What does the Bible mean when it says that God is with someone 1 Chronicles 22:11

The idea of success has gotten a bad name in Christian circles, partly because it has become associated with wealth, and partly because a lot of Christians wouldn’t call their lives a success. 

A common view of success is that it is measured by a person’s wealth.  The problem here is that wealth then becomes the goal, where wealth should be the by-product.  If you create a successful company, you will become wealthy.   If you pastor a church that just keeps growing, you will probably find that they will just keep wanting to pay you more money. 

The mistake is judging your success by your wealth.  Paul was successful, but he had no interest or need for wealth.

I know that by just bringing up the subject of success, some Christians will stop listening and assume I am like one of those crazy preachers who they say are on television.

But for the rest of us:

Let me read to you a passage of Scripture that, yes, I have been careful not to take it out of context, and this has been certified by 3 independent Bible scholars.

King David was speaking to his son, Solomon, who would soon succeed him on the throne:

I Chronicles 22:11  Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the LORD your God just as He has spoken concerning you.

There are two concepts here that I want to draw your attention to:

1)      God with you.  This phrase in its various forms is found in the Bible around 80 times, and it’s one that you need to study for yourself.  I will probably teach on it at some point, but it would be another one of those long lessons that a lot of people don’t have time for.

When the Bible says that God is with somebody, it is not a statement of location, answering the question: where is God?  The meaning is that God is working with you and on your behalf to prosper what you are doing and to make it successful. 

In the verse I just referred to, success meant finishing the building of the temple in a manner worthy of the God for whom it was intended.

But the idea of success and God’s presence is a lot broader than that.

2)      the idea of success.  This may be hard to study for most people.  You first need to identify the Greek and Hebrew words translated success, then find out what other ways it was translated, and then find all the passages in the Bible where those words are used, and then see what it has to say about success.

But some of the more common passages are:

Joshua 1:8 (NASB95)

⁸ “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Psalm 1:1–3 (NASB95)

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Genesis 39:3 (NASB95) 

3 Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Genesis 39:23 (NASB95)

23 The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.

2 Chronicles 26:5 (NASB95)

5 He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him.

The point is that a lot of Christians have no idea of what kinds of things God wants to do in their lives.  In fact, for many, there is no pattern.  God can want one thing today and an opposite thing tomorrow.  Bless one person, and put the next person through hell. 

As Christians, we have this thousand-page book from God, and we should be able to form a picture from it of what God is like.  He said that I am the Lord, I change not.  We need to see God as someone who wants good things for His people and who is generous in doing them.

I know a lesson like this can raise a lot of questions, and over time we will answer them.  We can’t answer every question in one lesson, but we will get to them.