FBC Daily Devotional – February 10, 2022

Well, good Thursday morning to you.

We're coming close to the end of the week already and this week is flying by hope it's going well for you and

Today we're reading in 2nd Chronicles and and you know, let's see Tuesday and yesterday.

Both days we saw this concept of steadfast.

Love show up in our scripture reading on Tuesday the It's a dedication of the

temple all the singers were Inquired was was praising God for his goodness

that he is good and that his steadfast love Endures forever and there was also the

challenge from Proverbs 19 on that day that What is desired of a man is that

we be marked by that same steadfast love and then yesterday again?

We saw this idea of Covenant loyalty of steadfast love and here it shows up again

in chapter 6 of 2nd Chronicles and Solomon is

using an example that illustrates the truth that the Lord is

characterized by steadfast love and you see it in verses 14 and 15 again, this is at the

all in the context of the dedication of The temple in Jerusalem and he says

he says this.

Solomon says this Lord God of Israel there is no God in heaven or on earth like you

who keep your covenant and your Hesed your steadfast love.

With your servants who walk before you with all their hearts you show steadfast love

To your servants and now uses an example of how the Lord does that how God has done that.

He says you have kept what you promised your servant David my father.

You have spoken with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand as it is this

day.

That's how God's covenant loyalty works.

He makes a promise with his mouth if you will in his with his word and Then in

his actions he fulfills that promise now having seen that

Lived out in technical or before them.

The promise that David's son would be on the throne He's on the throne the promise that David's son would build

the temple.

The temple is built.

There it is.

God has proved himself to be Faithful to his word marked by steadfast

steadfast love.

Loyalty to his covenant and having seen that that then gives

confidence for praying for.

More.

Expressions of steadfast love so in verses 16 and 17 Solomon goes on to say

Therefore on account of the steadfast love you have already shown Therefore

Lord God of Israel now keep what you have promised your servant David my father saying You

not shot you shall not fail to have a man sit before me on the throne of Israel.

So you've also promised not only that to David not only that his son would be on the throne But you

also promised that there wouldn't fail to be a man of a descendant of David's to be on that throne

Fulfill that promise as well and he goes on to say in verse 17 now Oh Lord God of Israel,

let your word come true Which you have spoken to your servant David.

What a prayer you can pray that to the Lord that he will continue to show his

steadfast love and And what confidence do you have that he will what confidence do you have

to offer such a prayer?

Well, look at how he has shown his steadfast love and that gives you such confidence.

Now the other thing I wanted to point out about this is that another way that Solomon asks

the Lord to show his steadfast.

Love is through this repeated Expression that you see

Ellis for example in verse 21 2nd Chronicles 6 Where he says may you hear the

supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place?

Hear from heaven your dwelling place and when you hear forgive.

So Solomon goes through this prayer Create creating a bunch

of potential scenarios in which God's people might sin suffer for that

sin some kind of consequences or punishment or chastening for that sin and then in

their misery they turn to the Lord pray toward the

temple toward the Lord and Seek his face and Ask for forgiveness

and he's and and so Solomon asked the Lord to forgive on the basis of your steadfast.

Love forgive and What's clear in chapter 7 as

Solomon finishes his prayer is?

That the Lord is pleased with our total dependence upon him for forgiveness and the way

he manifested that pleasure with a Longing for

forgiveness is what he does in chapter 7 verse 1 it says once when

Solomon finished praying fire came down from heaven and Consumed the burnt offering and

the sacrifice and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

All right.

So the Lord visually showed Solomon and the people gathered together at the temple that he was

pleased with that prayer of utter dependence upon the Lord

even for forgiveness such a thing as forgiveness.

And then following that visual manifestation of his pleasure the Lord

confirmed Confirmed that he heard Solomon's prayer

and that he would promise to forgive as God's people.

Truly repent we read of this in chapter 7 verses 12 through 4 through 15.

Listen to what it says.

The Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him I have heard your prayer.

I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain or command the locusts to devour your land or send

pestilence among my people.

With the understood thing there because of their sin.

Then there's this verse that is often lifted out of context and applied inappropriately, but I'll say more about that

in a second perhaps.

Then he says this if I do that if I shut up heaven and a command locusts and send pestilence among my people then he

says it if my people who are called by my name will 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.

I will be steadfastly loyal to the covenant that I have made with my people as

They repent and turn from their sin I will forgive them and heal their land and Then he

says in verse 15 now, my eyes will be open in my ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

So the Lord again demonstrates his steadfast loyalty is steadfast love and and you and I.

Even as New Testament Christians God hasn't changed.

He is never he is still marked by hesed Steadfastly

Lovingly loyal to the covenant promises that he has made hence You and

I if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our

sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So take that promise count on the Lord's loving kindness now just a word about verse 14 again here.

This as I mentioned this verse is often taken on account this this verse isn't given to the United States of America.

This isn't a promise given to Americans any more than it's a promise given to Germans or

Russians or Chinese.

No, this was a promise given to God's people the covenant people of Israel.

This is a promise given to the covenant people.

If this is a promise given to us as God's people that if God sends chastening upon his

church then We who are his people if we recognize that

chastening because of our sin and we turn from our sin.

Then he will forgive and heal our land.

So let's be be careful not to misappropriate this verse in a way that sets us

up perhaps for some kind of Disappointment, but it's not intended to

be a disappointing thing.

It's intended to be a promising hope and A joy that we can count on the

steadfast love of our God.

Thank you, Father.

Thank you today that we can count on you to be ever faithful ever true to

your word Even when we need forgiveness and especially when we need

forgiveness We can count on you.

Thank you.

Thank you for that forgiveness in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right, have a good day and I trust God will bless you in it.