158 - If you seek Him He will be found by you

Year 17th Centuary Artist unknown

Chareen's Thoughts
Todays Readings: 2 Chronicles 15,16 & 1 Kings 15, 16, 21

• And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul’s first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2
• But as for you, be strong; don't be discouraged, for your work has a reward. 2 Chronicles 15:7
• And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim; and he repaired the altar [of burnt offering] of the Lord which was in front of the porch or vestibule [of the house] of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 15:8
•  Asa was wholehearted his entire life and brought consecrated gifts before the Lord.
• He renewed the covenant to seek the Lord with their whole hearts and Judah rejoiced and the LORD gave them rest on every side.
• The Lord gave Jehu a prophesy regarding Baasha who had risen against Asa and said He would sweep away his house and make it like the house of Jeroboam.
• Now king Baasha went to war against Asa. Instead of Asa crying out to the Lord he withdrew all the gold and silver from the Lords treasury and sent it bribe his enemy to deny support to Baasha.
• As a result of this choice the Lord sends Hanani to warn Asa:  Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied then on the Lord, He gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.
• Baasha dies and his son Elah became king.  Two years later Zimri takes over and kills the entire household of Baasha and thus the Lords prophesy is fulfilled. After Zimri there were more evil kings in Israel.
• After Omri Ahab became king of Israel and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.
• 25 For there was no one who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab, incited by his wife Jezebel. 26 He did very abominably in going after idols, as had the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites. 1 Kings 21:25-26
• 2 Chronicles 16:11-12  11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet—until his disease became very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but relied on the physicians. How interesting that this king who had spent his life seeking the Lord and therefore living in His blessings suddenly turns his heart away.  I realise that it is not a sin to seek help from a doctor but his sin was in trusting only the Dr and not seeking the Lord.

I have really enjoyed today's readings.  There have been some great gems hidden in reading about the kings of Israel. 
If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul’s first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2
  9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.
 
Blessings
Chareen