Turn From Their Wicked Ways – Heal Our Land (Part 4)

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 Chr. 7:14 ESV)

Since the start of this pandemic, I have seen this scripture used repeatedly to suggest that this virus is God’s judgment on the earth.  This is especially true when the verse is looked at with the previous verse:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 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 Chr. 7:13-14 ESV)

In particular, people focus on the phrase “or send pestilence (plague, disease) among my people”.

Let me make my position clear on this before I proceed:

GOD IS NOT USING COVID-19 AS A JUDGEMENT AGAINST THE EARTH

I was going to explain about why this was not a judgement from God, comparing Biblical judgements to this current situation, but that would be outside the point of this series.

The context of this scripture was King Solomon praying a prayer of dedication over the newly built temple.  In that prayer, he offers up an accurate forecast of Israel’s future sin, God’s reaction to it, and a plea for mercy.  These verses are God’s direct response to Solomon.  In his prayer, Solomon mentions the “wicked ways” that Israel would participate in.  God’s response is that they should humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways.

So, how do we apply a very specific command given to a specific people for a specific time in a specific situation?

For starters, we do NOT say, “The Corona virus is the pestilence (plague) sent by God in 2 Chronicles 7:13!”

Second, we realize that we were called to righteousness:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matt. 5:6 ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt.6:33 ESV)

The Bible tells us how we are to live:

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thes. 5:19-22 ESV)

What is every form of evil?  In his writings, Paul starts listing some things as examples, and he covers it pretty thoroughly:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10 ESV)

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21 ESV)

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Col. 3:5-10 ESV)

These are just some of the things that are listed.  These evil deeds, or wicked ways, seem to vary in the severity of the evil.  Within the same list, Paul names idolatry and envy.  However, God views it all the same.  Evil is evil.  There is no degree of evil.  All of it is seen in light of 2 Chronicles 7:14, turn from your wicked ways.

For the person who has asked Christ to live in his heart, there is no room for wicked ways.  This does not just mean practicing wicked things, but permitting it as well.  We can’t engage in evil activity, and we can’t tolerate evil.