When they sin

"When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness'; and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. – 2 Chronicles 6v36-39

The context has now moved to Solomon and his dedicatory prayer for the Temple. It is a wonderful prayer well worthy of our consideration.

At this point, after praying for military success, Solomon makes an interesting point. ‘When they sin against you…’ I find that intriguing. Solomon acknowledges that God’s people will indeed sin. He follows that with the words ‘for there is no one who does not sin.’

This truth is foundational to the rest of the word of God. If anyone ever would have ‘not sinned’ it would have been Adam and Eve. They had it made, they hade everything they could have wanted.

But even they failed. And, by one man, sin entered into the world and death by sin because all have sinned. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

This is not a very exciting or meaningful entry, but it is vital. Anyone who is honest with themselves will acknowledge that they are not perfect. In fact most of us would have to admit that we do not even come close.

But there is hope – and it is seen in Solomon’s prayer.