2 Chronicles chapter 15 provides a lift to anyone that is weary of fighting against the cultural current of the day. It seems popular to ridicule anyone attempting to honor God in their words or actions. The chapter begins by explaining “The Spirit of God came upon” a prophet named Azariah to speak to Asa, King of Judah. He said, “Listen to me, Asa… 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“. In my mind, I imagine a young king that was being discouraged because he did not see any results to his efforts to honor God. Perhaps he even asked himself, “what’s the point of trying?”. The prophet continued, “For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach 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“. And listen to this next verse, “In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil… because God was troubling them with every kind of distress“. It sounds like God distresses people in order to get their attention! And he adds a note of encouragement to the one that is trying to buck the prevailing culture by honoring God: “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded“. If you are discouraged, please read that verse again.
Notice Asa’s reaction to the encouraging words, “When Asa heard these words… he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah… He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the… temple. Then he assembled all Judah“. We even read that “large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him“. I believe that one of the most important responsibilities we have as believers, is to encourage one another toward righteousness. People notice our actions and reactions, particularly when we are under stress. When we resist the trend and take a stand, we give courage to others. Let me emphasize that people cannot see what we believe unless we take action. In other words, “faith without deeds is useless” (James 2:20).
And the result of one man’s obedience affected the entire nation. “They assembled at Jerusalem in… the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign… they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of… from the plunder they had brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul“. The nation had been corrupted by ungodly kings and radical change was needed. After living without God’s presence, they understood the need to be serious about weeding out those that wanted to corrupt the worship of God by bringing in false gods, “All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman“. And note the result, “They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side“. The chapter ends with an interesting image, “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated“. Sin tears us down and leaves us empty in the end, but the Holy Spirit of God replenishes and restores our lives. Will you be an example to others? “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).