Palm Sunday

We hear a lot about 2nd Chronicles 7 whenever there is a catastrophic occurrence in the world.  So I thought let’s talk about that

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.

What we hear many times about these verses is that when there is some sort of tribulation or calamity in the earth its because of our sin.  We hear that its Gods judgment against the world because we are sinning.  That the tribulation is a sign God is turned away from us because of our sin.  And if we will turn away from our bad deeds and pray enough and praise God enough then God will come to us and heal the land.  

But, like we talked about last week, that darkens Gods counsel in the earth.  It blasphemes the name of God in the earth.  It paints God in the image of the thief and the destroyer instead of the Good Samaritan.  

Explain historical context

The historical context here is Solomon is King, and has learned from his father David and his mother Bathsheba that Gods heart is full of goodness towards mankind and that Gods mercy endures forever.  He wears that wisdom around his neck so it can keep his heart.  

Now because of what Solomon sees about God he is building God a place to dwell so God can tabernacle with them and be their God.  Now Solomon asks God to promise He will never leave them or forsake them.  

Solomon says to God in the day we should trust in the works of our hands for blessing and life instead of trusting in You to give us blessing and life as a gift.  And we find ourselves beset by the enemy and all the death and tribulation and disease that is the reward of the enemy.  Promise that You will hear us if we cry out to you.  Promise that You won’t abhor us in our affliction or hide Your face from us.  Promise us that should we cry out to you in that place you will not forsake us but You will hearken unto us.  And God promises Solomon He will not abhor them in their affliction but will hear their cries.  

The point of these verses isn’t that if we encounter some tribulation in the world it’s because we sinned.  The point isn’t that if we encounter tribulation it’s because God is judging us for our sin.  The point is God is not far from you should you encounter tribulation in the earth.  He does not abhor you in your affliction.  

These verses aren’t some model of sin confession whereby if we can all come together and confess enough of our sins and pray enough or sing enough songs then God will be with us and will do something to heal the land.  

The point is in the midst of being surrounded by the enemy.  God is not far from you.  He is near you.  Even in your heart and in your mouth.  Even should you find yourself surrounded by the sin and death in the earth and the tribulation and chaos that is here God is with you to preserve your life and He will never leave you or forsake you.  

Jesus says the same thing in psalm 22 when he is on the cross and he is circled about by the enemy that is death, and he cries out to Abba and commits his life into Gods hands.  Jesus said in psalm 22 God does not abhor the affliction of the afflicted one.  Gods face is not hidden from him but hears him when he cries out to Him.  

What is the message we should take away from 2nd Chronicles 7?

We just saw one of the things we can take away from it is that God will never leave us or forsake us.  He doesnt abhor us in our affliction and His face is never Hid from us.  

But, what is the meaning of these verses within the scope of the spirit of prophecy?  

How should we interpret these verses considering Jesus is the lamb that has already taken away the sin of the world.  And romans 5 says that by the righteousness of one man Jesus the world is standing in the grace of Christ.

2Pe 1:19-20 says We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Christ is the more sure word of prophecy Peter is talking about.  Peter is recounting what happened on the mount of transfiguration.  

If you remember on the mount of transfiguration Jesus was on the mount and Moses and Elijah appeared alongside Jesus.  Moses and Elijah represented the law and the prophets.  Peter and james wanted to make a tabernacle for moses and Elijah to symbolize the law and the prophets as the light unto their feet and lamp unto their way, and God shined forth His glory in Jesus and said from heaven “This is My beloved Son.  Hear he him”.  Meaning Jesus is the light unto their feet and lamp unto their way.  

Theres a word of prophecy in the Old Testament scriptures.  The interpretation of that word wasn’t so clear to us.  We weren’t so sure of what was written there because of the carnal mind, and that lent itself to all sorts of private interpretations about what the scriptures taught.  

Peter says the scriptures are not available for our private interpretations.  We ought not continue to try and extract some private interpretation from the scriptures.  He says we have a sure interpretation of what is written in the scriptures in Christ Jesus.  We see the word that is there for us to see in Christ.  Since Christ is come we look to him for the interpretation of everything that was written in the Old Testament.  

In Luke 24 after Jesus was raised from the dead he walks on the road to Emmaeus with two disciples.  Luke says Jesus opened up all of the OT scriptures to the two disciples by revealing that they all spoke of him.  There was a veil over their hearts when they read the Old Testament scriptures and Jesus removed the veil by showing the disciples himself in the scriptures.  

Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of the faith that is contained in the scriptures.  He is the word in the scriptures made flesh.  He is the entirety of the word of prophecy and the teaching that is contained there.  Christ is the full counsel of God.  

So when we read books like 2nd Chronicles it is supposed to be interpreted in light of The death and resurrection of Jesus.  We want to find the revelation of what is said in 2nd Chronicles in the word that was made flesh in Jesus.  

