From 2 Chronicles 13-17
From the last set of readings we find out that Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD. That is, he was a good king. He believed in the LORD and followed the law. The Ethiopians tried to destroy Judah, but Asa cried out to the LORD for help. The LORD graciously answered his prayer and they prevailed over superior numbers (2 Chr 14). In today’s passage embarks of a series of religious reforms, removing from the land places of foreign worship and idolatry.
This post is part of my bible in a year series.
Passage and Comments
15 The Spirit of God came upon 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. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chr 15.1-2)
Azariah is a very common Hebrew name. He is a prophet and therefore he has a word from the LORD to speak. The Spirit comes on him, as it did only special people in the Old Testament. Azariah gives Asa a word of assurance. The LORD will be with him provided Asa keeps seeking the LORD.
God will never abandon those who seek him. He will forsake those who turn away from him.
The word from the LORD provides continued incentive for him to trust in the LORD and keep his commands. Its also a warning. If he abandons the LORD, he will turn away also.
Israel however has been without the LORD for some time.
3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and 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 or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded .” (2 Chr 15.3-7)
God had abandoned Israel. They had no priests ministering for them. Nor had they retained knowledge of the law. Each of these is important to their spiritual life. Especially the first! This situation continued a long time.
Have you ever spent a long time away from the LORD?
The text says in Israel there were great disturbances affecting all in the lands. They were at war. War sent by God because they had turned from him. It was a covenant curse, a warning.
Israel will eventually recognise their problem and seek the LORD. For now Asa is the one who is exhorted to seek the LORD. To have courage. To be strong. To do the LORD’s work. We haven’t been told yet what the ‘work’ is, but the context suggests it has something to do with turning Israel around. Instituting religious reform.
He will be rewarded for his work. The LORD is willing to acknowledge his effort and bless him for it.
8 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. (2 Chr 15.8)
Asa is encouraged.
We all need encouraging words at times. Seek the LORD. Take courage. Cut away the sin from your life.
Asa begins on cleaning up Israel. He goes to work removing the idols from Israel and proper worship at the temple.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, land 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. (2 Chr 15.9-11)
Asa goes about reform by calling large numbers of people to himself. They leave Israel because they can see the LORD is with him. The people need godly leaders. They gather and they sacrifice to the LORD.
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. (2 Chr 15.12-13)
The people had wandered away. Now they have come back together to renew their faith.
They reaffirm their covenant vows to the LORD.
Those among them who do not they will put to death. Shocking to us, but this was not uncommon for their culture.
14 They swore an oath to the Lord with 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. (2 Chr 15.14-15)
They swear with all their heart and their whole desire.
They sought the LORD and he was found by them.
This is clearly a time for celebration. Heaven rejoices when even one sinner repents and comes back to the LORD (Mt 18.13-14; Lk 15.5-10).
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. (2 Chr 15.16-17a)
The reform reaches into places that some might have thought untouchable. Asa’s mother Maacah had instituted foreign worship. Asa removes her from office and burnt up the symbols. But still some places remained.
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. (2 Chr 15.17b-19)
The text says his ‘heart was wholly true’ to the LORD all his days. Our passage finishes with a commendation for Asa even though his efforts of reform were incomplete. It doesn’t seem to indicate what the reward was for his work.
I suspect the reward he received was the LORD. He sought the LORD and found him.
There is no greater reward than to know the LORD and be loved by him.
Story of Israel
The prophet Azariah told Asa his work would be rewarded.
“Reward is the recompense for good or evil; most often it suggests a benefit or favorable compensation. Both good and evil are rewarded or punished, and man’s responsibility and accountability are involved in an ethical sense. Related terms such as wages, hire, recompense, or requital are a part of the broader concept. In this fullest sense, the operation of reward ranges from the consequences resulting from dealings between people to God’s compensation for obedience or disobedience, from the consequences of actions felt in this life to divine recompense in the life to come.” (Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (p. 1855). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
The concept is not foreign to the scriptures. God does not reward because he is under obligation to or out of any concept of merit. Rather,
God gives rewards because he is generous and can be pleased.
In the context of Israel’s history, there wasn’t much rewarding going on. The faith of Israel was in decline and the LORD was losing his patience with them. Of course there were exceptions, but for the most part Israel and Judah were on a slippery slope into exile. They weren’t rewarded, they were punished.
Story of Jesus
In the gospel, Jesus encourages people in different ways by offering a reward for their actions. In both examples Jesus is highlighting that their faith is public. Everyone can see. Some are doing good things solely for the approval of others.
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mt 6:1–4)
This first comes in the form of a warning and an encouragement. Jesus is talking about doing good deeds. This is what Jesus calls ‘practicing righteousness’. In the context he seems to be referring to giving to the needy.
If you give to the needy in secret the Father will see and reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mt 6:5–6)
In this second example Jesus talks about prayer. Like practicing righteousness in front of others. There were people who would pray in front of others to gain their approval. To be seen as godly. God can’t be fooled.
God sees right into our heart and our motives.
Jesus encourages people to have a sincere faith. To pray in secret. It doesn’t matter what others think. It matters what God thinks. God listens to prayers made in secret. He will listen to yours.
Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2015. All Rights Reserved.
