A Cycle of Sin, Judgement, Repentance and Blessing - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 6:36-39,

"When they (the Israelites) 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 a 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 captivity and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you."

Solomon's prayer here takes on a prophetic aspect as he exactly describes the events to take place several centuries later, following the split of the nation. The northern ten tribes will be defeated by the Assyrians in 722 BC and the southern kingdom will be defeated by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Following a seventy year captivity in Babylon, and a repentance among the remnant from the perennial idolatry and sin the nation engaged in, the Lord allowed them to return to the land.

What I find instructive in Solomon's prayer is the cycle he observes: "When they sin against you... and [you] give them over to the enemy... and if they have a change of heart... and repent... forgive your people." We see this cycle play out over and over again in Israel's history. Sin ultimately brings suffering from God's hand, the suffering brings repentance, repentance brings God's blessing.

I believe this is a cycle we still see today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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