2 Chronicles 15

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Read 2 Chronicles 15

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 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. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the Lordwith a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Go Deeper

In this chapter, Azariah gives us a wonderful reminder of God’s desire for us: obedience. More specifically, He desires complete obedience. We can see how important this is to God in Azariah’s statement in verse 2: “The Lord is with you when you are with Him…but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” In Matthew 7:21, we see Jesus emphasize a similar point stating, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” God desires a closeness with us. As our Creator, He knows how this benefits us, and He wants to bless us as stated in verse 7 with “your work will be rewarded.” He knows that through obedience, this closeness can be achieved. However, obedience has many challenges. In the book The Awe of God by John Bevere, he discusses a few of these challenges with one of them being pain.

Sometimes, being obedient can be challenging when it’s painful. In Asa’s situation, he was even warned that it would be difficult when Azariah said in verse 7, “…be strong and do not give up.” You don’t need words of encouragement before something easy or enjoyable but rather before something difficult or painful! In Asa’s case, obedience included some very painful tasks, such as killing those who chose not to take the oath to the Lord and deposing his grandmother from her position as queen mother. These people that were put to death were likely those who fell away from the faith and likely had relatives included in the living. This would have been very sad and painful, and the pain of deposing a family member speaks for itself, especially a grandmother! Despite it being painful, God calls us to obedience even if He asks us to choose God over our family.

However, there is an eternal reward for obedience! In exchange for our obedience, we are offered a relationship with our Creator. This is the same relationship that caused Moses to leave the riches of pharaoh for the wilderness and caused Moses at a later point say “if you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place” when God offered an escape from the wilderness in Exodus 33:15. This relationship with God is what we are designed for, and we have the opportunity to step into this relationship if we just obey!

Questions

  1. What barriers keep you from full obedience?
  2. Does a relationship with God appeal to you? Why or why not?
  3. When you obey, would you say you obey completely? Why or why not?

A Quote

“Almost complete obedience isn’t obedience at all. Jesus set the example for us to fully obey–to the finish–whatever God entrusts to us.”

John Bevere, Awe of God

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6 thoughts on “2 Chronicles 15”

  1. Ella Snodgrass

    Do you ever feel like you’re holding your breath as you read through Chronicles? Especially when we discover a righteous king who obeys God, it’s like a part of me is cheering them on, and another part is waiting for the “shoe to drop.” King Asa continued religious reforms and listened to God’s counsel given through Azariah. This is especially noteworthy on the heels of a great military victory when pride could have easily crept in and consumed the king. Instead he acknowledged God through sacrifices and called the people to enter into a covenant to seek the Lord. King Asa did not steal God’s glory! V15 declares “All were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their hearts. Eagerly they sought after God, and they found him.” King Asa began to “clean house” even down to his own grandmother. I’m reminded of Matthew 10:37 which speaks of prioritizing our relationship with Christ over all others, even our own families. My takeaway for today, is to recommit to doing all things in a holy fear of the Lord. What Asherah poles or pagan shrines need to be thoroughly demolished in our lives?

  2. “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else”. Oswald Chambers. Are we truly chasing after God or playing religious games? If not God will drop you. “The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2. God desires you and me but He gave us freedom of choice. “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you .Matthew 7:7

    God thank You for freedom. Thank You for desiring a relationship with me so much that You gave Your one and only son. God Thank You for continuing to show me how to pursue You better. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit guidance as my day goes. Thank You for continuing to open the doors as I knock in Jesus name amen
    WOOHOO!!!

  3. Diane Frances Rogers

    Questions: 1. What barriers keeps me from full obedience?
    Wanting a relationship with my grown children and grandchildren.
    2. Does a relationship with God appeal to me?
    Absolutely!!
    3. When I obey, do I obey completely?
    No, I do not. My heart is willing, but my flesh is weak.
    The quote by John Bevere makes me fall on my knees trembling and pleading for mercy.

