Praise the Lord! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week as He blessed us with everything we need in life. I do believe that most of us might have personally experienced God’s grace and mercy in our life beyond all measures, which enabled us to live a contented life despite the trials and troubles and struggles that hit our lives. As a devout follower of Christ Jesus and the minister of the gospel, Apostle Paul learned how to live a righteous life in Christ. He knew how to live his life in and through all circumstances and in every-life-situations, as he stated: That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul knew how to live in plenty and how to live with little, as he himself testified regarding it, saying: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Philippians 4:12). As Paul is sharing his life-experiences, he teaches us that we, as God’s children, need to be contented with everything the Lord God blesses us with and live a life of gratitude and thankfulness, as he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, saying: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Although, it is said to be thankful to God in all circumstances and for every blessing we receive from the Lord, it is human tendency to forget to thank Him for all the blessings He showered upon our lives. This was the reason king David invited himself to be thankful to God for all the benefits he received from the Lord, as it is mentioned: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:1-2). David invited his entire being [self], which included his heart and soul and mind and body and strength and his emotions and thoughts and words and deeds, and everything he is to praise the Lord for all His benefits to him. A few out of the untold number of benefits David received from the Lord are mentioned in the passage as he continued to urge to himself to praise the Lord (103:3-5):

• • The Lord forgave all his sins (103:3a)
  • The Lord healed all his diseases (103:3b)
  • The Lord redeemed his life from the pit (103:4a)
  • The Lord crowned him with love (103:4b)
  • The Lord crowned him with compassion (103:4c)
  • The Lord satisfied his desires with good things (103:5a)
  • The Lord renewed his youth like the eagle’s (103:5b)

From all these we can understand that God is merciful and compassionate towards everyone who seeks Him earnestly and such people can experience His love and mercy and compassion and forgiveness in their life, which makes God praiseworthy and worthy of all our praise and adoration and worship.

The Lord blessed us with a very promising Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which states: 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 Chronicles 15:2b). It is uncertain who exactly wrote the book of Second Chronicles. Since the book itself does not point out who wrote it, its author remain anonymous. Some believe that one single person familiar with Israelite history wrote the book but some others believe that several people contributed the contents of Chronicles and a different person [perhaps Ezra the priest and Scribe an Israelite exile who returned from Babylon] compiled it together and called it The Chronicles, which include the books of First and Second Chronicles in the Bible. Despite all such arguments regarding the authorship of Second Chronicles in existence, still there is a strong sense of acceptance among the Bible historians and Scholars that the book of Second Chronicles is written by Ezra the priest and Scribe based on its literary style and language similar to the book of Ezra, which is written by Ezra the priest and Scribe. The supporting Scripture passages that strengthens the view that Ezra wrote the book of Second Chronicles is that (i) the book of Second Chronicles ends writing about king Cyrus through whom God is planning to deliver the Israelite remnants who are in exile in Babylon (36:22-23) and (ii) the book of Ezra begins with the same [or similar] details regarding king Cyrus and the Israelite remnants in exile in Babylon, the issuance of king Cyrus’ decree in favor of the Israelite remnants permitting them to return to their home-country and build a temple for the Lord at Jerusalem in Judah, the journey of the first group of the remnants to Jerusalem in Judea (1:1-4), and so on. Those passages are as follows …

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.

Ezra 1:1-3

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.

It doesn’t matter who wrote the books of the Chronicles in the Scripture, but what it really matters is that what the books really talks about, as the books describes all that the Lord God has done for the children of Israel that inspires them to look forward for the greater blessings the Lord their God promised to them including the coming of the Messiah – the King of kings and the Lord of lords [Christ Jesus], who would come in the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32-33; John 7:42; Romans 1:3; Revelation 22:16).

