UNROLL
Early morning on the road below Jerusalem: one lone man in a plain wool robe and mantle, staff in hand, walks away down the empty road from the city's plain stone gate toward the south, and far ahead a low haze of dust rises where an army is coming home.

The Book of

2 Chronicles 15

The army comes home in triumph, and a prophet meets the king on the road: “If you seek Him, He will be found by you.”

19 verses≈ 4 min3 peopleBSB

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1SolomonWisdom asked at Gibeon
  2. 2–5The templeBuilt on Mount Moriah
  3. 6–7DedicationIf My people humble themselves
  4. 8–9Solomon's gloryThe queen of Sheba
  5. 10–16DivisionRehoboam to AsaChapter 15
  6. 17–20JehoshaphatThe battle is God's
  7. 21–24Dark yearsJehoram to Joash
  8. 25–28Proud kingsAmaziah to Ahaz
  9. 29–32HezekiahDoors opened, Passover kept
  10. 33–35Manasseh to JosiahMercy and the Book found
  11. 36Exile and returnMay he go up

The Prophecy of Azariah

Azariah son of Oded
Azariah son of Oded

Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin.

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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

For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity.

But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

Reflect

He will be found by you

Azariah’s word is a promise and a warning: “The LORD is with you when you are with Him.” Where are you seeking Him right now, and where have you stopped? Write down one way you will seek Him this week, and pray it.

Asa’s Reforms

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 then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

The assembly in the temple court shouting for joy: priests lift long straight silver trumpets and Levites raise ram's horns to their lips, while the crowd cheers with hands lifted before the long, plain, flat-roofed stone house with its two bronze pillars.

They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

Question

Quick question

Azariah met the army on the road with a word from God.

What did Azariah say would happen if Judah sought the LORD?

King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole.

Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.

Morning at the door of a temple storeroom in Jerusalem: priests in white linen receive silver bowls, gold vessels and bars of silver from the king's servants and carry them inside, a steward weighing silver on a balance; beyond, the long, plain, flat-roofed stone house.

And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

0:10

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

A whole heart

Thank the LORD that He is found by those who seek Him. Ask for a whole heart, like the covenant Judah swore “with all their heart and soul.” Pray for courage to put Him above family loyalties and old habits, as Asa did with Maacah. And ask Him to keep you from taking back what you have given Him.

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2 Chronicles 15

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A verse to carry with 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

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