The Fourth Of July's Favorite Verse

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.