After King Solomon had dedicated the Temple of God, the Lord “appeared to Solomon by night.” What the Lord told Solomon is recorded in Second Chronicles chapter seven. In fact, we are very familiar with one of the statements of the Most High God.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14This promise from the Lord is directed to “my people,” not the people of the world. Personally, it is so disappointing to me that we, the Church of the Lord Jesus, have failed to heed this precious promise from God. Many of us, on an individual basis, do our best to fulfill this directive, but so many continue to go their heedless way (e.g. – ignoring the Word of God, declaring Salvation can be achieved by works and casting aside the Lord’s values).
One of the hallmarks of the Word of God, the Holy Bible, are the patterns the Lord placed in His Word. While numbers in the Bible have no specific value, they are used in a consistent manner. An example is the number Seven. Seven represents completion, even in the physical world. There are seven colors in the rainbow and seven notes in the musical scale, for example.
It is not difficult to see that the number Three represents the Spiritual world (e.g. – Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The number Four represents the Physical world. The ancients said that the world was composed of earth, fire, water and wind; four factors. There are four cardinal directions; North, South, East and West. There are four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Taken together the Three of the Spiritual world, and the Four of the Physical world result in Seven, the number of completion; God’s complete world.
The verse quoted above contains four requirements from the Lord. “If my people” will:
Give God glory and praise for His mercy and wonderful grace.