God Math

I was channel surfing yesterday (Sunday) before walking to church. I must have caught part of the sermon to which you refer or at least one like it, and I listened for a couple minutes (I know, not the best preparation for a worship experience). The scripture reference was 2 Chronicles 7:14 (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.) and the pulpit from which he spoke had something like "Take Back America" in big letters written on it. The part I caught was his expounding on what it would look like if God were to "heal their land". In his opinion it would include Terry Shiavo not being murdered, happy heterosexual marriages, etc... THEN he said that there is a "tipping point" at which a percentage of righteous people at which God releases his blessings on the nation. He DID say that only God knows the "tipping point". I thought it was interesting that he believes that all of this applies within a human-made political system with human-drawn borders. If you're Canadian or Nigerian or whatever and your geopolitical (human made) system isn't beyond the tipping point then you'll miss the "blessing". I guess if you immigrate into the US you might get to receive the blessings, assuming you don't throw the tipping point off back the other way. Cosmic math can be exciting. However, if I read the verse in context I see it in a much different light. Get this:

11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Now, I'm not a Biblical scholar by anyone's estimation, but this really seems to me to be referring to God literally healing the land i.e. drought, natural disaster, and disease that were God sent to start with. Whether or not God really sends plagues is another discussion, but I feel on pretty safe ground that under most situations Land would consider him the literalist much more so than me. In this discussion I'm pretty sure that Land considers himself to be one of the "people" God is talking about in the verse. You, Steak, and I are probably not included, or, if we are, it would be grudgingly at best.

While we're proof texting (using the scripture, often out of context, to satisfy our preconceived ideas), I love the passage in Genesis 18 where Abram bargained God into sparing Sodom if he (Abram) could find ten righteous people. In the end he couldn't find them, of course, but when people like Land start talking God's blessings and wrath on human-made political bodies and their citizens, I take comfort that as along as there's BB's Hot Wife, SOF, and others like them around, we should be safe.

One more proof text:

Ezekiel 16:49 " 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Note the sins of Sodom. Ring any bells?
Later
BB