The book of Second Chronicles retells the history of the Israelites focusing mainly on the Southern Kingdom known as Judah from the reign of king Solomon to the Babylonian exile, which covers a timespan of about four hundred years. Much of the contents of the book of Second Chronicles are already discussed in the books of First and Second Samuel and First and Second Kings, the key difference being that the book of Second Chronicles exclusively talks about the kings in the line of David who ruled in Judah from the time of king Solomon to the time of king Zedekiah during whose reign Judah was invaded by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and exiled its people to Babylon. Though the fall of Judah and the Israelites’ exile to Babylon due to their unfaithfulness towards the God of Israel was discussed throughout the book, it ends with the promise that the Lord their God would bring their remnants back to their home-country after a period of exile in Babylon who would rebuild the temple and the city. And in the due time the long-awaited Messiah [the King of kings and the Lord of lords] would come to redeem His people from the bondage of sin and death and at the end of the age He would return to reign over the redeemed ones and, during whose reign, all the nations under heaven would come together accepting His Lordship to enjoy the peace and prosperity under the Messianic rule where the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, Himself would come to dwell among His people for ever and ever (Psalm 22:27-28; Isaiah 45:22-23; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 5:9-10; 7:9; 11:15).

Although, the nation of Israel was divided into two separate nations [as Northern Kingdom known as Israel and Southern Kingdom known as Judah] due to their own failure to follow the Lord their God wholeheartedly, God cared for both these nations in His mercy and compassion. However both these nations kept on sinning and rebelling against the Lord, the God of their fathers. Despite God’s warnings to Israel and Judah about His wrath and judgement upon them, both these [sinful] nations continued to rebel against the Lord and, as a result, the Lord handed the nation of Israel into the hands of the Assyrians who invaded Israel and exiled its inhabitants in the regions of the Assyrian kingdom. After the invasion of Israel and their exile to Assyria, God send His servants time and time again to warn the people of Judah and Jerusalem to stop rebelling against Him and urge them to seek Him earnestly and encourage them to return to Him with complete sincerity and commitment (Psalm 63:1; 105:4; Hebrews 11:6). In fact, God spoke through His servant Moses what He asks of them long before they occupied the promised land, saying: And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Also, God spoke through His prophets time and time again even after they occupied the promised land regarding what He requires from them – for instance God spoke to His people through prophet Isaiah that Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:17) and through prophet Micah that He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). The Lord their God continues to assure the people of Judah to seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, as it is mentioned: If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Even though the people of Judah saw the disaster happened to the people of Israel because of their unfaithfulness towards the Lord their God [who were invaded and exiled to Assyria], they did not learn the lessons from their tragedy but continued in their rebellion against the Lord their God. Yet, God was patient with them and spoke to them time and time again through His servants urging them to seek Him earnestly and return to Him wholeheartedly, as it is mentioned:

The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

The Scripture passage we chose for our meditation this week (2 Chronicles 15:2b) also clearly points out that time and time again the people of Judah rebelled against the Sovereign Lord their God and forsaken Him as they turn their back on Him. Whenever the people end up in trouble and cry out to the Lord for help and repent their sins against the Lord, He would help them and deliver them from the crisis they were trapped in. However, again they would sin and rebel against Him and would continue the same or similar mistakes of forsaking the Lord, the God of their fathers. During the reign of king Asa who did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God (2 Chronicles 14:2), prophet Azariah son of Oded confronted the people of Judah and prophesied to Asa son of Abijah and all Judah and Benjamin that the Lord would remain with them as long as they remain with Him, as it is mentioned: He [prophet Azariah son of Oded] went out to meet Asa and said to him, Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! 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 Chronicles 15:2). In addition to what God spoke through prophet Azariah son of Oded in the hearing of king Asa son of Abijah and all Judah and Benjamin, God spoke to the people of Judah and Jerusalem through prophet Jeremiah prior to the invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:10-14).

