Making Right the Wrong

From the beginning it was God’s plan for him to dwell with his people.  Unfortunately, it didn’t take too long before things went wrong.  The serpent tempted Eve in the garden and the fruit of the tree became a delight to her eyes.  Everything went wrong once she and Adam ate of the fruit.  The desire to be like God led to rebellion against him.  As a result, they were banished from the garden.  Sin had separated man from his Presence. Now man was separated from God, and God had a plan to make right the wrong caused by sin.

Having the Presence of God was very important to the Israelites.  Throughout the Old Testament they carried the Ark of Covenant (which was a symbol of God’s Presence and Glory).  We especially see this in the life of King David.  He himself had some challenges with keeping the Ark.  He witnessed God strike down Uzzah for handling the Ark improperly and sent it to the household of Obed-edom.  After the blessing of the Lord was upon the household of Obed-edom because of the Ark, David brought the ark back to the city of David with rejoicing.  Now David decided to build a house for the LORD (2 Samuel 6-7).  King David, a man after God’s own heart, had the desire for the LORD to dwell with his people, to make right the wrong.

Fast forward some years, and David’s son Solomon becomes king and builds the house for the LORD.  After Solomon dedicates the house, the LORD appears to him in the night with a word, including…

¹⁴ 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, ESV). 

But of course they did not turn from their ways and the next generation fell right back into a sinful nation that rebelled against God.  God knowing all things knew they wouldn’t turn from their ways, nor the generations to follow. 

So God sent his prophets to deliver a message.  The message was singular focused towards one thing.  REPENT!  The last of the prophets being John the Baptist, who came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mark 3:2, ESV). 

Why?  Why did God send His prophets to deliver the message to repent? 

To make right the wrong from the sin that separated His people from him. 

God had bigger plans to permanently dwell with his people when he made his covenant with David. The promise was that the eternal kingdom would be established forever through his offspring. God fulfilled the promise when he sent his son Jesus (Immanuel - God with us).  Through Jesus, as believers, we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit to be with us forever.  For all who accept Jesus and repent, carry his Presence here and now where ever they are. 

The current times we live in now is evidence that there is an absence of God’s Presence in our land.  Beginning with Abraham’s faith, God promised he would be the father of many nations.  Even our country now, through our Founding Fathers of America, was originally founded as one nation under God.  Surveying our current nation points to one conclusion, “Oh how far we have strayed.” 

Making right the wrong that separated us from his Presence matters to God.  According to 2 Chronicles, His people all have a part.  As believers we are called to humility, to prayer, to seek him, and to repentance.  For those who are His, now have the promise of His Indwelling Spirit to carry His Presence here and now. 

Lord as we currently view where our nation stands it’s obvious we have lost our foundation of being one nation under God.  We are a nation who has rebelled against you and in desperate need of your healing, a nation in need of repentance. Lord we all have our part and I pray we would come with humility, in prayer, come to seek your face, and repentance.  We thank you for Jesus who forgives our sins and came so we could have your Presence dwell with us.  In His Name we pray, Amen.