THERE’S AN IF July 6, 2020

One of the verses in today’s Word, in the second book of Chronicles chapter 7, is often quoted in a television commercial I see daily.  Unfortunately, instead of starting with an “IF” as indicated in the Bible, the advertisement started with “AND”.  English grammar though, is one of my weakest subjects, and so I can only go so far as to say that changing the word greatly changes the meaning.

From what I know, saying IF denotes a condition; like, IF we do something, then something would happen as an effect.  Or, IF we do not do something, then something else would occur.  It is either one or the other, and the two conditions could never happen at the same time.  And that is the extent of my understanding as to the meaning of the word.  Whereas, if we use the word AND, I understand that it means that aside from one thing, there is another thing that is included in the group referred to in the statement; like, so and so, do this and that, go here and there.  One goes with the other, for us to complete the concept referred to by the AND.

However, when we read the Word fully and in its background, we know why it is dangerous to even change one letter of GOD’s Word (unless, by translation, efforts are made to simplify archaic words to make them understandable to the modern reader, which is still subject to very careful and meticulous consideration so as not to change the meaning).  This chapter refers to the dedication made by King Solomon after he completed building the house of the Lord.  Then, during the night, GOD appeared to Him and declared that He was pleased with the work.  GOD also left the king with one of His timeless promises that transcends time and culture, up until our generation today.  In verses 12 to 16 in the King James Version printed in 1611, we read: “And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, ‘I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 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.  Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.  For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.’”

Even if we have never been there personally, but still have some basic idea about history and geography, we know that this place is considered the holiest of three of the world’s major religions because in the present times, this place is believed and revered to be in Jerusalem, the old site of the Jewish Temple, which Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have contentiously elevated as one of (if not the) holiest place of worship.  It would be a crime to attribute wrongly GOD’s intention in blessing that place, and to misinterpret what GOD has intended for His people.  He has blessed the place, and even if His people should turn away from Him and seek other gods, there is an IF—if they will turn or change from their wrongdoings and seek His face, or continually seek His approval in everything they do, He will listen to their cries of repentance and accept them again, and heal their land—whatever sickness it may have, whether on the ground, on the water, or on the air.

The IF we should understand to be GOD giving us the freedom to choose.  There could be an alternative, like even with the sufferings and the problems we are experiencing now with the pandemic (not to mention that the world’s second most populous country was indeed plagued by locusts just a few months and weeks back; and for several decades now we have been battling global warming and unpredictable weather, shortage or lack of rains or condensation; then too, aside from CoViD-19, we had the African Swine Fever; and now, just beginning to rear its head is a mutated H1N1 among the pigs in the Middle Kingdom--again), people still have the freedom not to turn back to GOD and mend their ways.  But as people who are called by His Name (that is, if we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD, and we call ourselves Christians, thereby using His Name), if we will repent of our wrongdoings, and do better and more rightly, there is hope for us.

Even if the original book was in Hebrew, the first English translation commissioned by King James in 1611 tried its best to stay true to the original, and did not miss out on GOD’s condition for healing and deliverance.  In other words, if we ordinary humans can demand loyalty from friends and loved ones, so does GOD.  We cannot have our cake and eat it too.  We cannot continue on our wrongful ways, believing we are too knowledgeable, secure, invincible and powerful that we forget that in one opportune (or rather unfortunate) breath, that will be the beginning of the end of us, especially since majority of the scientists who studied our invisible enemy now have concluded that it is indeed airborne (contrary to what the highest health authority of the world said when the pandemic was just starting to make an outbreak).  In essence, if we continue doing things our way, we would prove our Cantonese journalists true in Laam Chau, it will only be a mutually assured destruction for us and those we join hands with if we do not recognize GOD’s hand in history and current events, and instead put our trust and hope in fallible man, corrupt leaders, and selfish personalities.

There’s always an IF to life.  IF we choose to disobey, we will surely get in harm’s way.  But IF we choose to change our ways and follow His will, the GOD we worship will always be ready with open arms to restore us, heal us and bless us again.