2 Chronicles 7:12 - Meaning and Application

That God accepted Solomon’s prayer was shown by the fire from heaven. But a prayer can be accepted and still not be answered exactly as we expected. So God appeared to Solomon at night, as He had done before (2 Chronicles 1:7), and after a day of sacrifice, as He had then, and gave him a special answer to his prayer. We already had the main substance of that answer in 1 Kings 9:2-9.

First, God promised to keep this temple as a house of sacrifice for Israel and a house of prayer for all people (Isaiah 56:7). “My name will be there forever” (2 Chronicles 7:12, 2 Chronicles 7:16) means, “There I will make Myself known, and there people will call on Me.” God was saying that this place would be marked by His presence and by the worship offered to Him there.

Second, God promised to answer the prayers of His people whenever they came to this place in need, (2 Chronicles 7:13-15). The passage assumes national troubles, such as famine, pestilence, and perhaps war, because locusts devouring the land picture enemies who ravage everything like a swarm of locusts. In such times, God requires national repentance, prayer, and reformation (2 Chronicles 7:14). His people, who bear His name, must honor that name by accepting the punishment for their sin. They must humble themselves under His hand, pray for the judgment to be removed, seek His face and favor, and turn from their wicked ways back to the God they have left. Then God promises to forgive their sin, which brought the trouble on them, and to heal their land by setting right all their hardships. Forgiving mercy makes room for healing mercy (Psalm 103:3; Matthew 9:2).

Third, God promised to keep Solomon’s kingdom secure, if Solomon kept doing his duty (2 Chronicles 7:17, 2 Chronicles 7:18). If Solomon wanted the blessing tied to God’s covenant with David, he had to follow David’s example. But God set before him both death and life, both the curse and the blessing. He also made clear that it was possible for them, even with this temple built for God’s honor, to turn aside and worship other gods (2 Chronicles 7:19). He knew how ready they were to fall back into that sin.

God warned that if they did so, it would surely bring ruin on both the nation and the worshiping community. It would ruin their state, (2 Chronicles 7:20). Even if they had taken deep root in that good land, God would pull them up by the roots and drive them out as one pulls weeds from a garden and throws them away. It would also ruin their church. This sanctuary would not protect them from God’s judgment, as they foolishly thought when they said, “The temple of the Lord are we” (Jeremiah 7:4). This house, high not only in its beautiful structure but in its purpose and use, would become a shocking sight, brought down in a way that would amaze all their neighbors (Lamentations 1:9).