“I wanted to forgive Israel, but her sins were far too great – no one can even live in Samaria without being a liar, thief, and bandit!” (Verse 1). These words were God’s message to Israel between 735-722 BCE; in fact, chapters 5-14 were written and spoken by the prophet Hosea those years between when Ahaz became king of Judah and Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians.
This was not a short term departure. It began around 922 BCE when Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their first king; 200 years of gradual decline. Why? It started because Jeroboam was so insecure in his position though God had told him through the prophet Ahijah that he would be the king of ten tribes. (1 Kings 11:26-39). Jeroboam rejected the God who called him. Instead he set up two idols, one in Bethel and one in Dan, for the people to worship and sacrifice to and hired men as priests who were not of the tribe of Levi.
Though the reason for the split was God’s response to Solomon’s sin, would this still have happened if Israel has accepted God’s call to become a kingdom of priests at Mt. Sinai? “And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation. . .They all responded in unison, we will certainly do everything He asks of us.” (Exodus 19:6,8). But three days later after God gave them the Ten Commandments, “They said to Moses, ‘You tell us what God says and we will obey, but don’t let God speak directly to us, or it will kill us’.” (Exodus 20:19). Thus they became a nation with priests instead of a nation of priests.
What about the nations today and the Christians who live in them? Do we want to see our nation thrive or just survive? Peter tells us believers we should not stumble and fall. He said, “you are not like that, for you have been chosen by God Himself – you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own – all this so that you may show others how God called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light”. (1 Peter 2:9). How many Christians sitting in church on Sunday know they are priests of God? Beyond that, how many know what a priest’s duties are?
The duty of a priest is to intercede for others. If someone is sick, needs food or clothing, has trouble paying bills or needs Christ, we Christians should find ways to intercede. But do we? Many times the failure we experience is not the sins we have committed but the good we have failed to do. I know I have been guilty, and there is little difference between the sin of omission and the sin of commission.
In 2 Chronicles 7 beginning in verse 12, the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him He had heard Solomon’s prayer and accepted the Temple as the place He wanted to be used for sacrifices. But then the Lord mentioned some problems that He could send to Israel like drought, famine, epidemics, etc.; these are things to watch out for. But then He gave an answer to the problems. “Then if My people will humble themselves and pray, and search for Me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen, wide awake, to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and sanctified it to be My home forever; My eyes and My heart shall always be here.”
Have we seen problems in our country like theft, murder, people enslaved to sex, alcohol or drugs, poverty, etc.? What have we done about it? “Well, I’m sorry for those people, but I’m glad that’s not in my community.” My sin of omission! You might say, “we don’t have a Temple to go to all hours of the day. The church doors stay locked most of the time.” No, the scripture says we are the Temple of God because the Holy Spirit lives in us. God does not live in buildings; He lives in us. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in His house? If anyone defiles and spoils God’s home, God will destroy him. For God’s home is holy and clean, and you are that home.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). He accepted dwelling in tents and buildings because Israel rejected God living in them. Don’t we realize that If we want to see revival in our time, we must begin, daily if possible, to pray to God for a world-wide awakening. God wants us to call on Him because He, through the Holy Spirit, can touch people’s hearts and minds to show them their sin and lead them to a place where they will hear the gospel and be saved. When we begin to be burdened for the lost and pray for them, God will move, and we will experience revival in our lives and in our churches. (See Isaiah 2:1-5).