2 Chronicles Chapter 15
1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:
2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.
7 But you be strong, and don't let your hands be slack; for your work will be rewarded."
8 When Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the LORD's altar that was before the LORD's porch.
9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.
11 They sacrificed to the LORD in that day, of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep.
12 They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then the LORD gave them rest all around.
16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 He brought the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God's house.
19 There was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.
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2 Chronicles Chapter 15 Guide
This chapter chronicles with greater detail the occasion and value of the reform wrought in Judah during Asa's reign. Here appears a man mentioned nowhere else. His name was Azariah. Suddenly anointed by the Spirit of God, he appeared to the king, and in a brief prophetic word gave direction to all his life and reign.
If the message was brief, it was yet weighty. As to enunciation of principles, it occupies only half a verse in our Bibles. "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." The rest is illustrative application of the principle by reference to then existing conditions, ending with a direct appeal. The principle is of perpetual application. It represents God as unchanging. All apparent changes on His part are really changes in the attitude of men toward Him. Man with God, finds God with him. Man forsaking God, finds that he is forsaken of God. These are the extremes of the one truth. Between them, not contradicting them, but complementing them, is the declaration that the seeker finds. A recognition of these principles must inspire the heart with courage. It certainly did in Asa's case. Upon the ground of that announcement he purged his country to a large extent, even deposing his mother in his loyalty to the principle.
From "An Exposition of the Whole Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
2 Chronicles Chapter 15 Commentary
Chapter Outline
- The people make a solemn covenant with God.
Verses 1-19
The work of complete reformation appeared so difficult, that Asa had not courage to attempt it, till assured of Divine assistance and acceptance. He and his people offered sacrifices to God; thanksgiving for the favours they had received, and supplication for further favours. Prayers and praises are now our spiritual sacrifices. The people, of their own will, covenanted to seek the Lord, each for himself, with earnestness. What is religion but seeking God, inquiring after him, applying to him upon all occasions? We make nothing of our religion, if we do not make heart-work of it; God will have all the heart, or none. Our devotedness to God our Saviour, should be avowed and shown in the most solemn and public manner. What is done in hypocrisy is a mere drudgery.
From the "Concise Commentary on the Bible" by Matthew Henry.