I’ve seen a lot of Memes and posts during these times of unrest and uncertainty that quote in whole or in part the Bible verse 1 Chronicles 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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Such a glorious promise! We love the connotation that God sees that our world is sick…and will heal it. I am pretty sure there is no doubt in any mind right now that this world is sick…broken….disturbed. So…God says he will heal our land…which sounds wonderful, magical, so virtuous.
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11
Come with me to the book of Malachi, in the Bible. Now this is the last book written to God’s people, the Israelites. The people who God had taken out of a place where they could not worship Him, through the desert, spelled-out his laws for living, and established them in a land of ‘milk and honey.’ He had promised that He would bring them success.
Malachi is God’s final words to the people who He had loved…but who had not followed his commands. The entire book is an incredibly interesting read….especially when you understand that Malachi (in fact the entire Old Testament in the Bible) is not just written about Israel but also all of God’s people, including modern-day Christians. But I’m focusing on the verses starting in Malachi 2:10 and onward.
“Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another. Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings offerings to the LORD Almighty.”
The prophet Malachi
This is going to be a lay-persons’ interpretation here, and probably very simplistic. Israel and Judah were the two kingdoms that the Israelites divided into, Jerusalem was still considered the Holy City. I tend to think of these groups collectively in Modern day as ‘Christians.’ [So much more study that can go into this, but for the sake of this post, I’m leaving it at that.] As a church, as a group, some have chosen to join themselves with practices and beliefs that are not Biblical. And though these people even look to be Christians, they will not be accepted as Christ’s followers.
Verse thirteen. “Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.” Why is a loving God not ‘paying attention to offerings?’ Go onward with me (but read this in entirety some day from your own Bible!!).
“You have wearied the LORD with your words….By saying ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them’ OR ‘Where is the God of justice?’”
Malachi 2:17
Whoa. If these aren’t the very arguments that are being said right now I don’t know what is. “Even if they’re doing evil, it is for God’s will” or “Where is God? We are going to have to take justice into our own hands!” Do you see it?! And God says, through Malachi, BOTH OF THESE ARGUMENTS WEARY GOD.
Look at these last two paragraphs in the context of 1 Chronicles 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….” We are to humble ourselves, we are to pray and seek God’s face, INSTEAD of doing the things mentioned above.
But we are not done yet. Look back at Malachi 3:6 onward “‘I the LORD do not change…. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you’ says the LORD Almighty.” Now, pay attention to these next verses; these are additional ways that the collective Israelites (Christians) have turned away. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me…. In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house…. Then all the nations will cause you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land.’” I would love to do a more in-depth lay-persons post on ‘tithe and offerings’ but for now, understand that as Israelites / Christians, we have a Biblical responsibility to return 10% of our earnings to God as tithe and give as He also directs us in order to further His kingdom/church. Sounds like work…but read the promise in Malachi 3:10 for yourself.
One more. God said to His people later in Malachi 3 “‘You have said harsh things against me….You have said ‘it is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’’” To refresh, God considers the actions we’ve discussed above wicked. Let us be clear here also; He also considers our ‘harsh’ words against God as wicked as well.
Alternatively, if we chose to do what He asks, He promises 1) blessings on this earth and 2) Eternal life. Come with me to Malachi 3:16 and 17; “Then those who feared the LORD talked to each other and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ‘They will be mine’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them….’”
We want it back to the ‘way it was.’ But as we can read, there has been evil and wickedness and wrong-doing for thousands of years. ‘Healing our land’ isn’t just ‘putting God back in America,’ as the Meme says. It is NOT ENOUGH. If we do not follow God’s commands, if we continue the things that are considered wicked, then we live under a curse.
“‘Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel…. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.’
Malachi 4:4,6
In our hearts of hearts, WE have to change. You. Me. Do you/I speak harshly against God? Do you/I rob God? Do you/I choose to join ourselves with unBiblical beliefs? If we turn from THESE, God WILL hear us. Then the promises of blessings on this Earth, and more importantly, Eternal life, are OURS.
