God's Benevolent Grace to the Loyal Heart
Notes
Transcript
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
9 For the eyes of the Lord 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 from now on you shall have wars.”
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
This is a wonderful verse
This is a wonderful verse
Something that you should memorize an put in a frame to hang on your wall.
It is amazing.
It speaks of God’s benevolence, His grace.
9 God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God’s help. Now you’re in trouble—one round of war after another.”
God’s dealing with man is not passive, that he reacts after the fact to those who do good and are found righteous.
Example of a king, in the story of Esther..
God is actively dealing with man..
9 For the eyes of the Lord 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 from now on you shall have wars.”
God in His benevolence is actively looking to support anyone whose heart is loyal to Him.
This text describes God’s benevolent grace:
God’s Benevolent Grace is personal.
He does not rely on his servants’ eyes to oversee what is being done in the kingdom. He looks with His own eyes and He is personally engaged in watching us.
God’s watchful eyes do not sleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Because His eyes are watchful, nothing is hidden from Him.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
:!3
We have to give account to Him for everything that we have done, both evil and good.
God is actively finding opportunities to bless, rather than finding faults to punish.
Why do you say that? The world is already headed to destruction, God does not need to find people who will reject and oppose Him.
But He is actively looking for people who He can use to save those who are perishing.
Theological concept:
Prevenient Grace.
God’s grace that precedes human decision (saving grace).
Let’s go back to this passage:
God’s Benevolent Grace is Swift. (His eyes run)
God’s Benevolent Grace is diligent (to and fro)
God’s Benevolent Grace is extensive (throughout the whole earth)
God’s Benevolent Grace is intentional (To Strongly Support)
To strongly support the one whose heart is loyal to Him.
God does not look at the outward appearance but He looks at the heart.
Bible says in that Jesus knows what is inside a man.
The heart in the old testament is the totality of one’s being.
Are we a people who diligently follow hard after God?
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
is a beautiful passage but when we study it in the context of where it is found in the Bible, it becomes a sober warning.
King Asa.
1 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.
2 Chronicles 16:
When facing an invading army of Ethiopians, Asa sought the Lord’s help:
9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
2 Chronicles 14:9
King Asa performed many reforms:
The prophet Azariah told him:
7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
2 Chronicles 15:7
King Asa’s Reforms:
King Asa took courage and put away the detestable idols.
He repaired the altar of the Lord.
He gathered the people of the land to worship the Lord.
King Asa did everything that is pleasing and honoring to the Lord, and because of that the Bible says there was peace in the land.
Something happened after his 35th year of reign.
1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied 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 give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
2 Chronicles 16:1
Asa committed:
The sin of compromise.
The sin of bribery.
The sin of abomination.
Worst, Instead of relying on God for help like he did with the war against the Ethiopians, he relied on human strength.
He literally made a pact with the Devil, later these same Syrians would invade Judah and take its people as prisoners.
Here is the full context of the verse we are studying today:
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”
It is actually said as a rebuke to someone.
What happened to Asa?
I surmise, something happened in his heart. I believe pride in his accomplishments.
I think King Asa became rebellious toward the Lord. - He oppressed the people.
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What a sad end to a predominantly good rule.
Bible says King Asa did not love long after that, he has a strange disease and died.
What is a heart that is blameless before the Lord?
Let us be careful that in doing good we don’t lose our heart toward God.
There is a danger when everything becomes too common.
God always wants to do something new.
What is a heart that is blameless before the Lord?
A heart that is always dependent on Him.
It is not how we run the race, it is about finishing it.