Skip to content The Lord Is With You While You Are With Him Oct 12 · 17 min ...more
The Lord Is With You While You Are With Him
October 12, 2026 · 17 min
Seek the Lord and He will be found. When God's people cry out in faith He answers — a reminder to pursue Him daily.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
In this video 0:00 God's Perspective on the Kings of Judah6:00 Abijah's Victory Despite an Unfaithful Heart11:00 Asa's Reforms and Dependence on God16:00 The Prophet's Word and Further Reforms16:29 Asa's Later Failure, Pride, and the Prophet's Rebuke
God's Perspective on the Kings of Judah 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. 2nd Chronicles chapters 13 through 16, a very informative passage today. Verse 2 of chapter0:21 15. The lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now we are in the post division0:33 era of Israel and Judah, and we will be going back and forth between Kings and Chronicles over the next 4 weeks, as the 2 books cover the same period of time. But remember,0:45 Chronicles is more what we would call God's perspective, more focused on the spiritual condition of the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah, the line of David. So why do you think the0:57 focus is on Judah, the line of David? Because Jesus Christ will assume the throne of David when he reigns. And so the focus of Chronicles is on Judah, where King's focus is1:09 on both Judah and Israel. Now a little context as we begin this leg of our journey. The kingdom of Judah, the southern kingdom had 20 kings in total, lasted from 91:21 25 BC until 5 86 BC, a total of 339 years. The northern kingdom of Israel had 19 kings, but only lasted1:32 204 years from 9 25 BC to 7 21 BC. Chapter 13, here in, Chronicles is the reign1:44 of Abijah, the 2nd king in Judah, the son of Rehoboam. I can't identify him by party label, but as we read, we'll read next week over in 1st Kings chapter 15. He was not a good king. In fact,1:56 the the northern kingdom didn't have any good kings. They were all bad. Right? And there... And there's a mixture as we'll see here in the southern kingdom. Verse 3, chapter 15.
2:09 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him. His heart was not loyal to the lord his god as was the heart of his father David. Nevertheless, for David's sake, the lord,
2:21 his god gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem. Now you'll notice, throughout the discussion of the
2:33 kings, they will be measured according to David. David set the standard. Now that might raise some eyebrows because we know what David did. Alright? But look at verse 5.
2:45 Because David did what was right in the eyes of the lord and had not turned aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life except the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
2:57 You know, writing about the the 3rd king of Judah, king Asa, which we're gonna look at... Who whom we're gonna look at in a moment, Matthew Henry said this, quote, sincerity is something less than sinless
3:09 perfection. Okay? Let me repeat that. Sincerity is something less than sinful perfection. You see, god is gracious and merciful to those who
3:21 turn toward him, those who repent. God knows perfection is not something that he will find in any of us. But if our heart is for him, and that's how David was described, that his... He had a heart after
3:33 God. Alright. Chapter 13 begins with Abijah standing on the mount... Mountains of Ephraim appealing to Israel, that is the northern kingdom, not to
3:45 follow Jeroboam and go to war with Judah. He based his appeal on the fact that Judah, the southern kingdom, worshiped the true God, and they did not. Now
3:57 I would say he was kind of engaging in psychological warfare, putting doubt and fear into the hearts of the Israelites. Verse 9. Have you not cast out the priest of the Lord, the sons of Aaron? We read this last
4:09 time. The priest and and, the Levites were were kicked out of the northern kingdom. They came to Judah because, what we saw with Jeroboam is that he was worshiping
4:21 idols. He set up the golden calves and, worshiped all types of idols. And the Levites made for yourself priests like the people of the other lands so that whoever
4:33 comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or 7 rams may be priest of things that are not gods. But as for us, the lord is our god, and we have not forsaken him. And the priest who minister to the lord are
4:45 the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. But while Abijah is, talking, Jeroboam sets an ambush. Verse 13. But Jeroboam calls an
4:56 ambush to go around behind them, so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked around to their surprise, the battle line was at both front and rear, and they cried out to the lord.
5:08 That's key. And the priest sounded the trumpet. Alright? The men of Judah gave a shout. And as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that god struck Jeroboam and all
5:19 Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and god delivered them into their hands. The men of Judah cried out to the lord, and he answered
5:31 them. Although Jeroboam's troops outnumbered Abijah's 2 to 1, which, I mean, should have been victory, the lord gave Judah a great victory, and Jeroboam
5:43 never recovered from it. So how do you explain Judah's victory despite a king, who was described as not walking with god? Well, his
5:55 heart was not forgotten. He did advance policies and practices that turned the people in the direction of God. And as a result, the people of God depended upon the Lord. I believe
Abijah's Victory Despite an Unfaithful Heart
6:07 this is very instructive for us even in our form of government today. We're not gonna get a perfect leader. I'd like to have, I'd like to have godly leaders, and we should work toward that end. But
6:19 policies matter in turning the hearts of the people to the lord. It... It's it's an important turn, but as we'll see, as we move through these kings, god blesses nations when they have leaders who
6:30 will honor him and obey him. In chap... And and we're gonna see this here in just a moment. In chapters 14 through 16, we have the account of Asa, who is the 3rd king and was 1 of the longest reign...
6:42 Reigning kings. His reign lasted 39 years. And I think it's important because what we see a lot of turnover. And in Proverbs, it it talks about, because of,
6:55 the sin of a land, many are its princes. And sin creates instability politically, culturally, and and we see turnover. Well, this king, Asa, followed the lord. He was a good king, and
7:07 his reign lasted. And there was stability and peace in the land as we're gonna read here. Verse 2 of chapter 14. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the lord his god. Those are such
7:19 encouraging words because we don't see him very often. For he removed... Now look what he did. Okay? Pay pay close attention. He removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places and
7:30 broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. Alright. So he's described as good, doing what was good and right in the eyes of the lord. 1st thing he does is he removes
7:42 the the the altars to the foreign gods. Blessed is a nation whose god is the lord. I mean, it's it's pretty straightforward.
7:55 We will read in chapter 15, that he didn't remove... It says that he didn't remove all the high places. That's a reference most likely to the areas of the northern tribe as as he succeeds,
8:07 as he expands. He brought in to the southern kingdom territory from the north and apparently did not remove the high places there. Verse 4 of chapter 14, he
8:19 commanded Judah to seek the lord of their fathers, the lord god of their fathers, and to observe the laws in the commandments. He also removed the high places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah,
8:31 and the kingdom was quiet under him. Look at the results here. The kingdom was quiet. If we put God 1st and obey him, generally, the rest falls in line. Doesn't mean you're not
8:43 gonna have problems. As we'll see here, he had he had people come against him, but god was with him. So do do you think there's a connection between all the turmoil that we have in
8:54 America today and the fact that as a society as a whole, and even historically our government in the last 50 years has rejected god's word and his ways? I think there is.
9:06 Verse 9. Chapter 14. Then Zura, the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of 1000000 men and 300 chariots, and he
9:18 came to Marissa. And Asa cried, verse 11, cried out to the lord his god and said, lord, it is nothing for you to help, whether with many or with those who have no
9:30 power. Help us, oh lord our god, for we rest on you. And in your name, we go against this multitude. Oh lord, you are our god. Do not let man prevail against
9:42 you. So the lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. The lord fought the battle for them. Now notice this appeal. Notice this appeal
9:54 in verse 11. This is important. Number 1, acknowledging the greatness of god. This is nothing for you. Alright? Acknowledgment of god's ability. Number 2, we rest
10:06 on you, a declaration. And look at 3. The 3rd thing, we battle in your name. He made this battle the Lord's battle, and you are our God.
10:18 So they they they stood on the side of God. They were aligning themselves with God. The overwhelming victory against overwhelming odds then put fear, verse 14 says, in the hearts of other nations. Now on the
10:30 heels of this success comes a word of encouragement and warning in chapter 15 from the prophet Azariah. Look at verse 2. And he went out... This is the the
10:42 prophet. Went out to meet Asa and said to him, hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, the 2 tribes that were, at the... In the southern kingdom. The lord is with you
10:54 while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. It's important. Then in verses 3 through 6, he points to
Asa's Reforms and Dependence on God
11:06 the history of Israel as a nation, the consequences of turning away from God. Verse 7. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.