King Asa sought the Lord earnestly and followed Him wholeheartedly, and did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God (2 Chronicles 14:2). He urged the people of Judah to do the same and serve Him faithfully. He renewed the covenant with the God of his fathers and made reforms in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:2-8). Let us examine some of the things king Asa specifically did in Judah during his reign based on 2 Chronicles 14:2-7 …

• • King Asa did what was good in the eyes of the Lord his God (14:2a)
  • King Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God (14:2b)
  • King Asa removed the foreign altars of the worship of the foreign gods (14:3a)
  • King Asa removed the high places of the god of the nations (14:3b)
  • King Asa smashed the sacred stones (14:3c)
  • King Asa cut down the Asherah poles (14:3d)
  • King Asa commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors (14:4a)
  • King Asa commanded the people of Judah and Benjamin to obey his laws and commands of the Lord God Almighty (14:4b)
  • King Asa removed the high places of the gods of the nations (14:5a)
  • King Asa removed the incense altars in every town in Judah (14:5b)
  • The kingdom was at peace under him (14:5c)
  • King Asa built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace (14:6a)
  • No one was at war with king Asa during those years (14:6b)
  • King Asa honored the Lord, the God of Israel, in every possible way (14:6c)
  • The Lord gave him rest from every side (14:6d)
  • King Asa built the towns of Judah (14:7a)
  • King Asa put walls around the towns of Judah with towers, gates and bars (14:7b)
  • King Asa regained the regions that were neighboring nations’ custody (14:7c)
  • King Asa and the people sought the Lord earnestly (14:7d)
  • King Asa’s time the Lord gave them rest on every side (14:7e)
  • King Asa and nation of Judah prospered during his reign (14:7f)

King Asa knew the Scripture very well, which says Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance (Psalm 33:12). Asa did not make any adjustments [compromise] with the righteous laws and decrees and commands the Lord God gave through His servant Moses, rather he obeyed them fully and did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God (2 Chronicles 14:2). As a result, God honored him and gave him victory over his enemies (2 Chronicles 14:9-15) and He has given them rest on every side (2 Chronicles 14:7b). Asa trusted the God of his fathers wholeheartedly, especially the way one of his great grandfathers, king Solomon, trusted the Lord his God, the God of his father David (2 Chronicles 1:7-10) who experienced God’s faithfulness in his life, as he exclaimed: Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way (2 Chronicles 6:14).

Prophet Azariah not only encouraged king Asa son of Abijah and the people of Judah and Benjamin to seek the Lord their God earnestly but also reminded them to stay closer to Him, so that God would be found by them (2 Chronicles 15:2). As in the pattern, the people of Israel and Judah followed in their relationship with the Lord their God [which is, some times they followed the Lord their God very faithfully and some times they turned their back on Him mindlessly], prophet Asa reminded king Asa and the people of Judah and Benjamin the following things, based on 2 Chronicles 15:2b … 

• • The Lord is with you when you are with him (15:2b1)
  • If you seek Him, He will be found by you (15:2b2)
  • If you forsake Him, He will forsake you (15:2b3)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we conclude our this week’s meditation based on 2 Chronicles 15:2b, let us try to understand the fact that (i) if we are with God, He would be with us [so make sure that we are with Him]; (ii) if we stay close to Him, He will also stay close to us; (iii) if we hold fast unto Him, He will also hold fast unto us; (iv) if we approach Him with complete sincerity and commitment, He will also come closer to us and stay with us. What we need to understand from this is that God made Himself available for us to associate with Him, and now it is our responsibility to associate with Him. Therefore, let us stay close to Him and hold fast unto Him. If we examine our life, we can see that many of us have failed to learn from the mistakes of our past life or correct ourselves and proceed forward patiently to fulfill God’s purpose in and through our lives. If we do so, it would benefit us now and our descendants in the days to come. So, it’s not too late to take decisions to draw closer to God, seek Him earnestly, and stay close to Him, and hold fast unto Him. In order to have a greater hope in the Lord for the days to come, we ought to learn from the past life-experiences [both from good and bad] and proceed forward fixing our eyes on God and seeking Him earnestly. We ought to examine the former things and learn from it – all the crooked ways ought to be straightened up and the straight paths ought to be maintained straight and strengthened as days go by. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!