Based on 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 (New King James Version)
“Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’ ‘But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ‘And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’’”
John C. Maxwell said: “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” In today’s passage, we read of the incredible encounter a man had with God Himself. We read of the promise that God made to Solomon in response to his earnest prayer and sincere sacrifices. It was truly evident that Solomon had found the favor of God.
As we read about Solomon’s life in the Bible, we can see that God did allow for great things to happen to him and to his people. The kingdom of Israel had reached its peak during Solomon’s reign. He was known as the wisest man the world has ever known, and possibly, the world’s richest man also. As a testament to the incredible prosperity God had allowed for Israel to enjoy, Solomon had built buildings using vast amounts of gold, silver, bronze, and many different precious stones. But, despite all the things that God had allowed for him to accomplish, something went wrong. Even though Solomon had a glorious start, he did not have a good end. By involving himself with many women (700 wives and 300 concubines), many of them pagan, he forgot exactly what God had warned him about. Solomon gave into the sin of the different women he got involved with. The Bible says that he did finally worship other gods, thereby being unfaithful to God. He forgot the very thing God had warned him about; something He told him in person. And not only Solomon, but all of Israel and Judah after him. Why did that happen?
This is unfortunately a common problem, even today. Many people either get too close to the people they shouldn’t get close to, or they get lost within the iniquity that still dwells within their flesh. If we are to attain and remain in God’s favor, there are things that we must be very careful with. John Maxwell gives us a really good road map (based on Biblical teachings) in the quote above; to not only change our own lives, but also, to help change the environment that surrounds us.
The first step is: admitting our mistakes (or sin). And herein lies one of the major issues we have today. Many people are too quick to justify sin, or do not wish to see what is wrong as wrong. According to the Bible, there is wrong and there is right. And if we stray away from that standard, then what becomes the standard? Do we know more than God to be able to have the ability to know fully what is wrong and what is right? It appears that many people don’t have a problem in telling God that He is wrong, or at least, do not have a problem in distorting the standard that the Bible teaches. Without admitting our sin and seeing it exactly for what it is, it is impossible to be restored before the eyes of God. Without complete repentance, there is no salvation, no restoration, no healing, and ultimately, no life.
The second step (if you can get through the first step) is where learning occurs. God wants us to learn from our sins, to understand what is right and wrong. If we can learn from our sins, then we can profit from them. When we learn from our mistakes is that we can then avoid those same or similar pitfalls in the future. The cycle breaks, and a new trend begins. The cycle needs to break!
The third step is where we start affecting our environment, by correcting our mistakes. The Bible refers to this as “fruits worthy of repentance”. If we can right the wrong, restore that which is broken, and reward the injured party, that is where people can physically see the manifestation of God. God is in the business of changing lives, and impacting other people’s lives through those lives He has changed. Here is where God’s grace has been abused. Many flawed teachers and preachers teach that if God has forgiven you, then you don’t need to worry about anything else. That is very far from the Truth. Throughout the Scriptures, we are taught to right the wrong. Within our means, we are to restore that which we have damaged. This is what brings healing to our own lives, and to those that have been harmed. This is what truly brings God glory. God’s grace needs to be expressed in action, not just words. Could you imagine what this world would be like if every person that professes to be a believer in Christ tried to go back and restore the damage done to those people that have been harmed somehow? The healing that would occur would be incredible!
We are ultimately taught through the examples of the Bible so we learn through other people’s mistakes. We can find God’s favor by simply following Christ and at least, try to do those things that truly please God. Here is the main theme of the Bible: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. You can find God’s favor by coming to Christ and surrendering fully to Him, and by doing what He taught us to do. Do you have God’s favor today? Lord bless! John