2 Crônicas 15
John Gill · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Crônicas 15
Gill - When and How Long the Lord is with His People I. WHAT IT IS FOR THE LORD TO BE WITH HIS PEOPLE. 1. Not His general or essential presence. 2. Nor His being with His creatures in a providential way; for so He is with all men. 3. Nor His special presence in a providential way with His own dear children. 4. But it is God's gracious presence, which Moses so earnestly entreated: "If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence"; and of which David deprecates the loss: "Cast me not away from Thy presence." To enjoy His presence in this sense means — (1) To have the light of His countenance. (2) For God to commune with them. (3) For God to manifest His early loving-kindness to their souls. II. WHEN OR HOW LONG WILL GOD BE WITH HIS PEOPLE.? "While ye be with Him." 1. While you keep close to Him in a way of duty; while you are with Him in prayer particularly. 2. While we have communion with them that fear the Lord. God is with them that fear Him; and those who keep company with such persons may expect His presence. Spiritual conversation is like putting fuel to fire; and prayer is like the bellows which blows up the flame. 3. While ye be with Him in public worship and attend the ordinances of His house (Acts 2:1-3).Inferences: 1. The presence of God with His people is a most amazing instance of Divine goodness. 2. There is nothing so desirable to a gracious soul as the presence of God. John Owen (Puritan) - God's Presence with His People the Spring of Their Prosperity I. GOD MAY BE SAID TO BE WITH MEN — 1. In respect of the omnipresence of His essence (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 139:7-12). 2. In respect of personal union. "God was with him" (Acts 10:38). 3. In respect of the covenant of grace. 4. In respect of providential dispensations. This is twofold. (1) General; ordering, disposing, guiding, ruling all things, according to His own wisdom, by His own power, unto His own glory. (2) Special; attended with peculiar love, favour, goodwill, special care towards them with whom He is so present (Genesis 21:22; Joshua 1:5; Jeremiah 15:20; Isaiah 43:1, 2). This is the presence here intimated. II. A PEOPLE'S ABIDING WITH GOD IS TWOFOLD. 1. In personal obedience. 2. In national administrations. III. OBSERVATIONS. 1. All outward flourishing or prosperity of a people doth not always argue the special presence of God with them. The things required to make success and prosperity an evidence of the presence of God are — (1) That the people themselves prospered be His peculiar people. (2) That the whole work be good, and have a tendency to God's glory, wherein they are engaged. (3) Made useful and subservient to His glory. 2. Even great afflictions, eminent distresses, long perplexities, may have a consistency with God's special presence. 2 Chronicles 15:3 “For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. a long: 1Ki 12:28-33 Ho 3:4 true God: Jer 10:10 Joh 17:3 1Th 1:9 1Jn 5:20 a teaching: 2Ch 17:8,9 Lev 10:11 De 33:10 Ne 8:9 Eze 44:21-23 Mic 3:11 Mal 2:7 Mt 2:4,5 1Ti 3:2 without law: Ro 2:12 7:8,9 1Co 9:21 Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 17:7-9+ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. 9 They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. Leviticus 10:11+ and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.” Deuteronomy 17:9-11+ “So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. 10 “You shall do according to the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the LORD chooses; and you shall be careful to observe according to all that they teach you. 11 “According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. Hosea 3:4 (PROPHECY THAT IS BEING FULFILLED IN ISRAEL EVEN TODAY) For the sons of Israel will remain for many days (NOW MORE THAN 2000 YEARS!) without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. THREE PILLARS OF REVIVAL For many days Israel was without the true God - The nation had backslidden badly. Israel in this context is not the 10 northern tribes but the 12 tribes before division. The way this is stated implies it is "past tense" (was) or past history. This could be an allusion to the horrible cycles of almost 300 years of apostasy during the time of the Judges, a sad time aptly summed up with the declaration that "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Jdg 21:25+, cf Jdg 2:11–21+), a fulfillment of God’s covenant warning (Dt. 28:25–26, 30, 49–52). Azariah's description sounds very current! Patterson agrees that Azariah is probably referring "to the lawless, and often faithless, days of the judges (Jdg 21:25). Their being “without the law” was closely connected with their being “without a priest,” since one of the latter’s major functions was “to teach” the law that God had given through Moses (Lev 10:11)." (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary - Abridged Edition - Page 50 And without a teaching priest (see passages above) and without law - Note that Israel's priests not only led worship but also taught the Law to the people (2Ch 17:7-9; Lev 10:11; Dt 17:9-11). Note the three without's" - all are important, but practically without a teaching priest the people cannot see the true God nor can they comprehend the law of God. Martion Selman - “The priests’ teaching role was vital to the moral and spiritual quality of national life (cf. e.g. Leviticus 10:11; Deuteronomy 33:10; Malachi 2:7; 2 Chronicles 17:7-9), but when it was neglected, the truth about God declined and the fabric of covenant society was undermined.” (2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary - Page 411) J.
