2 Chronicles 7:12–22

The Lord had first appeared to Solomon (ch. 1:7) to offer him what he might ask. Now He appears to assure him that He has heard his prayer and to encourage him to put God first in the rule of his kingdom. This was the same night after the dedication. The Lord wanted to impress on Solomon how important it is to obey His Word with an undivided heart. He had chosen the temple for Himself as a house of sacrifice. He would give special attention to those who looked toward the temple.

Notice that here, as in 2 Chronicles 1:7, the Lord's appearance to Solomon seems more direct than in the book of Kings. Chronicles does not say that God appeared to him "in a dream" (v. 12). The house the Lord had chosen is called "a house of sacrifice." That name fits its character as a place of worship, which we have seen all through this book. Chronicles also puts more weight on God's free choice in grace: God chose Jerusalem, He chose David, He chose the house (2 Chron. 6:6; 2 Chron. 7:12).

In the chapter before this, Solomon took the place of advocate and intercessor. In response God gives him a full answer (vv. 13-14), and Kings leaves that answer out… From the moment Solomon appears before God, the answer to his intercession is sure. It may be delayed because the people are unfaithful, but it is no less real. God granted it because the Lord's anointed asked.

Sin and its judgment, a possible repentance, and forgiveness from God fill his mind and are the subject of his prayer. God's mercy stands out in Solomon's prayer as strongly as God's unbending righteousness stood out in the law given through Moses. God dealt with Israel on this mixed ground of grace and righteousness until the Lord came… But He did more. He did not wait for them to repent. He sent prophets to rebuke them and to warn them of the judgment that must surely follow sin. He sent them to invite the people, even to plead with them, to repent — and to tell them what grace would do for them if they did.

In Kings the temple is the place where God lives with His own, and also the center of His government in Israel. In Chronicles, as we have already noted, it is the place where a person comes near to God to worship Him — the "house of sacrifice" (2 Chron. 7:12). By a place of approach we do not mean the sinner who comes by the blood of Christ to be justified before God. We mean the worshipper who enters the sanctuary by that same way. So in the letter to the Romans we see the sinner justified by Christ's blood, while the letter to the Hebrews brings us into the most holy place by that same way.

The LORD appears to him again and confirms what he has done. He does not only say that He has heard his prayer and has chosen this place for Himself as a house of sacrifice. He also says, "now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time." Now I take that as it plainly means. You will tell me, Well, the Gentiles are there now; some of the most wicked of the Gentiles are there now. But faith can wait. It need not be in a hurry. "Whoever believes will not be in haste," and, therefore, as sure as God has spoken it, Jerusalem will be recovered — not by foolish crusaders, not by the power of man, but by the power of God.

Such a temple, dedicated in such a way, God could recognise. He said to Solomon: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice."

The Lord is as detailed and particular in His answer as Solomon was in his prayer... Solomon prays for Israel as the Lord's people. In his prayer he said, "Your people." The Lord owns them as His, and says, "My people."

Things on earth must be terrible when "the heaven is shut up." This world must look barren and dreary when heaven holds back its refreshing showers. That is especially true of the land that was to "drink water by the rain from heaven." Egypt might not have cared much when heaven was shut up, since she had never looked there for her supplies. She had her resources in herself. "My river is my own," was her independent language.

We know well that it is not God's desire that His people should suffer. He is not stingy, and if the rain is withheld, the fault is with His people and not with Him. He had made this clear to them, so that they understood well that when heaven was "shut up" it was in chastening.

Man may have departed from God and become hostile to Him, but nature in its whole framework is obedient, and serves Him still. So the sinner finds himself in a stream of forces set against him — the hosts of the Lord, pictured for us by the army of locusts. "The locusts have no king," says Agur, "yet all of them march in rank" (Prov. 30:27)... They keep this discipline by instinct, with no king in sight. That shows whose armies they are and who orders their ranks: the Lord calls them "His army" (Joel 2:11).

David owns the great difficulty and perplexity of his soul, but he chooses the last; and he was right. "Let me fall into the hand of Jehovah, for very great are His mercies. Let me not fall into the hand of man." David preferred — and rightly, in my opinion — the direct hand of Jehovah... he could not bear the thought of God seeming to starve His people and leave them to a slow death. He could not bear the enemy triumphing over Israel either.

The famine, then, was God's call to repentance. It should always have been taken that way: "When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain because they have sinned against You." Even where there had been no open turning away from God, such trouble should always have brought them onto their faces, searching their hearts and asking, Why is this?

