2 Chronicles 7
Scripture:
14 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.
15 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.
17 “As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws,
18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’
19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them,
20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.
Observation:
The temple is build and the Lord responds to Solomon. In fact, the Lord makes some very significant promises to Solomon in this chapter. Basically, if they continue to follow the Lord, He will hear and respond to their prayers. However, if they turn their back on the Lord, then He will remove his protection from them. Can it be that easy? Well, we all know it sounds easier than it is to execute. Life gets tough, we get distracted, and we mess up from time to time. There are two encouragements that I take from this chapter. First, that God cares for us and, as long as we do what He commands, He’ll be there for us through the tough times in life. Secondly, the Lord uses David as the example for following Him. This tells me that we do not need to be without mistake, we simply need a heart that desires God more than anything on this earth. David committed some well documented sins. However, when David realized what he had done, he sought immediate forgiveness. God will forgive our mistakes if our desires for Him are sincere. If you are in need of the Lord’s presence, protection, or provision then turn your heart and life to Him. He will be there for you.
Application:
- Personal Application: The prayers of the righteous have incredible power and presence to the Lord. Devote your heart to the Lord and seek Him daily.
- Family Devotional: Read this portion of scripture and ask them what they think it means to them. After having some discussion about this verse, challenge your family to follow God’s commands and continue to seek after Him. Pray for your family to serve the Lord all the days of their life.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the strength to “turn from our wicked ways” and to do all God commands.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that the focus of your family’s heart will be to honor God and to serve Him daily.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, August 30 – Sunday, September 6:
- Sunday, August 30: 2 Chronicles 2
- Monday, August 31: 2 Chronicles 3
- Tuesday, September 1: 2 Chronicles 4
- Wednesday, September 2: 2 Chronicles 5
- Thursday, September 3: 2 Chronicles 6
- Friday, September 4: 2 Chronicles 7
- Saturday, September 5: 2 Chronicles 8
- Sunday, September 6: 2 Chronicles 9
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblicia, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Fire Bible® elements including all Articles, the Bible Reading Plan, selected black and white maps and charts as noted, Book Introductions and outlines, color maps and the Color Map Index, footnotes, Study Notes, Subject Index, Themefinder™Index are the property of Life Publishers International, Springfield, MO U.S.A. All rights reserved.