2 Chronicles 7:12 says, And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. God appeared to Solomon during the night, and He often appeared to people during the night. We need to acknowledge that God can speak to us at any time. God also said He had chosen the temple as a place dedicated to Himself and for it to be a house of sacrifice. Our church buildings today should be places chosen by God as houses of worship and sacrifice to Him. Verse thirteen adds, If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people: God then warned of some bad things that could happen to the people of Israel if they turned away from Him, and bad things can still happen to God's people in the world today if we turn away from Him, even though we will still be His people if we are saved by accepting Jesus Christ. Verse fourteen continues, 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. We hear this verse quoted a lot today, but it isn't enough to just quote it. We as Christians must humble ourselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn form our wicked ways, and then God will heal our land. The burden is not on the lost people to do this, but on Christians. Verse fifteen states, Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. God told Solomon that He would be attentive and hear the prayers made in the temple if teh people were obedient. We don't have to go to the church building for God to hear our prayers, even though He will hear prayers offered there as long as we are asking by faith in accordance with His will. We can pray to God anywhere at any time and He will hear our prayers if we are one of His people. Verse sixteen adds, For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. God said he had chosen and sanctified the temple as a place that His name would be forever, and His heart and eyes would be there at all times. We also know that later, Jesus Christ said that His body was the temple of God, and it is He through whom God forgives and blesses the world, and not a physical building somewhere. Verse seventeen continues, And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; God then set some requirements on Solomon if God was going to bless him. He was to walk before God as David had and obey God's commandments and observe His laws and judgments. If we expect God to bless us today, we need to do the same thing, not to be saved but because we are. Verse eighteen concludes, Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. God said that if Solomon did this, that He would fulfill His promise that there would always be a descendant of David on the throne of Israel. We also know that this was fulfilled with Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, and the only ruler of God's people that there ever was or ever will be. Still, as Christians, we are expected to follow God's commandments, as servants of God and not rulers. Verse nineteen says, But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; After the promise of God doing good things for the people of Israel came the warning of what would happen if they turned away from God and followed other gods. We need to realize that if we allow anything to become more important to us than God is, then we are chasing a false god. Verse twenty adds, Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. God said if they turned away from Him, that He would allow them to be carried out of the land He gave them, and the temple would be destroyed and made a byword to all nations. The people of the world would talk about the fact that God and His people couldn't keep His house from being destroyed. W know they would have been only half correct. God could have kept it, but He worked through His people, and if they refused to obey Him, there was no need for the temple. Verse twenty-one continues, And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? God said that if His people turned away from Him that the people of the world would look at the temple in astonishment and ask why God had done this. We may have beautiful church buildings today, but if we are not obedient to God when we enter them, the people of the world may look at them and ask why God allows some things that we may do there to happen. Verse twenty-five concludes, And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. God said that if this happened it would be because of the disobedience of His chosen people. If the church becomes ineffective in the world today, it will be for these same reasons. Just as He had freed them from bondage in Egypt and they would have then chosen to reject Him, He has freed us from the bondage of sin if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, but He will still allow us to choose to sin.
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