These steps show how Jehovah's heart longed over His rebellious people. He chastised them only as much as was needed to lead them to repentance... If that had brought them to repentance, God would have stopped dealing with them in government. But when it failed, He would send drought, and the famine that followed.

There had been famines and drought. Rain fell here and there: some patches of ground got rain while others stayed parched, so that they might see the hand of God in it... The locusts came and devoured the plants. There were dreadful plagues and other judgments, but they did not return to Him. Five times in this paragraph we find the same statement: "Yet you did not return to Me."

In the previous chapter Solomon took the place of one who pleads for others. God gives him a full answer (vv. 13-14), and Kings does not record it... From the moment Solomon stands before God, the answer to his pleading is certain. The people's unfaithfulness may delay it. It is still a real fact, granted because the king God had anointed asked for it.

The Lord is as detailed in His answer as Solomon was in his prayer... Solomon prays for Israel as the Lord's people, and in his prayer he said, "Your people." The Lord claims them as His own and says, "My people."

The Lord then answered Solomon's prayer about how He disciplines Israel. He may hold back rain, or send locusts, or send disease. If Israel would humble themselves and pray, seeking God's face, and turn from their evil ways, then God would hear from heaven, forgive them, and heal their land (vv. 13-14).

A famine, then, was God's call to repentance, and they should always have read it that way: "When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain because they have sinned against You." Even when there had been no open turning away from God, such trouble should have brought them face down before Him. It should have made them search their hearts and ask, Why is this?

There can be no recovery apart from the conditions named in these verses. His people who have failed must first humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from their evil ways.

The excess seen in 2 Chronicles 7 is delightful. Both Solomon and Nehemiah ask that God's eyes and ears be open to His people. God adds to that and says, "My heart." It is a blessed thing to see. God's eyes and ears are turned towards His people, and His heart is towards them too.

God says again that He had chosen the temple and set it apart for Himself. His name would be there forever, and His eyes and His heart would be there always (v. 16). Yet after this the temple was destroyed and there has been no temple in Jerusalem for centuries! Why is this? Because Israel themselves were guilty of desecrating the temple.

That memorable day began in the pride of confidence in self, but it ends with torn clothes in the dust before God. It is a merciful provision of grace, for if it did not end there, where else could it end? There restoration begins, and there only... The same thing is true now; restoration can only come after confession, whether for one believer or for a whole company.

The Lord shows that He accepts the worship of Israel and Solomon's prayer. Fire comes down from heaven and consumes the sacrifices. His glory fills the house. He also graciously grants the king's requests. He will hear and forgive if the people humble themselves and pray to Him. He will look on that house and be attentive to the prayer that is made in it. And the Lord is as detailed and particular in His answer as was Solomon in his prayer. … Solomon prays for Israel as the Lord's people; he said in his prayer, "Your people." And the Lord owns them as His, and says, "My people."

The extra we see in 2 Chronicles 7 is delightful. Both Solomon and Nehemiah ask that God's eyes and God's ears be attentive, but God adds to that and says, "My heart." This is a blessed thing to see. Not only are God's eyes and ears towards His people — His heart is towards them too.

The Lord then spoke of answering one part of Solomon's prayer in detail. It was about His discipline of Israel in government — withholding rain, or sending locusts or pestilence. If Israel would humble themselves and pray, seeking God's face and turning from the evil of their ways, then God would indeed hear from heaven. He would forgive them and heal their land.

It is clear that Daniel fully knew God's will. He showed it by opening his window towards Jerusalem. When the temple was dedicated, Solomon prayed about a day when the nation might be so unfaithful that it was taken into captivity. If any then prayed towards this temple, God was to hear them, maintain their right, and grant them compassion from those who held them captive. Here we find a man in full possession of that knowledge. He has not forgotten God's word, he has not forgotten that prayer, for God granted Solomon's request. "Yes," He says, "My ear will be towards the temple, and not only My ear but My eye, and My heart continually."

God affirms again that He had chosen the temple and set it apart for Himself. His name would be there forever, His eyes and His heart there perpetually. Yet after this the temple was destroyed and there has been no temple in Jerusalem for centuries! Why is this? Because Israel themselves were guilty of desecrating the temple. It was rebuilt in the days of Ezra, then destroyed again and rebuilt by Herod. Yet before His crucifixion, when His disciples showed Him the buildings of the temple, the Lord Jesus declared, "You see all these things, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

Let us once more widen our view. Let us look past our personal situation to the collective testimony for Him, and to the place where He has set His name. Even Solomon, the king, wanted God to look at this place. … Not only My eyes and My ears, says the Lord, but also My heart is at this place where the saints are gathered to My name. This is surely a thought to revive us in these last days.

