WEEKLY
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An
international Sunday school lesson commentary
For
Sunday March 25, 2018
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KEEPING
GOD’S STATUTES AND ORDINANCES
(The
LORD’s response to Solomon)
(2
Chronicles 7:11-22)
In
2 Chronicles 7, verses 11-22, after King Solomon had ended the dedication
ceremonies for the new Temple of the LORD, which he had built at Jerusalem, the
LORD appeared to him one night to confirm to him that HE had heard his prayers,
and had indeed chosen the Temple as the place where sacrifices to HIM would be
accepted. However, the LORD told Solomon that, from time to time there would be
tests of their faith and obedience, through droughts, pestilence, famine, or
plagues, that will help to keep them humble and committed to serving HIM
(Vs.11-13).
As always, with GOD, HIS blessings become
effective only if we, who are obedient and committed to doing HIS Will, are
consistent in our loyalty and behavior towards HIM. And so, staying true to HIS
ways, the now famous, verse of Scripture, 2 Chronicles 7:14, is told to King
Solomon by the Almighty GOD of Heaven and earth. There HE states; “Then if MY people who call themselves by MY
name will humble themselves and pray and seek MY face and turn from their
wicked ways, I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their
land”.
This prescription for answered prayer that
is presented here in this passage, and indeed, throughout Scripture, is a concept
that permeates the Christian Faith. First, the supplicant, or, the person who
is praying, must be willing to commit themselves to the Will of GOD at all
times, and must not be ashamed to “call themselves by HIS name” (Christian), or,
be willing to publically confess their faith and belief in HIM to others. We must
confess our need for GOD, even before we can repent of our wrongs before GOD.
Secondly, we must “humble ourselves”, pray
and seek GOD wholeheartedly, and actually be willing to “turn from our wicked
ways”, which is what humbling ourselves really means. We have to totally
abandon the hope we have in ourselves and begin to totally rely on GOD, just as
an infant, or young child, relies on his or her parents for survival.
In all actuality, these conditions that we
must follow as Christians are not so much to be viewed as conditions that GOD
requires, as they are a description of the person who is most likely to pray in
the first place. Only a person with the faith and desire to have a personal,
experiential relationship with GOD will actually turn to GOD in those moments
when we need supernatural help that seems to be beyond our own human capacity.
As GOD tells King Solomon in this passage,
and as HE told his father David before him, HIS promises are “conditional”, and
they always hinge upon our willingness to be obedient to HIM. Whenever we
decide to become disobedient and begin to seek our own ways, we automatically
put ourselves on a track, moving in the opposite direction from GOD (toward
evil). If, over time, we continue to move farther and farther away from GOD, eventually,
the gap between us and GOD will become so wide, that GOD will become like this
obscure figure in our lives, whom we once knew.
In other words, the farther we move away
from GOD, the smaller GOD will appear to be to us in our lives. We will begin
to render HIS influence less significant, and some of us will even choose to
avoid GOD altogether, opening up opportunities for the devil to wreck all kinds
of havoc in our lives.
GOD doesn’t force HIMSELF into our lives,
HE has to be invited in. And although HE may knock often, HE won’t break the
door down and force HIMSLF into our lives. Surely GOD has to choose us, but HE
still gives us “wills that are free” where we can either accept or reject HIS
invitation at any time, while we yet live.
Although GOD’s covenant promise with David did
have certain conditions, there was, however, no chance that the covenant itself
would ever be discontinued due to the lifestyle choices of his descendants. Solomon,
and all of the Davidic kings who followed him, would have an opportunity to
enjoy the blessing of that covenant, but only if they were, and continued to
be, obedient to GOD in their perspective lifetimes. It was incumbent upon each
king to personally choose to do the right things toward GOD.
The Davidic covenant itself is a permanent
one, and it transcends generational lifestyles and choices of obedience or
disobedience. The promise is that King David will always have a descendant on
the throne of Israel, however, how things went for the respective descendants
to the throne in each generation, was up to that individual king himself. They
were always free, at any time, to choose who they wished to serve. If they
abandoned the GOD of their ancestor David, they would wreak disasters upon
themselves, however, if they remained obedient to GOD, they would reign in
peace and security throughout their lifetime, but the Davidic covenant promise
itself would continue, uninterrupted, for all time.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
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