But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. Sermons
I. A PROPHETIC CONFIRMATION OF THE GOOD MAN'S EXPERIENCE. "Jahve was with you (has given you the victory) because ye were with him (held to him)" (Keil). So far fidelity to Jehovah had proved to be the condition of prosperity. Under his banner they had marched to victory; while they were true to him, he had been in the midst of them, and had been there to bless them. This is the common, indeed the constant, experience of the good. The service of God is always a success. It means rest of soul at all times; it means calmness and a wise joy in prosperity; it means resignation and comfort in the time of trouble; it means strength for duty and courage for temptation; it means excellency in life and hope in death. To be with God in the sense and spirit of self-surrender to his will is to have his gracious presence with us, shedding light and gladness on our path. This is the testimony of the good. II. A PROPHETIC PROMISE OF THE GOOD MAN'S HERITAGE. "If ye seek him, he will be found of you." Behind us is a part (larger or smaller) of our life, and we thank God for all that he has been to us as we have held on our way. But before us is another portion; it may be a very serious, it may be even a critical, passage of our life. We shall want not only our own resources at their best, and the kindest and wisest succour of our friends, but the near presence and effective aid of our heavenly Father. We shall want his guidance, that we may know the path we should take; his guardianship, that we may be preserved from the wrong-doings, from the errors and mistakes, into which we shall otherwise be betrayed; his illumination, that we may tightly discharge our duties and rise to the height of our opportunities; his sustaining grace, that we may bear ourselves bravely and meekly in the day of our adversity and defeat. All this we shall have if we seek it truly. And that means if we seek it (1) in moral and spiritual integrity, our heart being set on the service of Christ; (2) with our whole heart, earnestly and perseveringly; (3) believingly, building our hope on his Word. III. I PROPHETIC WARNING OF THE GOOD MAN'S DANGER. "If ye forsake him, he will forsake you." 1. There is a practical danger of spiritual and, therefore, of moral declension. Such is our nature, that we are apt to let love become cold; to allow zeal to wane and wither; to permit our best habits to be encroached upon by the pressure of lower cares and pleasures; to forsake God. The records of Christian experience contain only too many instances of such departure. 2. We have, then, to fear the withdrawal of God from us; the loss of his Divine favour, of his indwelling Spirit, of his benediction and reward. 3. Therefore let us watch and pray, that we enter not. into the outer shadow of condemnation. - C.
Now for a long season. These words —I. SUGGEST A WARNING. A land "without teaching priests" soon realises the rest of the text by becoming "without the true God, and without law." II. GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT to send "teaching priests" on their holy mission to bring the people "to the law and to the testimony," so that they may hear "the whole counsel of God." (Joseph B. Owen, M.A.) People Asa, Azariah, Benjamin, Maacah, Maachah, Manasseh, Oded, SimeonPlaces Jerusalem, KidronTopics Distress, Returned, Rewarded, Search, Searching, Seek, Sought, Trouble, Turn, TurnethOutline 1. Asa, with Judah and many of Israel, moved by the prophecy of Azariah, 12. make a solemn covenant with God 16. He puts down Maachah his grandmother for idolatry 18. He brings dedicated things into the house of God, and enjoys a long peace. Dictionary of Bible Themes 2 Chronicles 15:4Library The Search that Always Finds'They ... sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.'--2 CHRON. xv. 15. These words occur in one of the least familiar passages of the Old Testament. They describe an incident in the reign of Asa, who was the grandson of Solomon's foolish son Rehoboam, and was consequently the third king of Judah after the secession of the North. He had just won a great victory, and was returning with his triumphant army to Jerusalem, when there met him … Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Entering the Covenant: with all the Heart The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord. The Secret of Effectual Prayer The Whole Heart Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above. Manner of Covenanting. The First Commandment Chronicles Links 2 Chronicles 15:4 NIV2 Chronicles 15:4 NLT 2 Chronicles 15:4 ESV 2 Chronicles 15:4 NASB 2 Chronicles 15:4 KJV 2 Chronicles 15:4 Bible Apps 2 Chronicles 15:4 Parallel 2 Chronicles 15:4 Biblia Paralela 2 Chronicles 15:4 Chinese Bible 2 Chronicles 15:4 French Bible 2 Chronicles 15:4 German Bible 2 Chronicles 15:4 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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