He had clearly chosen Jerusalem. He had marked out mount Moriah as the mount of the Lord. Solomon knew of God's choice when he began to build the temple, and after the dedication God assured him of the place He had selected, having sanctified the house so that His name should be there for ever. From this purpose God never went back.

God says again that He had both chosen and sanctified the temple. That is, He had set it apart for Himself, so that His name might be there forever, and His eyes and His heart there always (v. 16). Yet after this the temple was destroyed, and there has been no temple in Jerusalem for centuries! Why is this? Because Israel themselves were guilty of desecrating the temple.

But God anticipated all this even in 2 Chronicles 7, for He speaks conditionally to Solomon in verse 17 and the verses that follow… If Solomon turned away, forsaking the commandments of the Lord and serving and worshipping other gods, he could expect God's serious judgment. God would uproot Israel from the land, cast the temple out of His sight, and make it a proverb and byword among all the nations.

Why does He promise that His eye and His heart shall be in the temple perpetually? Is it not because in the temple there was the witness of His grace? Heaven, the place of angels, gave His eye no such object. Yet angels were more beautiful creatures, and heaven a far more magnificent place, than the priests and the temple at Jerusalem. But angels and heaven did not tell Him of His grace in the way that the temple did. And there lay the attraction.

I take that just as it plainly means. You will tell me, Well, the Gentiles are there now; some of the most wicked of the Gentiles are there now. But faith can wait. It need not be in a hurry… as sure as God has spoken it, Jerusalem will be recovered — not by the power of man, but by the power of God.

The Lord had said of Jerusalem, "My eyes and My heart will be there for all time"; so Daniel would not stop praying towards that blessed centre. The word of the Lord endures for ever, and faith takes its stand on that imperishable foundation.

Today, there is still a place He has chosen to "put His name there", to be present in Person. This is, of course, not a geographical place but a spiritual place. Where two or three are gathered to His name, He would be in the midst of them. Gathered "to" His name is more than "in His name"… they make Him the centre, they give Him the authority… His rights are respected, His will is done.

The Lord appeared in the night and answered his prayer. The chief responsibility, if not the whole of it, rested on Solomon. So He gives him a private word — not in the hearing of the people, but special to him. "And as for you, if you will walk before Me as David your father walked…" This is a word for Solomon himself, about his own ways and obedience. He made no reference to them in his prayer… "And as for you" must have stirred up thoughts and feelings in him that perhaps had been asleep until that moment.

But in this passage we find a characteristic little word: "If." Here this word is spoken for the first time in Chronicles, in relation to the kingship or to the people: "If he is firm to do My commandments and My ordinances, as at this day." … We shall see a second example in 2 Chronicles 7:17.

God stooped to walk among them, yet Israel "refused to walk in His law" (Psalm 78:10)… Still, in all the failure of the nation there were the godly. David was one of them. Of him God could say to Solomon, "If you will walk before Me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness" (1 Kings 9:4). No matter how dark the day, God always had His faithful remnant who walked before Him for His pleasure.

Then, with respect to Solomon and the seed of David generally, the blessing of the whole people was to depend on their faithfulness. If the house of David should turn away from God, He would root Israel out of the land. And the house, set apart by the worship of Jehovah, would become a byword among all nations — a witness to the just judgment of God.

At the beginning of his reign, Jehovah Himself had made him understand one thing. The continuance of his kingdom depended on his personal faithfulness… Solomon, sadly, did not stay faithful. His hand was not steady enough to hold the full cup of earthly glory and blessing which the great God put into it. So his kingdom was doomed, and the headstrong policy of his successor sped up its ruin.

In his first years Solomon pictured the peaceful glories of Messiah's rule and kingdom… That likeness ended when the temple was filled with glory, or soon after; the honoured picture gives way to failing man. Solomon's greatness and his later fall answer the all-important question. Can a man, by his own strength, hold on to the highest favour and dignity possible — a place God gives directly, apart from new and eternal life? Let Solomon's fall answer… But did the promise of God depend on Solomon's faithfulness? No. The kingdom of God does not hang on Solomon's faithfulness. It rests on One greater than Solomon, who will surely establish it at the right and appointed time.

