If My People Part 2 - The Contract

by Keith Gardner

2 Chronicles 7:14 “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.”

The context of this verse came as King Solomon had finished building the first Temple of God in Jerusalem. For seven days the priest sacrificed and made an offering to God as the people of Israel watched, and for another seven days the Israelites celebrated. At the end of the Temple dedication Solomon sent everyone home. During the dedication God had shown up as a fire and had dwelt in the Temple; all of those watching saw the glory and the all consuming presence of God. It must have been awe inspiring. In the end, during the quietness of the night and after the celebrating had ended, God appeared to Solomon. In His appearance He made a promise (a deceleration, an agreement, a covenant, a contract) with Solomon that He would dwell in the temple as long as the king of Israel and his people would follow Him.

The contract consisted of five parts. There was the part of the first party; the King of Israel and the Israelites. There was the part of the second party; the God of heaven and earth. There was the third part; the conditions and requirements of both parties. There was the penalty for breaking the contract and lastly the remedy to restore the contract.

The agreement was that Jehovah God would remain in the Temple and that Solomon and his descendents would remain on the throne of Israel. The kings of Israel as the people’s representative had to honor, obey, and follow after God in perpetuity. If at any point there was a drought, or devouring locusts or some other plague this meant the contract had been violated and the remedy phase was in effect.

The remedy was simple, but complete. The first party had to fulfill a four part remediation process. Those remediation steps were;

1)      to humble themselves,

2)     pray,

3)     seek the face of God, and

4)     turn from their wicked ways.

Once these remediation steps were fulfilled then God would fulfill His part in the remediation process by forgiving their sin and healing their land.