2 Chronicles 15:2a - God Seeks a Relationship.
2 Chronicles 15:2a; God Seeks a Relationship.
2 Chr 15:2a (NIV) The LORD is with you when you are with him.
If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him,
he will forsake you.
2 Chr 15:2a (NRSV) The LORD is with you, while you are with
him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon
him, he will abandon you.
2 Chr 15:2a (AMP) The Lord is with you while you are with Him.
If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your
soul's first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become
indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you.
CONTEXT
King Asa of Judah
Ethiopian Invasion Repulsed
The Prophet Azariah Warns Asa
Asa's Religious Reforms (15:1-19)
CROSS REFERENCES
1 Chron. 28:9 (KJV) And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God
of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a
willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all
the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found
of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
2 Chron. 13:12 (KJV) And, behold, God himself is with us for
our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm
against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of
your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
2 Chron. 15:4 (KJV) But when they in their trouble did turn
unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
2 Chron. 20:15 (KJV) And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord
unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great
multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
2 Chron. 20:20 (KJV) And they rose early in the morning, and
went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth,
Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established;
believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
2 Chron. 24:20 (KJV) And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah
the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and
said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of
the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord,
he hath also forsaken you.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near: [7] Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon.
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (KJV) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye
shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. [13] And ye
shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your
heart. [14] And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn
away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and
from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I
will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried
away captive.
Matthew 7:7-8 (KJV) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For
every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Hebrews 10:38 (KJV) Now the just shall live by faith: but if
any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
James 4:8 (KJV) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded.
Rev. 2:7 (KJV) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to
eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
Asa had sought God and had done everything he could to walk in
His ways and to do His work (2 Chron. 14:11). Thus the Lord was with
him in a mighty way to guide and to bless. [SDA Commentary]
King Asa was a man who lived at a time when the people of Israel
had given themselves over to the worship of idols. They had turned
away from God and the way of life they knew to be right. A messenger
of God told the king: "'The Lord will stay with you as long as you
stay with him! Whenever you look for him, you will find him. But if
you forsake him, he will forsake you.' .... When King Asa heard this
message ... he took courage and destroyed all the idols in the land ...
and he rebuilt the altar of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 15:2, 8). Asa
even removed his mother from her position of power because she had
been influential in Israel's idolatry.
Allowing God to remove all our defects of character takes
courage because the changes he makes in us will affect every part of our
life. The time will come when we need to crush and burn the "idols" we
have served, to go against the crowd, to make a commitment to God,
and even to separate ourself from those who don't contribute to our
recovery. When we do these things, we will find that God will be there for
us, encouraging us as we set things straight.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the
difference. [Daily Walk Bible]
Asa wisely welcomed people who had a close relationship with
God, and he listened to their messages. Azariah gave the armies an
important warning and encouraged them to stay close to God. Keep in
contact with people who are filled with God's Spirit (those with a
testimony or witness), and you will learn God's counsel. Spend regular
time in discussion and prayer with those who can help explain and
apply God's message. [Life Application SB]
If you remain faithful to the Lord, you may expect a continuance
of his favor; but if you abandon him, you will soon reap the bitter
fruits of apostasy. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary]
Seeking God and relying on Him are only the first steps. As
Azariah the prophet reminded Asa, we must be persistent in our
commitment. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
God is available to His people when we obediently seek Him....
The loving God is still available, always prepared to forgive and
renew the intimacy of a faith-relationship (Ps 73:23). A distressed
and penitent child always receives God's attention. [Disciple SB]
What is religion but seeking God, inquiring after him, applying
to him upon all occasions? We make nothing of our religion, if we
do not make heart-work of it; God will have all the heart, or none.
[Matthew Henry Commentary]
Though hard times bring frustration, easy times can cause us to
forget God and depend on ourselves. Because he loves us, God may let
difficult situations enter our lives to redirect our attention to him....
What desires or goals do you have that may be weakening your faith?
What comforts or successes cause you to depend less on God? When a
difficult situation arises today, turn to God before trying to decide on a
solution. [Inspirational SB]
So that you and I would believe that Jesus knows our hurts, he
voluntarily became one of us. He placed himself in our position. He suffered
our pains and felt our fears.
Rejection? He felt it. Temptation? He knew it. Loneliness? He
experienced it. Death? He tasted it.
And stress? He could write a bestselling book about it.
Why did he do it? One reason. So that when you hurt you will go
to him-your Father and your Physician-and let him heal. (In the Eye
of the Storm by Max Lucado ) [Inspirational SB]
Reciprocity is an important prayer principle (Jas 4:8). God
listens to persons who listen to Him. [Disciple SB]
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