Dr. Rodney Plunket

     In a moment I will read 2 Chronicles (2Chr) 7:13-14, so please open your Bible to that passage.  While you are turning there let me tell you that these two verses contain a message spoken by the Lord to Israel’s King Solomon.  God spoke these words to Solomon on the night that immediately followed the consecration of the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem.  Please follow along as I read:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I sense that American churchgoers have witnessed an increased use of this passage during the past ten years or so.  That passage is regularly being used as a call to our nation to change so that God’s blessings will continue to be poured out upon us.  On this, the first Sunday after America’s Independence Day, I think it appropriate to reflect on that passage together.

I want to begin by calling your attention to an implicit message found here.  These words of the Lord to King Solomon imply that the reason the Lord might in the future send a drought, a locust plague, or some other pestilence upon God’s people is because they are no longer humble, have not been seeking God, and have not turned away from wicked ways but have embraced them instead.  The Lord here makes clear that the way to reverse a drought, a locust plague, or pestilence is for the people of God to become what they should have been all the time––humble seekers of God who turn away from wickedness.

How should American Christians hear 2Chr 7:13-14?  I fear that we often hear this passage and think that it should be preached to politicians, non-Christians, atheists, or to some other group whom we think is bringing our nation under the threat of God’s wrath.  I would suggest, however, that the text’s very words reveal that we should focus this message upon ourselves.  In verse (v) 14 God clearly reveals the intended target of these words:  “my people who are called by my name.”  If these Old Testament (OT) words have relevance to anyone today, and I believe they do have relevance today, then it is to those who believe in the God who spoke these words; it is to those who “are called by [God’s] Name.”

In the OT God commonly punishes the Israelites when they stray from humble, prayerful, obedient faith.  Sometimes God uses drought, locust, or pestilence to administer that punishment; but the Assyrian empire and the Babylonian empire administer the most telling punishments.  And those two empires were horrifically evil.  The OT book of Nahum makes clear how evil Assyria was.  The OT book of Habakkuk does the same with regard to Babylon.  Yes, the people of God were unfaithful.  Yes, they deserved God’s punishment.  But the people God used to punish them were clearly more evil than were the recipients of the punishment.

My point?  God’s eyes are always more upon God’s people, those who “are called by God’s name,” than upon those who are not “called by God’s name.”  That is great news when God’s people are humble and faithful.  That is great news when the lives of God’s people can be used to bring others to faith by our example of transformed lives.  When God’s people are faithful, God’s promise to Abraham is actualized anew.  God promised to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis [Gn] 12:3).  In Gn 39:5 we read, “From the time that [Pharaoh] made [Joseph] overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field.”  I believe God wants to do the same today.  I believe God wants the blessing upon God’s people to over­flow onto others.  That is one way that God keeps fulfilling the promise made to Abraham.

In Acts (Ax) 27 we read of the time when Paul the apostle was on a ship during a violent and dangerous storm.  In Ax 27:23-26 Paul speaks to the other men on the ship.  He says,

last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’  So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.  But we will have to run aground on some island."

Just a few verses later, in Ax 27:30-32, we read,

when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”  Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and set it adrift.

Paul’s presence and words saved everyone on board.  The ship did wreck on the island of Malta, but no lives were lost.  God delivered them all because of the presence of Paul, a person on board who was called by God’s name.  God’s blessing upon Paul overflowed onto others and saved them from death.

I love America.  I want God to bless this nation and this land.  I believe that 2Chr 7:13-14 helps me to know my role in the facilitating of that blessing.  As a person who wears God’s name and the Name of God’s Son Jesus Christ, I must be humble.  I must be prayerful.  I must seek God’s presence and will.  I must repent and turn from the wicked ways that corrupt me and make me worthless as an instrument for God’s holy use.  When God’s blessing are upon me and all of God’s people then those blessings will overflow onto others.  When God’s people are not humble seekers of God then God’s punishment upon us will do the same; it will spill over onto those around us.

