2 Chronicles 15:2 - Seeking and Forsaking
In 2 Chronicles 15:2, the prophet Azariah speaks to King Asa and the people of Judah, offering both a promise and a warning: “The Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2, NASB). This verse emphasizes a critical theological principle found throughout both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament—the reciprocal relationship between God and His people.
The Hebrew term for "seek" in this context, דָּרַשׁ (darash), conveys a sense of diligently searching or inquiring. This is not a casual pursuit but an intentional effort to draw near to the divine. The promise that "if you seek Him, He will let you find Him" is echoed in other passages, such as Deuteronomy 4:29, where Moses tells Israel, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (Deut. 4:29). The consistency of this principle reveals God’s openness to those who genuinely pursue His presence.
The other side of this promise is the warning: “if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” The Greek term for "forsake" in the Septuagint, ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō), implies abandonment or leaving behind.
This word reflects not merely a turning away but a complete rejection. The idea of God forsaking His people is not isolated to this passage. In Hosea 4:6, we see a similar admonition: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest” (Hos. 4:6). The people’s rejection of God leads to a divine withdrawal, not as an arbitrary punishment, but as a natural consequence of their choices.
In the New Testament, the reciprocal relationship between God and His followers is reaffirmed in James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8). This mirrors the covenantal nature of God's interaction with His people throughout biblical history. God’s faithfulness remains steadfast, but the relationship depends on human responsiveness. The pursuit of God is not merely a religious exercise; it is the foundation of the covenant relationship between God and humanity.
Azariah’s warning to King Asa serves as a reminder of the conditional nature of God’s presence among His people. It is not that God arbitrarily leaves, but rather, He responds to the actions of His people. The choice lies in the hands of the faithful—either to seek and find God or to forsake and face the absence of His presence.
