2 Chronicles 15:2

2Ch 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and 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.

Ver. 2. And he went out to meet Asa.] To admonish him and his army of their duty after so great a victory, it requiring as much skill to use it well as to get it.

The Lord is with you.] In mercy, while you be with him in duty. God’s ordinances are the heavenly exchange, saith one, betwixt God and his people: they present duty, he confers mercy. God’s Spirit is a delicate thing, saith another: ita nos tractat, sicut tractatur. God’s visitation, saith a third, is like checker work, black and white, "Those that honour me, I will honour; but those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

If ye seek him, he will be found of you.] So that you seek him "with all your heart, and with all your soul." {Jer 29:13 2Ch 15:12}

But if ye forsake him.] As our King John confessed that he did, when he resigned up his kingdom to the Pope, and that he never prospered after it. God, as a father, doth alter the set of his looks toward his own children, when they grow wanton upon his love, and let down the diligence of their just observance and duty.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord is with you, while ye be with him--You have had, in your recent signal success, a remarkable proof that God's blessing is upon you; your victory has been the reward of your faith and piety. If you steadfastly adhere to the cause of God, you may expect a continuance of His favor; but if you abandon it, you will soon reap the bitter fruits of apostasy.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him] This is the settled and eternal purpose of God; to them who seek him he will ever be found propitious, and them alone will he abandon who forsake him. In this verse the unconditional perseverance of the saints has no place: a doctrine which was first the ruin of the human race, Ye shall not die; and ever since the fall, has been the plague and disgrace of the Church of Christ. The Targum is curious: "Hearken to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The WORD of the Lord shall be your helper, while ye walk in his ways. If ye seek doctrine from his presence he will be found of you in times of trouble; but if you cast away his fear, he will abandon you."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) And he went out to meet.—Literally, before. (1Ch_12:17; 2Ch_14:9.) Azariah met the king on his return from battle.

Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah.—(Comp. Abijah’s speech, 2Ch_13:4 : “Hear ye me, Jeroboam, and all Israel!”)

The Lord is with you, while ye be with him.—Or, Jehovah was with you (in the battle), because ye were with him (i.e., clung to him for help; see 2Ch_14:11).

And if ye seek him . . . forsake you.—This generalises the preceding statement. It is a favourite formula with the chronicler. (See 1Ch_28:9; and for the last clause, 2Ch_12:5; 2Ch_24:20; comp. also Jer_29:13-14.)

He will be found.—Or, is found.

He will forsake.—Or, heforsaketh.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ch. 2Ch_15:1-15 (no parallel in Kings). The Prophecy of Azariah and its Sequel

2. went out to meet] Cp. 2Ch_19:2.

if ye seek him] Cp. 1Ch_28:9.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he went out to meet Asa,.... From Jerusalem, as Asa was coming to it:

and said unto him, hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the principal inhabitants of which tribes had been collected, and went to this war, and were now returning:

the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; it was a clear case he had been with them, in giving them the victory over the Ethiopians; and as long as they continued in the service of God, and abode by his pure worship, they might expect he would yet be with them, otherwise not:

and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; you will see his face, and enjoy his favour, and have his presence, and help from him in every time of need, when they sought him by prayer and supplication, as Asa had, and attended his worship and ordinances:

but if ye forsake him; his laws and his service:

he will forsake you; and leave you to fall into the hands of your enemies.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

With him. He will continue thus to protect you, if you prove faithful. The Pelagians hence inferred, that man was to prepare his own heart for the reception of grace. But the text only speaks of external aid; and though it were understood of internal grace, (Calmet) we may merit an increase of grace, by a faithful co-operation (Worthington) with that which God has presented us. (Estius) (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Lord is with you, to defend you against all your enemies, as now you have seen, and you may hereafter expect, if you persist in that good course into which you are entered.

If ye forsake him, he will forsake you: but let not this victory make you presumptuous or self-confident, for you are upon your good behaviour; and if you leave God, he will leave and destroy you after he hath done you good.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. Went out to meet Asa — The occasion was one peculiarly appropriate for the prophecy Azariah was about to utter. Returning from a victory which had most manifestly been gained by the help of Jehovah, it was well for him to be solemnly admonished of his responsibilities, and advised (though it might be for the hundredth time) that Jehovah’s mercies were conditioned upon obedience to his law.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He went out to meet him; literally, into his presence; but the Authorized Version rendering is very correct, as well as happy in expression. (see 1Ch_14:8; also see the remarkable and interesting verse, 2Ch_28:9) The prophet was the leader, the teacher, the suggester of the right and opportune thing to the people, but to the prophet the Lord himself was Leader, Teacher, Prompter, and it was exactly so now. To the very moment, the quickened moment of new thought and for new deed, divinest instruction and suggestion are ministered. The Lord is with you will forsake you. The original occasion of the beautiful language and word of covenant in the heart of this second part of the verse is enshrined in Deu_4:29. (see also 1Ch_28:9; 2Ch_24:20; Jer_29:11-14) It is just conceivable that these words by themselves are what are designated "the prophecy" (and "the prophecy") in ver. 8. They may be in the first place regarded as ancient quotations. They are also characterized by a certain self-containedness and weightiness of matter as compared with the historic illustrations of the following four verses. No corroborative external evidence of this conjecture, however, is forthcoming.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.