UBF Daily Bread

IF MY PEOPLE WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES

Passage: 2Chronicles 7:1~22

Key verse: 14

The Dedication of the Temple^(A)

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire^(B) came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled^(C) the temple.^(D) ²The priests could not enter^(E) the temple of the Lord because the glory^(F) of the Lord filled it. ³When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”^(G)

⁴Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁵And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. ⁶The priests took their positions, as did the Levites^(H) with the Lord’s musical instruments,^(I) which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

⁷Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat^(J) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

⁸So Solomon observed the festival^(K) at that time for seven days, and all Israel^(L) with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath^(M) to the Wadi of Egypt.^(N) ⁹On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated^(O) the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival^(P) for seven days more. ¹⁰On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon^(Q)

¹¹When Solomon had finished^(R) the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, ¹²the Lord appeared^(S) to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen^(T) this place for myself^(U) as a temple for sacrifices.

¹³“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,^(V) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴if my people, who are called by my name,^(W) will humble^(X) themselves and pray and seek my face^(Y) and turn^(Z) from their wicked ways, then I will hear^(AA) from heaven, and I will forgive^(AB) their sin and will heal^(AC) their land. ¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.^(AD) ¹⁶I have chosen^(AE) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

¹⁷“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully^(AF) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees^(AG) and laws, ¹⁸I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted^(AH) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor^(AI) to rule over Israel.’^(AJ)

¹⁹“But if you^[a] turn away^(AK) and forsake^(AL) the decrees and commands I have given you^[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰then I will uproot^(AM) Israel from my land,^(AN) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule^(AO) among all peoples. ²¹This temple will become a heap of rubble. All^[c] who pass by will be appalled^(AP) and say,^(AQ) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ²²People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them^(AR)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

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Footnotes

2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew is plural.
2 Chronicles 7:21 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now so imposing, all

Cross references

2 Chronicles 7:1 : 7:1-10pp — 1Ki 8:62-66
2 Chronicles 7:1 : S Ex 19:18; S Lev 9:24; S 1Ki 18:38
2 Chronicles 7:1 : S Ex 16:10
2 Chronicles 7:1 : Ps 26:8
2 Chronicles 7:2 : S 1Ki 8:11
2 Chronicles 7:2 : S Ex 29:43; S 40:35
2 Chronicles 7:3 : S 1Ch 16:34; 2Ch 5:13; Ezr 3:11
2 Chronicles 7:6 : 1Ch 15:16
2 Chronicles 7:6 : S 1Ch 15:24
2 Chronicles 7:7 : S Ex 29:13
2 Chronicles 7:8 : 2Ch 30:26; Ne 8:17
2 Chronicles 7:8 : S 1Ch 9:1
2 Chronicles 7:8 : S Nu 13:21
2 Chronicles 7:8 : S Ge 15:18
2 Chronicles 7:9 : 2Ch 30:23
2 Chronicles 7:9 : S Lev 23:36
2 Chronicles 7:11 : 7:11-22pp — 1Ki 9:1-9
2 Chronicles 7:11 : S 1Ch 28:20
2 Chronicles 7:12 : 2Ch 1:7
2 Chronicles 7:12 : Dt 12:11
2 Chronicles 7:12 : S Dt 12:5
2 Chronicles 7:13 : S Dt 11:17; Am 4:7
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S Nu 6:27
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S Ex 10:3; S Lev 26:41; S 2Ch 6:37
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S 1Ch 16:11
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S 2Ki 17:13; Isa 55:7; Eze 18:32; Zec 1:4
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S 2Ch 6:20
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S 2Ch 6:27
2 Chronicles 7:14 : S Ex 15:26; 2Ch 30:20; Ps 60:2; Isa 30:26; 53:5; 57:18; Jer 33:6; Mal 4:2
2 Chronicles 7:15 : S 1Ki 8:29; S 2Ch 6:40; Ne 1:6
2 Chronicles 7:16 : S Dt 12:5; 2Ch 33:7
2 Chronicles 7:17 : S 1Ki 9:4
2 Chronicles 7:17 : S Lev 19:37
2 Chronicles 7:18 : Isa 9:7; Jer 33:17, 21
2 Chronicles 7:18 : S 1Ch 5:2; Isa 55:4; Mic 5:2
2 Chronicles 7:18 : S 2Sa 7:13; S 1Ch 17:12; 2Ch 13:5; 23:3
2 Chronicles 7:19 : S Dt 28:15
2 Chronicles 7:19 : S 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 12:1; 24:18; Jer 9:13; 11:8
2 Chronicles 7:20 : S Dt 29:28
2 Chronicles 7:20 : 1Ki 14:15; Jer 12:14; 16:13; 50:11
2 Chronicles 7:20 : S Dt 28:37
2 Chronicles 7:21 : Jer 19:8
2 Chronicles 7:21 : Dt 29:24
2 Chronicles 7:22 : Jer 16:11

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

1. His love endures forever (1-10)

The glory of God filled the temple and all the people knelt to worship. The dedication of the temple was a joyful celebration of the goodness, mercy and unchanging love of the Lord.

2. The Lord appears to Solomon (11-22)

God accepted the temple which Solomon built and dedicated. He promised to hear his people, to forgive them and heal their land if they would humble themselves, seek his face and repent of their wicked ways. He also promised to establish Solomon's throne if Solomon and his descendants lived according to God's word. God remembered his promise to David (18), a promise which would be fulfilled by the Messiah. But if God's people should turn from God's word and worship idols, God promised to uproot them from the land, and reject the temple itself. God will not compromise with idols.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for hearing me when I pray and seek your face with a repentant heart. Thank you for your great faithfulness to keep your promises.

One Word: God is always ready to forgive and heal