I want you to take a step back and try not to look at 2nd Chronicles 7 from your own perspective.  I want you to try and look at 2nd Chronicles from the perspective of Jesus.  What would Jesus have seen there?  Remember Jesus came as a man.  What do you think 2nd Chronicles would have meant to Jesus?  

Remember In psalm 40 Jesus says to the Father “I come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will oh God. 

Jesus says what is written in this book is written of me.  Jesus saw that what was written in 2nd Chronicles was written of him.  He saw it was the Father talking with him.  

And his response was Animal sacrifices and offerings You never desired but a body made of dust you have prepared for me so I can take the death of the world into myself.  I see your promise to me.  I see you you will never leave or forsake me.  I see that when you find me beset with the enemy that is death.  You will not abhor me in my affliction.  Your face will not be hidden from me but you will hear me when I cry out to you.  And you will raise me from the dead in glorified human flesh and reconcile the world back to us and our eternal life.  

Now, In light of all that.  If we look at 2nd Chronicles God was talking to Israel.  More specifically He was talking with Solomon.  

Israel is one of the names used in the OT to refer to Jesus and to prophecy of him.  Solomon is also used to prophecy of Jesus coming as the seed of David to build God a body to dwell in so He can tabernacle with mankind for all eternity. 

Remember 2nd chronicles 7 says if my people who call themselves by my name will humble themselves before my mighty hand I will heal the land.  

Now we know Jesus called himself by Gods name because he was jewish according to the flesh and he called God his Father and he called himself the Son of God.  

If you look at Jesus he turned away from wickedness and humbled himself before the mighty hand of God just as it says in 2nd Chronicles 7.  

Now You might ask how’s that?

Paul says in Philippians 2 that Jesus humbled himself by making himself of no reputation and submitting himself to the death of the cross.  

Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh.  He took upon himself the death that was reigning over the world through sin.  And in that place He didnt try to exalt himself unto life by the works of his own hands.  But, he looked to the Father who loved him and promised to make him the heir of the world.  

Wickedness means to worship the works of your own hands.  It means to trust in the works of your own hands to be exalted unto life.  

If we look at Jesus to interpret 2nd Chronicles we can see the Father and the Son making a covenant with themselves to heal the land.  They are talking with each other about their desire to redeem the earth and heal the land.  

Its like in the account with Abraham .......  The Father and the Son made a covenant with themselves to make Abraham the father of many nations when they promised to make Abraham exceedingly fruitful and then they put Abraham to sleep and the scripture says the fire and the lamp passed through the middle of the sacrifice.   Thats the Father and the Son saying to one another let us make Abraham the Father of many nations.  

Just as the Father and the Son and the Spirit said to one another in Genesis 1  “Let us make man in our image after our likeness”.  

The Father and the Son are saying to one another in 2nd Chronicles Let us heal the land.  Let us do a work to glorify the earth with the eternal life we have in ourselves.  Let us give shape and form to the earth the way we set out to do in the beginning.

The Father says to Jesus if you will be born in the earth in the likeness of sinful flesh.  And if you will humble yourself and take the death of the world upon yourself and submit yourself to the death of the cross.  And then in that place cry out to Me instead of looking to the works of your hands to be exalted unto life.   I promise you I will raise you from the dead and exalt you unto my right hand and we can reconcile the world back unto ourselves and we can heal the land.  

I will prepare a body for you that will be made from the dust of the ground, and that will give you dominion over the land.  You will have dominion over the earth.  And when we raise you from the dead and seat you at My right hand in glorified human flesh it will reconcile the world back unto ourselves and our eternal life and the work that is needed to heal the land can be complete.   

Its always been Gods will to heal the land.  We dont have to coerce God into healing the land.  Jesus praying to the Father said thy kingdom is come to the earth because your will is for it to be in earth as it is in heaven.  

God has taken it upon Himself to heal the land.  He is not waiting on us to be faithful to Him for the land to be healed.  Just as God finished the work before He created Adam in the earth.  God has done a work in Christ to heal the land.  And just as He did with Adam He has invited us to rest in His work.  

There remains therefore a rest for the people who see God has healed the land.  

The apostle Paul says in 2nd cor 5 that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.  God has already reconciled the earth back to His eternal life.  The work needed to heal the land is finished in CHRIST.  Now we wait patiently to see the healing manifest in the earth by setting our eyes on the work God has done in Christ to heal the land.  

If we want to pray according to what God has already done in Christ to heal the land.  Glory to God!  We can come together and pray knowing that Jesus has Lorded it over the sin and death in the earth and we can come together in one Spirit and we can pray about what God has done to heal the land in Christ.  We can let our hearts be established in the work of God to reconcile the world back to His eternal life.  We can talk with God about how the earth is under the rule of Christ’s life.  And from there our hearts can be rooted and grounded in the love of God and we can see signs and wonders that testify that God has raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus is Lord.

Prayer