  4. I confess I really struggled with this chapter, especially verse 13:

    “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul. Whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman” (2 Chronicles‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB).‬‬

    Most commentaries I read, though, did not record ACTUAL killings (and emphatically rejected any suggestion this passage permits believers to to kill non-believers). Rather, the oath taken by the people was evidence of their own personal zeal. “We as individuals and as a group are committing to seek and follow God, and if we don’t follow through on this covenant we make with God, WE should be put to death.”

    http://thefrequentlyaskedchristians.com/does-2-chronicles1513-tell-christians-to-kill-non-believers/

    This was a commitment to put their OWN lives on the line should they ever falter in their devotion and fall away from God. In this promise, God’s followers affirmed both the power and the price of their commitment.

    Radical, wholehearted commitment to God is COSTLY. How many of us have actually lost loved ones in our determination to see them come to faith?

    My non-believing brother excommunicated our entire family because of a single conversation my daughter and I had with him years ago, begging him to come to Christ. Now I have no doubt I have said and done some things to bungle my witness. But my daughter? I have a hard time understanding how anyone could be so turned off by the pure and sincere passion of a young girl just starting her walk with the Lord.

    Sadly, though, that is what happened. For years my brother wouldn’t come within 100 miles of me and my family. He only finally returned at all because my father was on his deathbed.

    Such actions hurt my family deeply, my dad in particular. And it grieves me greatly that such estrangement happened at my hand. (To be honest, I’m still struggling to make sense of it or reconcile myself to it.) Thankfully, though, I’ve since made amends with my brother, owning “100% of my 2%.” Our sibling relationship has been further restored through the fellowship of suffering, as together we’ve grieved through loss of our dad and stepmom. Today we are closer than ever … but sadly, he is no closer to Jesus.

    One of today’s questions was, “does a relationship with God appeal to you?“

    Having experienced firsthand the heartbreak and rejection of those I love rejecting God and refusing His love, I would say not only is such a relationship appealing – it is ESSENTIAL. I don’t even want to consider what my life would look like apart from God.

    I suppose the bigger question is, “am I truly wholehearted in my own desire for that relationship? Or are there still ways *I* reject God and refuse his love?

    Have I entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of my ancestors with all my heart and all my soul? Am I willing to offer up my entire life in obedience?”

  5. I confess I really struggled with this chapter, especially verse 13:

    “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul. Whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman” (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬).‬

    Most commentaries I read, though, did not record ACTUAL killings (and emphatically rejected any suggestion this passage permits believers to to kill non-believers). Rather, the oath taken by the people was evidence of their personal zeal. “We as individuals and as a group are committing to seek and follow God and if we don’t follow through on this covenant we make with God, WE should be put to death.”

    http://thefrequentlyaskedchristians.com/does-2-chronicles1513-tell-christians-to-kill-non-believers/

    This was a commitment to put their OWN lives on the line should they ever falter in their devotion and fall away from God. In this promise, God’s followers affirmed both the power and the price of their commitment.

    Radical, wholehearted commitment to God is COSTLY. How many of us have actually lost loved ones in our determination to see them come to faith?

    My non-believing brother excommunicated our entire family because of a single conversation my daughter and I had with him years ago, begging him to come to Christ. Now I have no doubt I have said and done some things to bungle my witness. But my daughter? I have a hard time understanding how anyone could be so turned off by the pure and sincere passion of a young girl just starting her walk with the Lord.

    Sadly, though, that is what happened. For years my brother wouldn’t come within 100 miles of me and my family. He only finally returned at all because my father was on his deathbed.

    Such actions hurt my family deeply, my dad in particular. And it grieves me greatly that such estrangement happened at my hand. (To be honest, I’m still struggling to make sense of it or reconcile myself to it.) Thankfully, I’ve since made amends with my brother, owning “100% of my 2%.” Our sibling relationship has also been restored through the fellowship of suffering, as together we’ve grieved through loss of our dad and stepmom. Today we are closer than ever … but sadly, he is no closer to Jesus.

    One of today’s questions was, “does a relationship with God appeal to you?“

    Having experienced firsthand the heartbreak and rejection of those I love rejecting God and refusing His love, I would say not only is such a relationship appealing – it is ESSENTIAL. I don’t even want to consider what my own life would look like apart from God.

    I suppose the bigger question is, “am I truly wholehearted in my own desire for that relationship? Or are there still ways *I* reject God and refuse his love?

    Have I entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of my ancestors with all my heart and all my soul? Am I willing to offer up my entire life in obedience?

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