Today I would like to focus on a verse that many preachers and Christian leaders often quote on the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. Can you guess what verse is that? 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "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 I will hear from heaven, and I will heal their land."
Dr. Russell D. Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, says, "Often, the way this verse will be preached in many evangelical pulpits is as a rallying cry. In so many sermons, the "people" referred to in the passage are the American people, and the "land" is the American land. The meaning of the text is understood as an invitation to 21st century America to "return to God" and then enjoy God's blessing once again. It's no wonder one scholar said that 2 Chronicles 7:14 is "the John 3:16 of the American civil religion."
What does the verse mean? Can we apply this verse to America and our home countries today? The key to understanding any verse of Scripture is context. If we want to interpret the Bible responsibly, especially the Old Testament, we must understand its context because it was written in a particular context (not descended from heaven). There is the immediate context: the verses before and after it, and the broader context of Scripture, which is how the verse fits into the overall story. There is also the historical and cultural context—how the verse was understood by its original audience in light of their history and culture. Because context is so important, a verse whose meaning and application seem straightforward when quoted in isolation may mean something significantly different when it is taken in context.
Let us see the context of 2 Chro 7:14. After Solomon dedicated the temple, the Lord appeared to him and gave him some warnings and reassurances. So, the immediate context of 2 Chro 7:14 shows that the verse relates to Solomon's prayer, the king of Israel. Let's read verses 12-13: "the Lord appeared to him at night and said: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
A few verses later, God says this: "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 people. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' 22 People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.'"
What God told Solomon reminded him of what He had said to Moses in Deuteronomy 28, known as the Bible's "Blessing and Curse" chapter. For example, in verses 1 and 2, God says, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God." But in verse 15, God warns, "However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you."
God had entered into a covenant with Israel and promised to care for them and cause them to prosper as long as they obeyed him. He also promised to bring curses upon them if they failed to obey. Because of the covenant relationship, there was a direct correspondence between their obedience and prosperity and their disobedience and hardship.
In 2 Chronicles 7, the Lord reminds Solomon of the previous agreement. If Israel obeys, they will be blessed. If they disobey, they will be judged. The judgment is meant to bring Israel to repentance, and God assures Solomon that if they are humble, pray, and repent, God will deliver them from the judgment. So, according to the context, 2 Chronicles 7:14 promises ancient Israel (and perhaps even modern-day Israel) that if they will repent and return to the Lord, He will rescue them.
I agree with Dr. Moore that today we cannot use this verse as God's covenant with Christians in the United States and other countries that God will bless us if we obey and curse us if we disobey. Or if Christians humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and repent, God will heal their land (moral, economic, and political healing). We must remember that the United States does not have the same covenant relationship with God that ancient Israel enjoyed!
The covenant with Israel was unique and exclusive. The terms that applied to Israel did not apply to any other nation, and it is improper for these terms to be co-opted and applied to a different nation. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. He does not change: His attributes are eternal. So, we can learn the principles of the teachings in the Old Testament. But we must be careful in applying those teachings to our situation today.
Some might object that Christians are still called by God's name and, in some ways, have inherited the covenant with Israel—and this may be true to some extent. Indeed, if a nation is in trouble, Christians' prayerful and repentant response to that nation is always appropriate. However, there is another issue that is often overlooked. When ancient Israel repented and sought the Lord, they did so en masse (in a group altogether)—the nation as a whole repented. Obviously, not every Israelite repented and prayed, but it was national repentance. There was no indication that a small minority of the nation (a righteous remnant) could repent and pray, and that the entire nation's fate would change. God promised deliverance when the whole nation repented.
Dr. Moore reminds us, "When we apply texts like this to the nation, apart from the story of Scripture, we do precisely what the prosperity gospel preachers do. The prosperity gospel teachers are drawn, after all, to passages from Deuteronomy and elsewhere promising material and physical blessing for those who are obedient, and material and physical curses for those who are disobedient. The message is that those who obey God's word will abound with money and health, while those who disobey will face poverty and illness. They misuse the word of God though, by abstracting the promises of God from Jesus Christ. He is the one who, obedient to God, receives God's blessing and he is the One who, bearing the sins of the people, receives God's curse (Gal. 3). To apply these to the people directly, bypassing Christ, is to preach a false gospel of approaching God apart from a Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). A prosperity gospel applied to a nation is no more biblical than a prosperity gospel applied to a person."
Having said that, it is never wrong to confess our sins and pray. I hope you understand me. We surely need to confess our sins. Every day I ask God to forgive my sins, failures to do His will, disobedience, etc. We must confess our sins so they will not hinder us (Heb 12:1b" let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"). We also should pray for our nation and those in authority, especially as we approach the presidential election next year (1 Tim 2:1–2 "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness").
The current administration openly supports immorality and satanic movements that try to destroy our children's lives. Many leaders in this country despise the biblical worldview on life, children, marriage, and sexuality. Therefore, they hate Christians who want to apply those values in their lives. So, we need to pray for them that they may know God, repent, and that "we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
It may be that God, in His grace, will bless our nation as a result—but we should know there is no guarantee of national deliverance. Even if God did use our efforts to bring about national repentance and revival, there is no guarantee that the nation would be politically or economically saved. As believers, we are guaranteed personal salvation in Christ (Rom 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"), and we are also guaranteed that God will use us to accomplish His purposes, whatever they may be. Our duty as believers is to live holy lives, seek God, pray, and share the gospel, knowing that all who believe will be saved. Still, the Bible does not guarantee our nation's political, cultural, or economic salvation.