It all begins with humility.  It all begins with a spirit of lowliness.  It all begins with a soul bowed low before the throne of our majestic God.  God says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves.”

Let me read three verses that occur in a cluster in the OT’s longest psalm.  Please take your Bible and follow along as I read Psalm (Ps) 119:67, 71, 75.  I will be reading from the New Revised Standard Version.  Ps 119:67, 71, 75:

Ps 119:67           Before I was humbled I went astray,

                    but now I keep your word.

Ps 119:71           It is good for me that I was humbled,

                    so that I might learn your statutes.

Ps 119:75           I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right,

                    and that in faithfulness you have humbled me.

In most other English translations where I read “humbled” you had something like “afflicted” or “disciplined.”  That is because the Hebrew word being translated here has a fairly wide range of meanings.  However, all the meanings seem to gravitate around the core meaning of “to put down.”  The psalmist here was put down.  The psalm as a whole indicates that the putdown was effected by affliction, by suffering.  So the versions which render the word here as “affliction” or “discipline” are correct.  They are focusing upon the method God used to “put down” the psalmist.  But the NRSV is also correct when it uses “humbled.”  It is focusing upon the result of God’s putdown.  God does not put someone down for no reason.  God does it to effect a change of heart.  God does it to generate humility.  And this psalmist is declaring the goodness of God’s work, a work that effected an attitude of lowliness and humble submission to the will and word of God.

It begins with humility.  But sometimes God has to afflict us, has to put us down to get us to wake up to the absolute essentiality of humility.  The psalmist experienced that.  God’s people, the Israelites, experienced that many times.  I believe God’s people, the church, have as well.  Often God has had to use affliction to put us down, so we will stoop and finally see the foundational importance of humility.

Jeff Day sent me a story via email back in 1997.  It is a “putdown” story and, therefore, germane to our lesson this morning.  The story is from a mother who writes as follows:

Last week I took my children to a restaurant.  My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.  As we bowed our heads he said, “God is good.  God is great.  Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets ice cream for dessert.  And liberty and justice for all!  Amen!”  Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, “That’s what’s wrong with this country.  Kids today don’t even know how to pray.  Asking God for ice cream!  Why, I never!”

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, “Did I do it wrong?  Is God mad at me?”  As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.  He winked at my son and said, “I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer.”  “Really?” my son asked.  “Cross my heart.”  Then in theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), “Too bad she never asks God for ice cream.  A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.”

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal.  My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.  He picked up the sundae and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman.  With a big smile he told her, “Here this is for you.  Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already” (author unknown).

Feel the putdown in the six-year-old’s words?  I hope the woman got the message.  I hope she felt the need for humility and lowliness.  I hope some of the spiritual haughtiness was purged from her soul.

And I want to tell one more putdown story:

On a British Airways flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African lady had found herself sitting next to a black African man.  She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating.

“What seems to be the problem Madam?” asked the attendant.  “Can’t you see?” she said.  You’ve set me next to a Kaffir.  I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting human.  Find me another seat!”

“Please calm down Madam,” the stewardess replied.  “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do––I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”  The woman cocked a snooty look at the outraged black man beside her (not to mention many of the sur­rounding passengers).

A few minutes later the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the woman, who could not help but look at the people around her with a small, self-satisfied grin:  “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full.  I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full.  However, we do have one seat in first class.”

Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain.  But, given the circumstances the captain felt it was outrageous that someone be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious person.”  With which, she turned to the black man sitting next to the woman, and said:  So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your sit ready for you.”  At which point, apparently the surrounding passengers stood and gave a standing ovation while the black guy walked up to the front of the plane.

How hard will God have to work to put us down, to get us to be humble people of prayer who seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways?  Whatever it takes for God to do that for me, I hope it will happen.  Yes, I hope it will happen for my own sake.  But I also hope it will happen because I love this land, and I want God’s blessings to pour across this land, to pour across it because of the humble faithfulness the people who are called by God’s Name.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.  And He will lift you up.”  If you need to humble yourselves and come to the Lord this morning, please come now as we stand and sing.

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