2 Crônicas 15

2 Crônicas 15

Trapp - And he went out to meet Asa To admonish him and his army of their duty after so great a victory, it requiring as much skill to use it well as to get it. The Lord is with you In mercy, while you be with Him in duty. God’s ordinances are the heavenly exchange, saith one, betwixt God and His people: they present duty, He confers mercy. God’s visitation, saith a third, is like checker work, black and white, "Those that honour me, I will honour; but those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." Seeking is not an end in itself, but a God-given means to be restored to a relationship with Him. Martin Selman: The theme of seeking God continues from chapter 14, occupying a central role in both the prophecy (2Ch 14:2, 4) and the covenant (2Ch 14:12-13, 15). Two elements are stressed, that the purpose of seeking God is to be found by him (2Chr 14:2, 4, 15), and that this is an attitude affecting the whole of life. Seeking is not an end in itself, but a God-given means to be restored to a relationship with him. That relationship is seen to encompass internal and external worlds, attitudes as well as actions. Neither pietism nor restructuring is adequate by itself, and any authentic movement of spiritual renewal should show evidence of both. Though the New Testament encourages people to make a priority of seeking God, it emphasizes that God seeks us much more than we seek him. There is a sense in which no-one truly seeks God (cf. Rom. 3:11), even though God invites everyone to seek him (Acts 15:17; 17:27). Ultimately, people find God because Jesus came ‘to seek and save what was lost’ (Luke 19:10), and was prepared to search for one lost sheep out of a hundred or for a wayward child (Luke 15). Seeking God is nonetheless very necessary, and the New Testament renews the Old Testament’s invitation, ‘seek and you will find’ (Matt. 7:7, etc.), and affirms that God rewards those who go on seeking him in faith (Heb. 11:6). (BORROW 2 Chronicles : a commentary) (See 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary - Page 409) Seek (search)(01875) darash means to seek, to inquire of, to examine, to require, consult, ask. One of the most frequent uses of this word is in the expression "to inquire of God," which sometimes indicates a private seeking of God in prayer for direction (Gen. 25:22), and often it refers to the contacting of a prophet who would be the instrument of God's revelation (1 Sam. 9:9; 1 Kings 22:8). At other times this expression is found in connection with the use of the Urim and Thummim by the high priest as he sought to discover the will of God by the throwing of these sacred stones (Nu 27:21). We can get a good sense of one aspect of the meaning of darash when God says "You will seek (baqas; Lxx = ekzeteo intense seeking) Me and find Me when you search (darash; Lxx = zeteo) for Me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:13) What is the condition of seeking Yahweh and finding Him? It is seeking with one's whole heart! Forsake (leave) (05800) 'azab basically means to depart from something -- to leave, to forsake (48x), to leave (26x; "left" 22x), to loose, to depart, to abandon. Things that can left behind or forsaken include persons (Ge 44:22; Nu 10:30; Ru 1:16; 2Ki4:30), people who should left behind (Ge 2:24); places (2Ki 8:6; Jer 18:14; 25:38) and objects (Ge 39:12,13; 50:8; Ex 9:21). Men can forsake God (apostatize) (Dt 28:20, 31:16, Jer 1:16), can abandon qualities of virtue (1Ki 12:8, 2Chr 10:8, 13), the way (of righteousness) (Pr 15:10), instruction/wisdom (Pr 4:2, 6), reproof (Pr 10:17 - "ignore" = forsake), kindness (lovingkindness, faithfulness) (Pr 3:3). God promises to not forsake His people (Ge 24:27, 28:15, Dt 31:6,7 contrast what God's people will do = Dt 31:16). In a use similar to Pr 28:13, we are instructed to "forsake wrath." (Ps 37:8) G Campbell