Does God contradict Himself? Certainly not. The conditional warning has come true to the letter. In the same way the unconditional promise will come true to the letter, when the true king after God's heart has built Him a house — a temple on earth far more glorious than Solomon's…

It was in the night the Lord appeared and answered his prayer. The chief responsibility, if not the whole of it, rested on him. So the Lord gives him a private word, not in the hearing of the people but meant for him alone... This is a word for Solomon himself as to his own ways and obedience, to which he made no reference in his prayer... The words "And as for you" must have stirred thoughts and feelings in him that had perhaps lain asleep until that moment. If he is faithful and obedient, God promises that his throne will continue unbroken.

But in this passage we find a characteristic little word: "If." This is the first time this word is uttered in Chronicles in relation to the kingship or to the people: "If he be firm to do My commandments and My ordinances, as at this day." "If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cut you off for ever" (vv. 7, 9). Note: We shall see a second example in 2 Chronicles 7:17.

At the beginning of his reign, the Lord Himself made him understand that his Kingdom would last only if he stayed faithful... Solomon, sadly, did not remain faithful. His hand was not steady enough to hold the full cup of earthly glory and blessing which the great God put into it. So his Kingdom was doomed, and the stubborn policy of his successor only hurried its ruin.

But if he failed, the forgiveness the Lord had pledged Himself to would certainly be shown to him and to the people. Yet sin kept up would in the end bring unfailing judgment on them.

God said to David, "You shall not lack a man to sit on My throne." There was always a man whose birthright it was to sit on David's throne. Each one proved unworthy, but the line of descent continued until Christ came. He is the Man on whom the Holy Spirit looks. In Him there was, and is, the divine right as well as the human title. He is the Son of God as well as Son of David. Whatever may come between the promise and its fulfilment, He will certainly sit there.

With David, God made another covenant, in part conditional, and in part unconditional. For the sons who followed him on the throne, keeping that throne depended on their obedience, and so did the nation's blessing under their rule. If they disobeyed, God would discipline them. But the covenant was unconditional in this much: God would never take His mercy away from David's house for good.

But was it upon Solomon's faithfulness that the promise of God depended? No, the kingdom of God is not dependent on Solomon's faithfulness, but rests on One greater than Solomon, who at the right and appointed time will surely establish it.

Every blessing that depended on their obedience is lost. This one, we could say, becomes more necessary because of their unfaithfulness. The Lord had said that Israel would never lack a man to rule — that God's king should sit on His throne in Zion. This decree could not be cancelled even if all Israel were destroyed for ever... This promise shines all the brighter when everything seems lost. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar were besieging the city. Jeremiah was in prison for his testimony. Their cup of sin was full, and the nations were about to rule over them. Then the word of the Lord came to the imprisoned prophet: "David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel" (Jer. 33:17). So the throne and the temple would both stand on a foundation of God's own laying.

Then, as for Solomon and the line of David as a whole, the blessing of the whole people was to depend on their faithfulness. If the house of David turned away from God, Israel would be rooted out of the land. And the house, set apart by the worship of the Lord, would become a byword among all nations. It would stand as a witness to the just judgment of God.

The Lord Himself made Solomon understand, at the beginning of his reign, that the continuance of his kingdom depended on his own faithfulness. "If you will walk before Me, as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you … then I will establish the throne of your kingdom … But if you turn away, and forsake My statutes," and so on (2 Chron. 7:17-22). Solomon did not stay faithful. His hand was not steady enough to hold the full cup of earthly glory and blessing which the great God put into it. So his kingdom became doomed.

God affirms again that He had both chosen and sanctified the temple. That is, He had set it apart for Himself, so that His name might be there forever, His eyes and His heart there always (v. 16). Yet after this the temple was destroyed, and there has been no temple in Jerusalem for centuries! Why is this? Because Israel themselves were guilty of desecrating the temple.

There can be no recovery apart from the conditions mentioned in these verses. His people who have failed must first humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from their evil ways. The warning given in verses 19-22 had passed into history and found its literal fulfilment.

God's favoured earthly people are a proverb and a byword among all nations, and driven out from a country of which God delighted to be the landlord.

In Deuteronomy 28 the law is not looked at in its own nature, as a question between God and man. It is looked at as the rule of earthly government … "And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations where the Lord shall lead you." So it is not a question of dealing according to God's nature. It is a matter of His ways of government with a nation in this world, and nothing more.

