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The Histories · Old Testament

2 Chronicles 15

2 Chronicles 15: Azariah's word and Asa's covenant at Jerusalem

General context

The Spirit of God comes on Azariah the son of Oded, who meets Asa and tells him and all Judah and Benjamin that the Lord is with them while they are with him, that if they seek him he will be found, and that if they forsake him he will forsake them. He describes a long season when Israel was without the true God, a teaching priest or law and nation destroyed nation, and says that when they turned to the Lord in trouble he was found; he tells them to be strong, for their work will be rewarded. Asa hears these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, takes courage, removes the idols from Judah, Benjamin and the cities taken from mount Ephraim, and renews the altar before the porch. He gathers Judah, Benjamin and the strangers from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who have come over because they saw the Lord was with him. They meet at Jerusalem in the third month of his fifteenth year, offer oxen and sheep from the spoil, and enter a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul, on pain of death for anyone who will not seek him. They swear with a loud voice, shouting, trumpets and cornets, and all Judah rejoices; the Lord is found by them and gives rest. Asa removes his mother Maachah from being queen because she made an idol in a grove, and cuts down, crushes and burns the idol at the brook Kidron. The high places are not removed out of Israel, but the narrator says Asa's heart was perfect all his days. He brings his father's and his own dedicated silver, gold and vessels into the house of God, and there is no more war until his thirty fifth year.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2 Chronicles 15:2, 2 Chronicles 15:3, 2 Chronicles 15:4, 2 Chronicles 15:5, 2 Chronicles 15:6, 2 Chronicles 15:7, 2 Chronicles 15:8, 2 Chronicles 15:9, 2 Chronicles 15:10, 2 Chronicles 15:11, 2 Chronicles 15:12, 2 Chronicles 15:13, 2 Chronicles 15:14, 2 Chronicles 15:15, 2 Chronicles 15:16, 2 Chronicles 15:17, 2 Chronicles 15:18, 2 Chronicles 15:19

2 Chronicles 15 (KJV)

1And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

5And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

6And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.

7Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

8And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.

9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.

16And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

18And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

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Historical context

The prophet is introduced as Azariah the son of Oded, but the narrator then speaks of the prophecy of Oded the prophet; the text uses both names for the same message without explanation. Azariah's account of a long season without the true God, a teaching priest or law is part of his speech and is not tied by the chapter to any named period. The assembly is dated to the third month of Asa's fifteenth year, and its offerings come from spoil, which links it to the victory over Zerah. The cities Asa had taken from mount Ephraim are mentioned without any narrative of his taking them; the book had earlier recorded Abijah taking cities from Jeroboam. Maachah is called the mother of Asa the king here, while the earlier family list says Maachah the daughter of Absalom bore Abijah, Asa's father; the book gives both statements and does not explain the relationship further. The covenant's death penalty is stated as its terms, and the chapter does not narrate anyone being put to death under it. The statement that the high places were not taken away out of Israel stands beside the previous chapter's report that Asa removed them from all the cities of Judah. The peace is fixed to the thirty fifth year, and the next chapter opens in the thirty sixth.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2 Chronicles 15:8, 2 Chronicles 15:3, 2 Chronicles 15:10, 2 Chronicles 15:11, 2 Chronicles 14:13, 2 Chronicles 13:19, 2 Chronicles 15:16, 2 Chronicles 11:20, 2 Chronicles 14:1, 2 Chronicles 15:13, 2 Chronicles 15:17, 2 Chronicles 14:5, 2 Chronicles 15:19, 2 Chronicles 16:1

Literary context

The chapter runs from a prophetic word to a reform, an assembly and covenant, a judgment on the queen mother, and a summary. Azariah's speech is built on balanced conditions, with you while ye be with him, seek and be found, forsake and be forsaken, and its picture of a past without God, priest or law is set against the rest the present chapter reports. The words sought and found recur through the chapter, in the prophet's mouth and then in the narrator's account of the oath, so the assembly enacts what the prophet described. The swearing is loud, with shouting, trumpets and cornets, recalling the trumpets and instruments with which the ark was brought into the house. The reform reaches the king's own household in the Maachah verse, told with three verbs, cut down, stamped, burnt. The summary balances a But against a nevertheless, high places remaining against a heart called perfect, and the closing note of no war until the thirty fifth year is a countdown that the next chapter answers at once.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 15:2, 2 Chronicles 15:3, 2 Chronicles 15:4, 2 Chronicles 15:12, 2 Chronicles 15:15, 2 Chronicles 15:14, 2 Chronicles 5:13, 2 Chronicles 15:16, 2 Chronicles 15:17, 2 Chronicles 15:19, 2 Chronicles 16:1

Key moments

  1. With you while ye be with him (2 Chronicles 15:2). Azariah sets out the terms: seek and be found, forsake and be forsaken.
  2. Asa takes courage (2 Chronicles 15:8). Asa removes the idols and renews the altar before the porch.
  3. Assembly in the fifteenth year (2 Chronicles 15:10). Judah, Benjamin and those who came over from Israel gather at Jerusalem.
  4. A covenant to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 15:12). The people bind themselves to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul.
  5. The oath with trumpets (2 Chronicles 15:14). They swear aloud with shouting, trumpets and cornets, and Judah rejoices.
  6. Maachah removed (2 Chronicles 15:16). Asa deposes his mother as queen and burns her idol at the brook Kidron.
  7. High places remain (2 Chronicles 15:17). The narrator notes the high places left in Israel but calls Asa's heart perfect.

For reflection

The covenant Asa's people swear says that whoever will not seek the Lord shall be put to death, and the narrator says all Judah rejoiced at the oath. What does a reader do with rejoicing and a death penalty inside the same sworn agreement?

People in this chapter

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