Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land. |
Bible Question:
Dear Leabeater, God's Old Testament people had a land to which this verse applied, but do his New Testament people have a land? How can this verse be applied today? Peace, Lionstrong |
Bible Answer: Your reply belies your objection. You understand something of the Old Testament. Why? If the Old Testament is narrowly confined to a national/racial/ethnic group then why do you read it? If our approach to the Bible is overly compartmentalized then we find ourselves questioning doctrines such as the blood atonement (without faith in which no man is saved whether ancient or modern). 1 John 3:4 is New Testament doctrine, "...sin is the transgression of the law." Do we relegate the law to only the Old Testament? No. We are not "to die to the law" (Rom. 7:4) with our regard to its moral demands. We are dead to the law's lorship over us and remarried to the Lord of that law, Jesus Christ, who bore the penalties of that law (Rom. 7:1-7). Speaking of Old Testament law breakers Paul admonishes, "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction..." 1 Cor. 10:9. Our instruction? Will we object, "But Paul, those were Old Testament Israelites"? Yes, Israel is not the church. But even this distinction, if overly drawn, is frought with hermaneutical hazards which I am not willing to cross. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" 2 Tim. 3:16. I looked up the word "All" in Greek. It means "all." So, to answer your question directly, yes. The historical context was to Israel dwelling in Israel. But the semantic meaning far transcends its immediate historical parameters and gives to God's people today a hope that provides guidance to our present national crisis. |