But there is one promise that their sin and judgment do not touch. Every blessing that depended on their obedience is lost, yet this one becomes more necessary, so to speak, through their unfaithfulness. The Lord had said there shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel; that God's king should sit upon His throne in Zion. It is His eternal purpose, declared in His word (Ps. 2), though kings and rulers take counsel against Him. Nothing in God's righteous judgment on the land, the people or the house — not even on the royal family of David, from whom the promised king was to come — could in any way set aside God's unchangeable decree concerning His Son.

Solomon is reminded of his own responsibility. The continuation of the kingdom, as it was given to him, hung upon his own faithfulness. God says, "If you," and adds, "if you turn away," for the people would certainly follow their king. And the resulting judgment would — and did — fall upon all Israel. "I will root them up": even the house called by His own name should become a reproach. But the nations, the Gentiles, would know why God so dealt with them.

Judgment must begin at the house of God. It always begins there. The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility. To be near God on the outside, with the heart far away, only invites judgment all the more.

Was such a warning necessary for Solomon? Absolutely! For he very soon fell into the trap of marrying many women of foreign nations and the false worship of their various idols (1 Kings 11:1-8). In time the judgment of God fell on Israel for this. Their land became desolate, the Babylonians destroyed their temple, and the people went into captivity. Then indeed everyone who saw the ruin of the land and the temple was astonished. They asked why the Lord had done this, after He had blessed Israel so greatly (v. 21). Yet 2 Chronicles does not speak of Solomon's shameful failure in turning from the Lord, as 1 Kings does. Chronicles emphasises the grace of God, while Kings emphasises His government.

Yet after this the temple was destroyed and there has been no temple in Jerusalem for centuries! Why is this? Because Israel was guilty of desecrating the temple themselves. It was rebuilt in the days of Ezra, then destroyed again and rebuilt by Herod. Before His crucifixion, His disciples showed the Lord Jesus the buildings of the temple. He declared, "Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." That came true before long, and Israel has been without any temple for nearly 2,000 years!

We find the curse mentioned once more as the result of turning away from the Lord. Such evil is to come upon them and upon the land that the foreigner who comes from a far land will speak. When they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the LORD has laid on it, all the nations will say, "Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?" Strangers from far lands, tourists and pilgrims, have visited Palestine, exactly as this prediction said. They have seen the wretched condition of that land, and they have often asked these questions and known the answer. "Then people will say, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers.'"

The Apostle shows that Christendom has taken the place of Israel in the earth as regards the outward privileges and responsibility. The Jewish branches of the olive tree were cut off because of unfaithfulness, as everyone knows. But what of the Gentiles, who have succeeded them as wild branches grafted in? "Do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off" (Rom. 11:20-22). This does not touch the question of individual salvation, which is eternally secured in Christ; it is dispensational responsibility.

Travellers from distant lands, tourists and pilgrims, have visited Palestine, and so this prediction came true. They saw the terrible condition of that land. They have often asked these questions and known the answer: "Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."

Was such a warning necessary for Solomon? Absolutely so! For he very soon fell into the trap of marrying many women of foreign nations and the false worship of their various idols (1 Ki. 11:1-8). In the end the judgment of God fell on Israel for this. Their land became desolate. The Babylonians destroyed their temple and took the people captive.

Suppose He has disciplined His people by sending drought, locusts or disease. He graciously assures the king that if they humble themselves and seek His face, turning away from their wicked ways, He will forgive them and heal their land. There can be no recovery apart from the conditions mentioned in these verses… The warning given in verses 19-22 had passed into history and found its literal fulfilment.

In Solomon's greatness and his later fall we have an answer to the all-important question. Can man keep himself, by his own strength, in the highest position of favour and dignity possible? That position was God's own direct gift, short of new and eternal life. Let Solomon's fall answer.

Judgment fell upon the house "which was in Shiloh," where the Lord first set His Name. Then it came upon the house at Jerusalem too. God had said, "Therefore I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh." And so it happened. God will judge corrupt Christendom no less than He judged corrupt Judaism… When men falsify the truth and true piety is gone, what can come but judgment from God? — and all the more so if this false thing bears His holy Name.

Yet 2 Chronicles does not speak of Solomon's shameful failure in turning from the Lord, as 1 Kings does. Chronicles emphasises the grace of God, while the books of Kings emphasise His government.

They lose every blessing which depended on their obedience. This one becomes more necessary, so to speak, through their unfaithfulness… God's judgment on the land, the people and the house was righteous. It even fell on the royal family of David, from whom the promised king was to come. Yet nothing in it could set aside God's unchangeable decree concerning His Son. This promise shines all the brighter when everything else seems lost.