2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
Tag: God Provides Support and Peace
The context of the above verse is key to understanding it. Asa, the King of Judah, was, in his younger years a good king. Meaning, he sought God and was fervent for God. When faced with adversity he would turn his face toward God. In peace time, he would turn his face toward God. However, in his older age and rule, something happened. Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened. But, somehow, Asa had lost his fervor for God. When Baasha, King of Israel, threatened to come up against Judah, Asa, instead of turning toward God for help (as he did countless times in the past), turned toward the world. He took the royal money and hired King Ben-hadad of Syria and his soldiers. Ben-hadad did save Judah and did defeat Baash, King of Israel. If you are an “end justifies the means” type of person, you would see this as successful. But, God is as much concerned about the means as He is the end. This is the point of the above verse. After Asa is rescued by Ben-hadad (who worshiped false gods ... so, by extension this was trusting in those false gods over Yahweh), God sends a prophet to deliver the above passage. The verse teaches us that God is concerned about who we turn toward in times of trouble. God is a jealous God. He wants us to find our deliverance in Him, not in the extension of false gods, through others. God is watching for our challenges in life and who we turn toward and seek help from in times of need. He will support us and He will provide use with peace. But, we have to seek Him, at all times. God wants to be our savior, not just in salvation issues, but in all issues of life. God is the God who will provide us with peace in our lives, as we seek Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment