“Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” — 2 Chronicles 15:3-4

In today’s focus verses, the Prophet Azariah reminded King Asa of Judah that the people of Israel had been without God for a long time, but when they turned to Him in a time of trouble, God responded. Over the centuries since Azariah spoke those words, God has proved many times that when a person sincerely turns to Him for help, He hears and answers. Richard Clarke, a minister in the Apostolic Faith work in the early part of the twentieth century, was one who testified to that. 

“I want to thank God for the truth that makes men free. Quite a few years ago, the National Cash Register Company sent me to the West Coast as a sales representative for that company. I made good money, and I spent it trying to find the satisfaction my heart longed for, but I never found it. I bought diamonds and beautiful clothes, stayed in fine hotels, rode the luxury cars on the trains, and attended the theaters and dances, and yet there was sorrow in my heart. While traveling, I met men who were older than I was, and they taught me many things that did not do me any good. I began to lead a fast and wicked life. 

“One night, in my hotel room in Portland, Oregon, I realized that I was a failure—a ruined man. My reputation was gone and my character was destroyed. I had religion, but that hadn’t helped me. From the time I was seven years of age, my mother had sent me to the priest to confess my sins. As the years passed, I continued to tell my sins to a priest, because I thought man could forgive them. I would take the penance the priest gave me, say the prayers, step up to the communion table and take the wafer, and then go home brokenhearted, miserable, and discouraged. My performance of those rituals never changed me or brought me peace. 

“Remorse settled down on my life, and that night I wondered where I would spend eternity. I was tempted to take my own life to get rid of the sin and shame that was bearing me down. In desperation, I got down upon my knees and cried out to God. Do you know what He did? The very next afternoon, He sent a man to my room. I heard a knock at my door, and when I opened it, a Christian man was there. He said, ‘I have seen you in the hotel, and I wonder if you are saved?’ I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he repeated his question in words I understood: ‘Do you know that you are right with God?’ He went on to tell me that I would go to Hell unless I was born again. His question went deep into my heart and took root. 

“The man invited me to a service at the Apostolic Faith camp meeting. There, I heard testimonies of a former drunkard, an ex-convict, a doctor, a lawyer, and a preacher, all of whom God had saved. Their faces were lit by the power of God. They told me that if I confessed my sins to Jesus Christ, He would wash them away and make a change in my life. 

“That night, I went forward to an old pine bench to pray—I was the first one there. Tears of repentance poured down my face as I confessed my sins to Jesus Christ. I lifted an honest heart to Him, and thank God, He had mercy. He came into my heart and broke the shackles of sin that had bound me for so many years. That night the sunlight of another world flooded over my soul. It was the most glorious day of my life! I had prayed to the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the Apostles, and Michael the archangel, and never received an answer, but when I cried out to Jesus Christ, He responded. I have never smoked, gambled, taken a drink of alcohol, or been to a show or dance since. I broke up my pipe, burned my deck of cards, and began to read the Bible. The joy of the Lord has been in my heart since that day, and I thank God for what He has done for me!” 

Do you have a need in your life today? The God who saved Richard Clarke so many years ago still answers prayers today when individuals turn to Him.

BACKGROUND

This chapter continues the summary of Asa’s reign over Judah that began in chapter 14. Verses 1-7 describe the Prophet Azariah’s warning to Asa, while verses 8-19 record Asa’s reform of Judah’s worship practices. 

Azariah the son of Oded, who brought the warning to King Asa recorded in verses 1-7, appears in Scripture only in this passage. However, he delivered an important message from God. The phrase “he went out to meet Asa” implies that the prophet approached the king as the armies of Judah returned from the victory over Zerah and his Ethiopian forces. Asa had sought God’s help in that battle (see 2 Chronicles 14:11) but there was a danger that he would not continue seeking Him. So Azariah warned Asa of the importance of remaining firm in his loyalty to God. 

Some Bible scholars view verses 3-6 as a reference to the period of the judges when the people of Israel went through repeated cycles of sin/oppression/ repentance/deliverance. Others suggest that these verses allude to the more recent past of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In either case, the result was that God “did vex them with all adversity.” Azariah used this example of Israel’s failures to warn of the evil that would come upon Judah if they turned away from God. 

“Oded the prophet” in verse 8 may have been a reference to Azariah; earlier versions of the Scriptures include the name Azariah here. Alternatively, Azariah’s warning could have been a restatement of an earlier prophecy given by his father, Oded. 

In response to the warning, Asa took courage and began to institute reforms. His first recorded act was to “put away the abominable idols” throughout the land. The phrase “abominable idols,” shiquts in the original Hebrew, has a literal meaning of “detestable things” and refers to anything related to the practice of idolatry. Asa also “renewed” the altar of the Lord, implying that some type of desecration had occurred that necessitated a cleansing or restoration process. 

The king’s next step, as stated in verse 9, was to gather all of Judah together. This assembly included some from the northern tribes who observed Asa’s bold obedience to God and wanted to be part of a committed return to Him. The people rightly recognized that their victory over the Ethiopians had come from God, so they gave back to Him from the spoil. Then they “entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul” (verse 12). This was an allusion to past covenants, and indicated the people’s desire to have the same relationship with God that their forefathers had enjoyed. The covenant was reinforced by the institution of capital punishment for failure. Then the assembly swore a public oath, making all of the people accountable to keep their commitment to God. As a result, verse 15 records that “the Lord gave them rest round about.” 

In verse 16, Asa extended the reform into his own household when he removed Maachah from her position of queen-mother because of her idolatrous practices. (According to 1 Kings 15:2, Maachah was the mother of Abijam, and thus the grandmother of Asa. In the Bible, “mother” and “father” can refer to any direct ancestor.) While Asa did not remove the high places out of Israel, his loyal heart at this point in his life was shown in his reforms against idolatry, and in his restoration of certain silver and gold utensils to the Temple (verses 17-18). 

The final verse of the chapter states that the nation enjoyed freedom from war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

III. The history of the kings of Judah
     C. The reign of Asa
          3. The reformation under Asa (15:1-19)
               a. Azariah’s ultimatum (15:1-7)
               b. Asa’s reforms (15:8-19)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verse 3, how did Azariah summarize the spiritual state of Israel?
2. What details provided in verses 12-15 indicate that the repentance of the people was genuine?
3. Asa and the people declared themselves clearly and decisively for God. What are some ways you can follow their example and show by your actions your wholehearted commitment to God?

CONCLUSION

When the people of Judah and Israel turned to God in a time of trouble, He honored their sincere commitment and “was found of them.” Today, too, those who come to Him in sincere repentance will find him.