Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Never Read a Bible Verse- Part 8- 2 Chronicles 7:14

We can't simply reach into the Old Testament and take verses for ourselves when they were meant for someone else.

This video is about 8 and a half minutes and a must listen to for those folks that cling to this as a promise for themselves. It may not mean what you think it means. Be sure to read the complete context before you try and apply a verse to your own life. Because, frankly, sometimes...it's not for you.

We can learn something about God from it, but not claim it as a "promise" for ourselves. The prayer of the people that God was hearing was the prayer of Solomon from the prior verse, not simply a call for us to pray and God will hear our land.

Not that God can't or won't do that if we pray. Just, it seems, not from this verse.

Like he suggests: Let's say I wrote a letter to "My child" (in reference to my first born) and wrote specific things to and about her. Years later, my second born, who is also "my child" finds this letter. Can she (the 2nd child) assume the letter is for her? Of course not. And we shouldn't automatically assume this when God is addressing the people of Israel.

I think he brings up some interesting points regarding how we view the Scripture. What do you think?

D.B.

4 comments:

Kwame E. said...

<<What do you think?>>

Well, there are interesting comments that were left at that URL.

D.B. said...

I was talking with a friend about his comment about not being the new Israel. I don't know if I agree comepletely (and without listening again), but perhaps he meant in terms of the Church today not being Israel, in that we can't simply insert our name in everywhere we see Israel.

I agree with Koukl that we can't necessarily take this promise as our own. A friend was saying that this promise we can because God's character is unchanging and if He healed the land after His people humbled themselves, He can do it today, even if we are not in the drought, famine or plague in II Chron.

I think he makes an interesting point, but I don't know that God deals with nations the way he did back then. We don't see the blessing or cursing of entire nations, at least not in the same way.

Do you think we can claim this as our own? How are we to know the verses we can accept that were promises to Israel? What do you think of praying in a similar way "humbling ourselves, and God spiritually heals our land"?

It seems valid enough, though it seems if it were something God wanted us to do, He would have repeated something similar in the NT. Or is that simplifying it too much?

I had a similar discussion with a guy who claimed Jer 29:11 (for I know the plans I have for you...to prosper...etc) as a comfort. I think Koukl is right when he says that a verse can never mean what it never meant.

Kwame E. said...

<<I was talking with a friend about his comment about not being the new Israel. I don't know if I agree comepletely (and without listening again), but perhaps he meant in terms of the Church today not being Israel, in that we can't simply insert our name in everywhere we see Israel.>gt;

People don’t see the forest for the trees. Our brother the apostle Paul was a person who simply did not speak as clearly or as unambiguously as most people would; even the apostle Peter would probably agree with this statement, seeing that he mentions Paul’s writing in one of his epistles. With that said, it is not an either-or thing: national Israel was always important to God and will remain important, but faith and repentance (things which are evidenced among both Jews and Gentiles) are always more important than heritage or lines of descent.


<<I think he makes an interesting point, but I don't know that God deals with nations the way he did back then. We don't see the blessing or cursing of entire nations, at least not in the same way.>>

You sure about that?


<<Do you think we can claim this as our own? How are we to know the verses we can accept that were promises to Israel? What do you think of praying in a similar way "humbling ourselves, and God spiritually heals our land"?>>

Why even mention a “spiritual” healing of land when the 2 Chronicles passage (see 7.13) is speaking of droughts and such? And don’t hard times fall on both the good and the bad sometimes, such that famine and drought perhaps sometimes have nothing to do with whether people are sinful or have repented and asked God for help? On the other hand, are there not New Testament passages which speak of divine forgiveness and which would be more useful than appeals to 2 Chron. 7 in this particular regard? I see no justification of modern man’s treating 2 Chronicles 7.14 as his own if he is trying to use this for purposes of moral conservativism or American patriotism or the like.

D.B. said...

You: (You sure about that?)

No. But it does play into what you said about rain falling on just and unjust.

I stole some of your thoughts without giving proper bibliographical reference. Sorry. :-)