11:18 That's encouraging. Now look how Asa responds. Verse 8. And when Asa heard these words in the prophecy of Oded, the prophet, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah
11:30 and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim. And he restored the altar of the lord that was before the vestibule of the lord. Now this is an example. This is an example. Pay attention.
11:41 This is an example how the church's prophetic role should look today with government. Speak the word of God to encourage and to warn those who
11:53 lead. Now this word of encouragement to Asa caused him to be more zealous in his reforms, and that's where the church should be. We should encourage local communities, state,
12:05 federal. Some believe that he restored the temple, and this reference to the altar was for an occasion of a of a dedication like Solomon did when the temple was dedicated. And look how the people
12:17 responded. This is all good news. This is this is good news. Not gonna read it in the headlines because it's good news. Verse 15, and all Judah rejoiced at the oath for they had sworn with all their heart and
12:29 sought him with all their soul, and he was found by them. And the lord gave them, look at this, rest all around. Now very quickly in chapter 16, something happens, and this
12:41 is... You know, success is oftentimes more difficult to handle than defeat. Asa doesn't turn to god as he had done before. I think maybe he had become proud. Eric, we don't know.
12:53 It doesn't go into detail here. But he had not... He did not turn to god as he had before when he faced a crisis. And he turns... Instead of god, he turns to to the king of Syria, literally taking the
13:05 treasures, the golden, shields out of the the the temple to buy his health, help, help of the king of Syria. And once again, we see a prophet of God
13:17 comes to him and this time confronts him. Verse 7. And at that time, Hananiah Hananiah, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him,
13:29 because you have relied on the king of Syria and have not relied on the lord your god, therefore, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were
13:41 the Ethiopians and the Lobam not a huge army with which... With very many chariots and horsemen, yet because you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand? For the eyes of the Lord
13:53 run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. In this, you have done foolishly. Therefore, now... From now on,
14:05 you shall have wars. Very instructive. God is waiting to help. And and he had seen this. Asa had seen this. He had seen
14:17 God move on their behalf. Verse 10. Alright? Then Asa was angry with the seer or the prophet and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him
14:29 because of this, and Asa oppressed some of the people at the time. Now, again, we know something happened. We don't know exactly what it was, but his heart had turned against god. Pride most
14:40 likely because we're gonna see that later in some of the kings, the good kings. They became successful, and pride and arrogance came into their hearts. Pride is a bad thing, dangerous thing. And so we see here that there
14:52 is hostility toward the word of the lord. Especially when people are not in line with god's word, they're gonna respond to it in a negative way. The prophet had a hard job delivering a hard word
15:04 to a man who had a pretty good track record. But the king didn't respond well to the lord's correction. And the king paid a price for it, but so did the prophet. Alright? The man
15:16 of God walking in obedience to God suffered for his obedience. And some would say, how is that possible? I know this is a truth that we would rather not hear, but remember, as we follow and serve the Lord,
15:29 we must view the events of this life with eternity in mind. Our obedience does not mean that we will escape every difficulty and
15:40 tribulation in this life. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, what a what a fascinating passage today to see what happens when when the
15:54 leaders, the the the civil government leaders respond to the word of God, and and you bless all of society, and there's peace, and there's tranquility, and there's prosperity. But then,
The Prophet's Word and Further Reforms
16:06 Lord, when they reject the word of the Lord or when the church is silent, Lord, we we we see what happens. I pray father that we would gain wisdom from your word. May the holy spirit show
16:18 us how to apply the truths of your word to our lives in this world in which we live, and we thank you for that. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright. Thanks so much for joining us this morning, and until next
Asa's Later Failure, Pride, and the Prophet's Rebuke
16:30 time, keep standing on the word.
16:34 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you
16:46 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.
Tony Perkins93.2K followers
