False Prophecy

“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;  and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;  and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name;  then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.  And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy;  for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace." (I Kings 8:46-51)           

          The world is falling apart, and in this political season, as in each political season, there are cries for Christians to get involved politically. We need to take this nation back, return to its Constitutional basis, get God back in the White House.  Once that happens, laws will be changed and the societal system will be repaired and everything will be safe, and wonderful. America will be great again. As motivating as these words may sound, they are the words of false and progressive prophets. No doubt they mean well, but it is not what Scripture tells us repeatedly.

          Today's passage is the first time the word "repent" is used in the NIV. The speaker is Solomon, and the occasion was the dedication of the Temple. It is a familiar refrain throughout the Old Testament. The most well-known version of it is "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways[repent], then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14.)

         The first step to the solution for what ails our nation is not to fix the government. It is for Christians to repent, to forsake their sins and to make right what is wrong in their own lives and within the Church. That does not mean that we should stop speaking out about the evils we see in society, but that we must also focus on the evils in our own. It does not mean that we must be perfect before we can address the problems "out there" but it does mean we'd better be addressing our own problems with even more vigor. We need to be building the better society ourselves instead of waiting for some messiah who will repair the brokenness of our nation without inconveniencing us about the brokenness of our own lives.