 29.
But from there (exile) you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
In essence Moses promises that they will return and,
For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.
The same theme is repeated at the end of the book. Chapters 27 and 28 detail the curses and blessings that God promises will come on the people, depending on their obedience, once they enter the land. Then in Chapter 30 we read:
So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind...and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.
Doesn't that sound like the Chronicles passage? Here is the point of the discussion. Moses has completed the comparison of obedience and rebellion He finishes with this impassioned plea:
19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants."
The Israelites, like nations today, have the option of choosing God's way or their own. Note how Moses couched it: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life!" The options are dire and destructive.
We personally have the same choice. We can forsake our wicked ways of not being humble, not praying, and not seeking God's face. The promise is that He will hear, forgive, and heal. What a promise.
Choose life.
No comments:
Post a Comment