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 Biblical scholars, interpret this passage: |
Eddie Robbins |
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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
What does "land" mean? |
Acts-pert Poster
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9/21/16 10:24 am
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| I'm ready to hear this one |
wayne |
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9/21/16 10:29 am
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bonnie knox |
Eddie, I will just make some of my observations (without claim to "scholarship").
In the verses just prior to the one you mention, God has appeared unto Solomon in the night and said, "I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people..."
The specific things mentioned are drought, pests, and disease. The drought and pests would affect the earth and its ability to bring forth the abundance that God promised if the Israelites obeyed him. In Deuteronomy 28, God promised blessings on the goods produced from the earth: "the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.... ...thy basket and thy store....
"...And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
"The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand..."
I think it's fair to say the "land" includes the earth from which the produce and livestock grow. However, because pestilence is included, "land" might also include "place" in a more general way, i.e., the "place" inhabited by these people who make their living off the land. |
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9/21/16 10:47 am
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bonnie knox |
Now, to give us all something further to chew on,
Matthew 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. |
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Posts: 14803
9/21/16 10:50 am
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| Easy... |
Mark Ledbetter |
| bonnie knox wrote: | Now, to give us all something further to chew on,
Matthew 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. |
In a land that depends upon appropriate sunshine, and even more so upon the seasonal rains, the Father's love, demonstrated by His benevolence, is extended to both the evil and the good.
This is the Father's example of how we should respond to our enemies - love them rather than curse them.
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9/21/16 11:08 am
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| Re: Biblical scholars, interpret this passage: |
Mark Ledbetter |
| Eddie Robbins wrote: | 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
What does "land" mean? |
I believe Bonnie is correct by emphasizing the context. Like so many other OT passages Christians like to apply to the Christian Community, the immediate application is to Israel, especially in light of the events of the Temple dedication and Solomon's prayer and God's promise regarding prayer towards the Temple.
Now of course, if the Church will admit they have been engraphed into the Tree and have become a part of the Commonwealth of Israel, then perhaps the Christian Community can appropriate this promise.
Yet, again, as Bonnie's post can imply, the healing is not necessarily a spiritual healing but the response to repentance is the cessation of crop failure and pests.
One thought regarding humble, especially if the Christian Community wants to do this right - humble is in reference to fasting (as in the Day of Atonement, or Solemn Assembly).
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9/21/16 11:15 am
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| If the Matthew passage is easy, then... |
bonnie knox |
If the rains are enjoyed by the evil who live in the land of the good, is there a tipping point to when there are enough evil people that God says, "Okay, you've been disobedient, and I'm withholding the rain."?
Was the covenant of blessings and cursings in Deut. 28 only with Israel and not all lands and peoples everywhere for all times?
Does God deal with us today in the same way such that droughts or floods are his judgment?
Last edited by bonnie knox on 9/21/16 11:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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9/21/16 11:17 am
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| Re: Biblical scholars, interpret this passage: |
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| Eddie Robbins wrote: | 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
What does "land" mean? |
The most basic interpretation in context is that when the people of Israel humbled themselves and prayed, sought God's face, and turned from their wicked ways, the Lord would hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal the land of Israel.
The passage tells of God hearing the prayers of people from other nations.
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9/21/16 11:17 am
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| Re: Biblical scholars, interpret this passage: |
Old Time Country Preacher |
| Eddie Robbins wrote: | 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
What does "land" mean? |
Nothin scholarly in Pikeville, Eddie, but the phrase "heal their land" is used as a comprehensive phrase for the restoration of all God’s purposes for the people of Israel and for the land he promised them. |
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9/21/16 11:25 am
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diakoneo |
| Their land was their livelihood. Bad land= bad crops, bad cattle, drought, disease and death. Good land= good crops, good cattle, plenty, health and life. |
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9/21/16 11:52 am
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bonnie knox |
My folks like to tell of the lady who allegedly said that if the crops failed, the farmers would just have to buy their food at the grocery store like the rest of us do. 
| diakoneo wrote: | | Their land was their livelihood. Bad land= bad crops, bad cattle, drought, disease and death. Good land= good crops, good cattle, plenty, health and life. |
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9/21/16 11:58 am
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Da Sheik |
Not being a "scholar" myself, I concur with the consensus of the scholars who have already posted. I would like to add one other thing, however. In the Old Testament, we see God dealing with the nation of Israel uniquely. In the New Testament, I do not see any such geographical distinctions. I hear things like "revival is coming to America" or "God is going to judge America". There are good people and evil people everywhere on every continent. Some of the most wicked places on earth....steeped in idolatry are among the most prosperous.
Just to clarify- I do see from Romans and Revelation that God has future plans for the nation of Israel. Beyond that, I don't get the whole geographical blessing or curse idea from the NT. May the real scholars weigh in on this and help me understand.
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9/21/16 2:52 pm
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