2 Crônicas 15
Gill says "the Targum refers this to the time of the separation of the ten tribes, and the days of Jeroboam, when the calves were worshipped, and not the true God, and the teaching priests of the Lord were cast out, and the law of the Lord, especially with respect to worship, was not regarded," Andrew Hill: The prophet’s speech also has currency for the Chronicler’s audience, for it summarizes the three essentials for sustaining the faith of the restoration community in post-exilic Judah: the true God, the teaching priest, and the law. (See 1 and 2 Chronicles - Page 15) 2 Chronicles 15:4 “But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. NET 2 Chronicles 15:4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. CSB 2 Chronicles 15:4 but when they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress and sought Him, He was found by them. ESV 2 Chronicles 15:4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. NIV 2 Chronicles 15:4 But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. NLT 2 Chronicles 15:4 But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him. NRS 2 Chronicles 15:4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. NJB 2 Chronicles 15:4 but when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, God of Israel, and sought him, he let them find him. in their distress: De 4:29,30 Jdg 3:9,10 10:10-16 Ps 106:44 Ho 6:1 14:1-3 found of them: 2Ch 15:15 Isa 55:6 65:1,2 Ro 10:20 A TURN FOR THE BETTER But in their distress (tsar) they turned to (shub/sub; Lxx - epistrepho) the LORD God of Israel, and they sought (baqas) Him, and He let them find Him - King Asa and company had just experienced the truth of this passage when they cried out for help in face of the large Ethiopian forces that were advancing toward Jerusalem. In the context of the past history of Israel, especially in the times fo the Judges, the nation experienced repeated cycles of distress prompting them to turn back to Him and experiencing His deliverance (e.g., Jdg 2:15, 16+, Jdg 3:8, 9, 15+). THOUGHT - There used to be an add that said "How do you spell relief" and then it said "I spell relief 'R-O-L-A-I-D-S'," "Rolaids spells relief!" That may have be true in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm the answer to the question "How do you spell relief?" is spelled "J-E-H-O-V-A-H!" Beloved, "He Himself is our Peace" (Eph 2:14+)! Outside of Christ there is NO TRUE PEACE! J G McConville makes a great point that "One of the most encouraging aspects of the Chronicler's theology is his insistence upon the openness of God to receive back His wayward children, even after great apostasy. And He is no less willing if any should return to Him only because they have exhausted all other possibilities" (Borrow 1-2 Chronicles page 170) THOUGHT - O, how we need to remember this (McConville's point) when we have fallen into a slough of despond and feel such guilt that we think God could never forgive us and receive us back into fellowship! Distress (trouble, affliction, tribulation) (06862) tsar from tsarar = to bind, tie up, be restricted, be cramped; see related tsarah) is a masculine noun indicating narrowness, tightness, distress, application, misery. It refers to a narrow space or object, not wide, with a small distance across it, this meaning being vividly depicted when the Angel of the Lord confronted Balaam and stood in such a narrow space that Balaam could not pass by (Nu 22:26). Tsar is used figuratively of the personal anguish one encounters in adverse circumstances; e.g. the great distress which comes from the death of a close friend (2 Sa 1:26) or from God's refusal to give help or direction (Job 7:11; cf 1 Sa 28:15; Isa 25:4; 63:9). Tsar describes a person's pain and distress; oppression, a feeling of being hemmed in (Dt 4:30; Job 7:11; 15:24). The Lord delivers the faithful from affliction and distress (Ps 4:1). Tsar describes oppressive political, economic, and military conditions suffered by a group, a people, or a nation (Jdg. 11:7). Tsar describes the threats and destruction that come on something, especially the Lord's house (1 Sa 2:32). It indicates conditions during times of judgment on Israel (Isa. 5:30). Tsar refers to the time, trouble, and effort given to consider an issue (Esth. 7:4). Tsar is used figuratively to describe an adulterous woman as a narrow well with no escape (Pr 23:27). TSAR - 30X/30V - afflicted(1), affliction(1), anguish(1), anguished(1), distress(17), privation(1), strait(1), trouble(7). Deut. 4:30; 1 Sam. 2:32; 1 Sam. 13:6; 2 Sam. 22:7; 2 Chr. 15:4; Est. 7:4; Job 7:11; Job 15:24; Job 36:16; Job 36:19; Job 38:23; Ps. 4:1; Ps. 18:6; Ps. 32:7; Ps. 59:16; Ps. 66:14; Ps. 102:2; Ps. 106:44; Ps. 107:6; Ps. 107:13; Ps. 107:19; Ps. 107:28; Ps. 119:143; Isa. 5:30; Isa. 25:4; Isa. 26:16; Isa. 30:20; Isa. 63:9; Jer. 48:5; Hos. 5:15 Sought (searched for) (01245) baqas expresses a person's earnest seeking of something or someone which exists or is thought to exist with the intention that it will be found or acquired. It pictures one searching earnestly until the object of the search is located. The Septuagint (Lxx) translates baqas with the verb zeteo which implies giving attention and priority to and deliberately pursuing after. Webster says that to seek means to go in search or quest of, to look for, to try to discover, to search for by going from place to place. Zeteo in classical Greek is often used as a technical term for philosophical investigation, something “examined, considered” or “deliberated.” For example, baqas describes seeking for Moses' life (Ex 4:19 Lxx = zeteo), Absalom seeking to kill David (2Sa 16:11), those seeking to kill Pharaoh and Zedekiah (Jer 44:30) Baqas describes an earnest search until the object of the search is located. Thus peace is to be searched for earnestly (Ps 34:14+). The Lord’s face (His presence) must especially be sought (Ps 27:4, 8+) On the other hand, we are not to seek the occult (Lev 19:31). Naomi sought for security for her daughter-in-law Ruth (Ru 3:1+). Jehovah "sought out for Himself a man after His own heart." (1Sa 13:14)- 2 Chronicles 15:5 “In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. NO GOD, NO PEACE! KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE! In those times - Azariah (2Ch 15:4-6) is giving a reminder from Israel's history (most likely days of the Judges) which should motivate the hearers to live for God in the present (cf NT pattern - 1Co 10:6,11). Leslie C. Allen points out (remember that Chronicles is written after Judah's Babylonian exile) that "Just as Azariah is exhorting pre-exilic Judah by referring to the past, so implicitly the Chronicler is challenging post-exilic Judah and preaching his own sermon via Azariah's. The proclaimed word spans the centuries, living and powerful (Heb 4:12)" (See The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 10: 1 and 2 Chronicles) There was no peace (shalom) to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands - When God is not present, there is no peace, for there are many disturbing afflictions. Cyril