2 Chronicles 15

Revival Under Asa

1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.

2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you,^[a] but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.^[b]

3 For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law,

4 but when they turned to the Lord God of Israel in their distress and sought Him, He was found by them.

5 In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts.

6 Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress.

7 But as for you, be strong; don't be discouraged,^[c] for your work has a reward."

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of [Azariah son of] Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the Lord's [temple].

9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from [the tribes of] Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.

11 At that time they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep from all the plunder they had brought.

12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with all their mind and all their heart.

13 Whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, young or old,^[d] man or woman.

14 They took an oath to the Lord in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams' horns.

15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought Him with all their heart, and He was found by them.^[e] So the Lord gave them rest on every side.^[f]

16 King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother,^[g] from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

17 The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted his entire life.^[h]

18 He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God's temple: silver, gold, and utensils.^[i]

19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

2 Chronicles 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

The people make a solemn covenant with God.

- 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Dt 4:29; Jr 29:13-14
• [b]. 1 Ch 28:9
• [c]. Lit don't let your hands fail
• [d]. Or insignificant or great
• [e]. 2 Ch 15:2
• [f]. 2 Ch 14:6-7
• [g]. Lit mother; 2 Ch 11:22; 1 Kg 15:2
• [h]. Lit wholehearted all his days
• [i]. 1 Kg 15:13-15

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 15

Asa returning from the battle, and with the spoil of the enemy, was met by a prophet of the Lord, who encouraged him to go on with the work of reformation, promising the presence and help of God with him, 2Ch 15:1-7, which inspired him with fresh courage, and he went about the work with great alacrity; and having offered sacrifices, he and his people entered into a solemn covenant with the Lord, to serve him, 2Ch 15:8-15 upon which he destroyed his mother's idol, brought the dedicated things into the house of God, and the effect of this was peace for a long time, 2Ch 15:16-19.