God Promises to Hear and Forgive

January 1, 2023 Background Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:1 - 22 Lesson Passage: 2 Chronicles 7:12 - 22 Our Lesson Passage is God's response to Solomon's prayer. This was God's second appearance to Solomon. God appeared to Solomon at night as He did the first time soon after Solomon's inauguration as Israel's king. In God's first appearance to Solomon, God asked Solomon what he wanted the Lord to give him, Solomon requested wisdom to lead and be an example in the presence of God's people. God was so pleased with Solomon's request that He granted it, and He also gave Solomon great wealth. God's second appearance to Solomon was in response to Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple constructed under Solomon's guidance. Solomon's prayer was a clear demonstration of the wisdom God had given him. In his dedicatory prayer, Solomon recognized that all people sin. He requested that God honor the temple by acknowledging the prayers that were made there, or in the direction towards it by God's people whenever they repented of their sin. Solomon's prayer recognized several consequences God could send in response to the sins of His people. Those consequences could include famine, pestilence, drought, war, and even captivity in a foreign land. Solomon prayed that repentance by God's people and acknowledgement of the temple would be sufficient for God to hear the prayers of His repentant people and to forgive their sins. In sanctifying the temple, God declared that He would be attentive to prayers that were offered in it. It is worth noting that God did not say He expected those outside Jerusalem to acknowledge the temple along with their repentance. God expected (and expects) His people to have a relationship with Him and not with a physical temple. God would hear the prayers of those away from the temple just as He would hear the prayers of those in the temple. The prerequisite to God hearing and answering prayers is repentance by His people. God's promised response to a prayer of repentance is threefold. God will hear the prayer, forgive the person's sin, and bring the necessary healing to the land. That healing would take away whatever prompted the repentance; whether it is famine, pestilence, drought, war, or captivity. After responding to Solomon's prayer petitions, God then turned His attention to Solomon as His servant. Solomon was reminded of the relationship God expected to have with him. Solomon was expected to walk in obedience to God, and to follow the commands God give him. In turn, God would maintain the secession of Solomon's offspring as heir to the throne of Israel. The consequences of Solomon not following God, but worshiping idol gods would be devastating for all the people of God. They would be uprooted from the land of Canaan, and the temple would be destroyed. This made it abundantly clear that Solomon had a huge burden in leading God's people. His leadership could cause generations of prosperity, or it could bring the nation to ruin. The people of God would be examples to the rest of the world. When they followed God's commands, the other nations would see and know the reason for their prosperity. When the leader failed to follow God, the nation would be destroyed, and the other nations would know it was because they had rejected the God who delivered them from Egypt and established them as an independent nation in the world. God's people would be an example to the rest of the nations, either through their obedience to God or through their disobedience. But through their repentance, God promised to hear their prayers and forgive their sins. Robert C. Hudson December 15, 2022