Point # 4 – God is STILL talking exclusively to the Godly King Solomon. He is telling him the conditions upon which he and his descendants will continue to rule His people.

“And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe My statutes and My judgments; Then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake My statutes and My commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for My Name, will I cast out of My sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.”

God, still addressing Solomon, speaks of the conditions of his continued rule and the rule of successive generations.  “…if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe My statutes and My judgments; Then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom”

God’s promise is conditional to the heart of the leader. God delegated the authority to lead to David and then subsequently to Solomon his son. Additionally, God offered to them a promise that their descendants would rule perpetually upon certain conditions. None of these conditions were outside of their control. The conditions were all within the sphere authority of the ruler. This promise had nothing to do with the hearts of His people Israel. The conditions of ruling perpetually were within the power of David and his descendants.

Continue reading

Point # 3 – God is STILL talking to His Godly King Solomon. He is responding to his request (2 Chron. 6:24-31), that God hear the prayers of His people when they repent for sins which bring trouble on them by way of judgement.

“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.”

God’s promise hear is to His king.

Notice the promise was to heal the land of the natural disasters brought on them due to judgement for their sins.

Consider the examples of disasters God mentions:

1. No rain on the land.
2. Any plague that devours the land (locust and such).
3. Pestilence (sickness) in the land.

Absolutely none of this is addressing political issues!

God is not promising Israel a metaphorical “healing of the land” meaning restoration of good leadership. In fact, He would not be promising anything if a good political leader had not just humbly prayed to Him in the first place!

Continue reading

Point # 2 –  God is STILL talking to the King. He is affirming to Solomon that He may at times bring calamity upon Israel in response to their sins – just like the king had said in his prayer in 2 Chron. 6:24-31.

“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;”

God is addressing Solomon (not Israel) in response to his prayer. Read what Solomon prayed and then look at the issues God addresses in His response. Again, for emphasis sake, I have color coded this passage. All of the words in blue are Israel’s part (good or bad). All of the words in purple are Gods part – but PLEASE remember – this was a prayer from Solomon to God.

“And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.” – 2 Chron. 6:24-31

So we can clearly see, that God heard Solomon’s prayer and is responding very specifically to all that he mentioned in his prayer to God. God is here saying in response to Solomon, that if He sends these disasters on Israel due to their sins, (which He seems to think He will or this part of the passage has no meaning) then the following is what they AS A NATION, must do…

“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.”

Continue reading