Heal Whose Land?

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

Just the other day I encountered a verse in Scripture that is quoted quite often, 2 Dibrayamim (Chronicles) 7:14 “….and My people upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”

The Ruach asked me to think on this verse and to take a closer look.

The context of the verse is about Shlomo (Solomon) dedicating the temple. The mightiness of YHWH is shown as He Himself sends fire from heaven to consume the burnt offering. The people see His esteem and do obeisance with their faces bowed toward the ground. In addition, the people continue to praise YHWH and give thanks with more offerings. The cohenim (priests) are blowing the shofarot. The dedication of the temple is all taking place during the Festival of Succoth (Tabernacles).

When the festival had ended Shlomo sent the people away and they were glad of heart. Then YHWH appeared to Shlomo at night and said to him (verse 12), “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of slaughtering. 13 “If I shut up the heavens and there is no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people 14 and My people upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Whose land will be healed? Is it the land of the diaspora you are living in? Let’s look at verse 15, “Now, My eyes are open and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place. 16 “And now, I have chosen and set this house apart for My Name to be there forever. And My eyes and My heart shall always be there.

Yerushalayim, the place of the temple, is the emphasis of verse 14 that is often quoted. If we look at the rest of the chapter we can get even further insight, 17 “And you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you guard My laws and My right-rulings, 18 then I shall establish the throne of your reign, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘There is not to cease a man of yours as ruler in Yisrael 19 “But if you turn away and forsake My laws and My commands which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other mighty ones, and bow yourself to them, 20 then I shall pluck them from My land, which I have given them, and this house which I have set apart for My Name I shall cast out of My sight and make it to be a proverb and a mockery among all peoples. 21 “And this house, which has been exalted, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished and say, ‘Why has YHWH done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 “Then they shall say, ‘Because they forsook Elohim of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim, and embraced other mighty ones, and bowed themselves to them and served them, therefore He has brought all this evil on them.’ ” (emphasis added)

Shlomo despite his wisdom was the very king who started the downward slide of the Kingdom of Yisrael as he began to sacrifice to strange elohim (gods) brought about by his marriage to foreign wives. After his passing, Rehoboam, Shlomo’s son, saw the division of the Kingdom of Yisrael and the subsequent scattering of the 10 tribes into the four corners of the earth (see 1 Kings 11 and following).

We as Ephrayim and all the first born nation of Yisrael are to humble ourselves, pray and seek Abba’s face so He may heal the Land of Yisrael, the Land of our inheritance. The Land is sick for it has been vomiting people out for thousands of years (see Vayikra (Leviticus 18:26-28 and 20:22). Vomit many times is a response to sickness. Our response of repentance will directly influence the healing of the Land. As Abba restores the Land’s health, it can then receive more of its inheritors, the sons of Yisrael. O Abba, may it be done in our day.

Shavua tov.
—
Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!