Section 1196
The Presence Of God, What It Is, And The Means By Which It May Be Enjoyed
The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and If ye seek him, he will Be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you—2 Chronicles 15:2
In the preceding chapter we find that Zarah, the Ethiopian, came with an army of a thousand men, and three hundred chariots, against Asa, King of Judah: who made as good a preparation as he could, in order to give him battle. Before the onset was made, Asa, at the head of his army, put up a prayer to God, addressing him after this manner Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that hare no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for ye rest on thee; and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee. This prayer was heard, and answered; he obtained the victory over the Ethiopians: He routed them, pursued them, and took from them a large spoil, and returned in triumph to Israel. As he was coming thither, a prophet from the Lord met him. The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him: Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Judah Benjamin. The Lord is with you while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
The Lord is with you. He had been with Asa and his army; he had given him victory; and they were now returning with great spoil. And the prophet suggests, that he would yet be with them: that he would appear for them, whenever they should be in distress, and do the like things for them he had done, while they were with him, or continued to serve and worship him. And if ye seek him, as Asa did, by prayer, when in distress, he will succour and relieve you. But if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. If you forsake his worship, and go into idolatrous practices, he will forsake you, and give you up into the hands of your enemies, to carry you captive into other lands. This is the sense of the words. I shall now endeavour to improve them, by way of accommodation, to spiritual purposes. The passage it may be observed, contains three answers to so many important questions. For instance,
I. When, and how long the Lord is with his people? The answer is, While they are with him.
II. When the Lord may be found by his people? The answer is, When they seek him.
III. When may the Lord forsake his people? The answer is, When they forsake him.