2 Chronicles 7:14: How Do I Get Forgiven?

"If my people who are called by my name 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 heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

In 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 6, we find one of the most phenomenal prayers in all of scripture. The prayer was offered by Solomon at the dedication of the temple. After praising God for his faithfulness, Solomon diligently seeks the Lord in asking that he forgive his people and restore them after they have sinned, that is, if they truly repent of what they have done. In the book of Kings, Solomon's prayer is all that we get. Yet the book of Chronicles does not leave us hanging but gives us God's answer to Solomon's prayer, which we look at today.

After Solomon's prayer and the dedication of the temple, the LORD visits Solomon in the night and answers his prayers with a promise: "If my people who are called by my name 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 heal their land." The LORD says much more to Solomon than this simple phrase, but the heart of all of it is contained in this one verse. In this verse, the LORD answers for us a very crucial question: How can one be forgiven and restored after they have sinned?

This is truly a crucial question, is it not? In fact, this may be the most important question that there is. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Paul tells us that in Romans. Yet, how do we obtain forgiveness from our sins? Is it something that we do that can gain us forgiveness? Well, certainly not, because then we would have reason to boast (Eph. 2:7-9). Thus, it must be something that God does, which we see here.

In this verse, we find four imperatives followed by a conditional promise. First, let's look at the imperatives: Humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways. Firstly, God shows us that in order to be forgiven we must humble ourselves. Humility is a big concept in scripture, but let us realize here that to be humble is to realize that we cannot obtain forgiveness on our own. The Lord's power is greater than ours, and if we desire forgiveness and restoration, we must humbly submit to a God who can heal and restore us, even when we cannot. Secondly, we must pray. To attempt to gain forgiveness without prayer is like trying to drive without having a car--all of the desire is there, but there is no means to accomplish the task. Prayer is the vehicle or means by which we go to God and ask for forgiveness. Without it, we just have a mournful sinner with no hope. Thirdly, we must seek God's face and turn from wicked ways. Although these are two separate ideas grammatically, they certainly go together. To seek God is to turn from sin. To do one is to do the other. Is this not what James teaches us? "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Thus, we find that in order to receive forgiveness and restoration from God, we must humble ourselves, pray, and seek God's face/turn from our wicked ways. If we do these things, God has promised here to both forgive us and heal our land, that is, restore that which we have lost because of our sin.

However, we mustn't stop here, because if we do, we have made a forgiveness formula that leads us to using God as a tool. Let us notice that God is not a means that we use in order to gain forgiveness, but he is the end of that which our forgiveness leads to. What do I mean by this? Well, if you were to read the devotional above, you may be tempted to humble yourself, pray, and seek God so that you might obtain forgiveness, and then totally forget about God. Yet let me encourage you, dear reader, that the only reason by which God forgives us is so that we can have a relationship with him for his glory! To obtain forgiveness and then forsake God is to walk contrary to the very nature of forgiveness. If God has forgiven you, he expects you to walk with him as a forgiven child with a loving father! In other words, we ought to desire the Forgiver more than we desire the forgiveness. Amen.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us

our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9