July 30, 2024 — suggested reading: II Chronicles 6:12 – 7:22

“After Solomon finished building the Lordʼs temple and the royal palace, and accomplished all his plans for the Lordʼs temple and his royal palace, the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made. When I close up the sky so that it doesnʼt rain, or command locusts to devour the landʼs vegetation, or send a plague among my people, if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there. You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. Then I will establish your dynasty, just as I promised your father David, ʻYou will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.ʼ “But if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of mockery and ridicule among all the nations. As for this temple, which was once majestic, everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ʻWhy did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?ʼ Others will then answer, ʻBecause they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.ʼ”. II Chronicles 7:11-22

The books of I and II Chronicles consists of four major sections: A long genealogical introduction in chapters 1 through 9; the united monarchy under David and Solomon in chapter 10 through II Chr. 9; a discussion of the divided monarchy II Chr. 10 – 38; and a conclusion in II Chr. 29 – 36. The most important section, as stated by some biblical scholars, comes in the second section that deals with David and Solomon and the divine promises made to both. Three theological themes appear: concern with the past that provides the people a sense of identity; a concern for the “unity” of Israel; and the continuing theme that obedience to G-d leads to blessing and disobedience leads to judgment. We see this theme in our text today — especially the one about judgment:

“if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of mockery and ridicule among all the nations.”

It is a warning that still holds water for the people of G-d today. If we follow the teaching of the Lord, our lives may not always be filled with roses and sunshine, but the guidance of the Lord will sustain us no matter the hills or valleys we encounter.

Pastor Dave