USING A VERSE BUT NOT RECOGNIZING IT'S IMPLICATIONS
2Chronicles 7:14
By John Rhinehart
“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
How many times have we hear this verse quoted by many Christians in respect to the United States of America and how we as believers need to turn this nation back to God? Now how many of you know that this verse applies only to the Nation of Israel? Today, there are no nations that God has ordained as his representation in the world today.
"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel-the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. 2Sam 7:22-24; 1Chr 17:21
He has done this for on other nation. Ps 147:20
Thus, to try to use this verse for any other nation is an misapplication and dislocation of God’s Word, his promise for the nation of Israel and more directly to King Solomon. However, like so many other verses, we have teachers that misapply God’s Word for those who have ‘itching ears.’ And there are those who feel they may apply any verse to any condition because we as man can make God’ Word apply to everything in life even though that is not God’s intention. And this is true, but is it godly to do so?
If believers would be sincere about this verse of 2Chr 7:14, they would have to recognize that their ‘wicked ways’ that is, that THEY HAVE SINNED to cause the United States or any other nation to be in the state that its in. How many of us would say that they have ‘wicked ways’ and are the cause of the moral collapse of a nation? Not many; Furthermore, this kind of thinking is unscriptural. Where is the holiness in our lives that would keep us from these “wicked ways?”
Let it be noted that there is not one verse in the New Testament that would lead us to believe that we are to be making nations to be Christian. There is not one verse that instructs the believer to go forth and change nations. There is not one verse that states that the promises of Israel also belong to today’s believers.
These types of instructions from Christianity, only gives false hope and false promise to an already confused believer, that tends to accept anything that a minister or other believers may say as the Gospel Truth without searching the Scriptures to see if is true or not.
We are so concerned about the condition of our nations that we have failed to see the failure of our own spiritual condition, our holiness before God and the world. The saying is true for today, “You can’t tell the world and the church apart. They both look and act the same.” “You are so earthly minded that you are no heavenly good.”
Again, 2Chr 7:14 only leads the believer into false hope that their prayers will change the heart of God in his dealing with nations in these last days. God is in control—God’s will be done. Our prayers should be directed to our selves and we have fallen short of the glory of God in our holiness before Him, other believers and the world.
Is God hearing our prayers of 2Chr 7:14? If he is, then the following verse will come true, be alive and blessings of a restored nation will happen:
“Now my ears will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers that is made in this place.” 2Chr 7:15
Some verses to consider when trying to use 2 Chronicles 7:14:
Psalms 33:12 - Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Honestly, how many nations today fit this promise that God is LORD over their nation other than Israel? Now understand that God is control over all nations but how many nations have made God LORD over their nations?)
Psalms 96:5 - For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. (This is true of the nations of the world—we give the true God, “lip service” the same as our gods the idols.)
Proverbs 14:34 - Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (Do we as believers today have this type of righteousness that will exalt a nation? Then what is the need of relying on 2Chr 7:14?)
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