HE WILL BE FOUND. 2nd Chronicles 15 The writer of Chronicles understood the importance of lessons learned from both the good practices of older generations and their mistakes. In His mercy, God sent a relatively unknown prophet named Azariah to meet King Asa with a message of encouragement and guidance. That message was very clear: God desires to be with those who seek Him. Those who turn away from Him will find themselves abandoned by God. When someone makes a clear statement and a call that God's word can test, we should pay attention. The writer of Chronicles used these past lessons as motivation for the current generation of returnees to live for God now. This is a principle we should always follow: seek advice from godly people who have experienced God and are led by His Spirit.
By staying connected with people who learn from God through His word and who commit to being led by the Holy Spirit, we can be protected from the evil and failures others have encountered. Discussing scriptures and gaining spiritual insight from those willing to advise us helps us understand how to face life's issues and challenges as they arise. What we learn can be applied in the right ways to achieve the best outcomes.
It is unclear to me whether “the long season Israel had been without the true God, a teaching priest, and the law" refers to the time of the judges or when Jeroboam abandoned the Lord's law, leading the northern nation of Israel to face the consequences. Eight kings reigned in Israel during the forty-one years Asa ruled Judah, and all of them were wicked. The prophet used Israel's downfall as an example of what happens to those who turn away from God and His word. The chronicler used this as a lesson for those returning from exile so they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. "The things that happened to them, as examples to us, are written for our admonition..." Commitment to God and peace are linked; evil and conflict are also connected.
The call to "be strong" was often given to the Lord's people to prevent their spiritual weakness from making all their "work" pointless. There are two areas of recognition and reward when one's work is done for God's glory. Here on earth, faithful service by a trustworthy person is often acknowledged by others who appreciate what you've done. Rewards may come in the form of a sense of satisfaction for a job well done or through other means. In heaven, the future recognition and reward will be far greater when our Savior and Lord says, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Both of these serve as motivations for us to remain faithful in any work because "your labor is not in vain in the Lord." If, for any reason, you feel unrecognized and unrewarded here, don't let that stop you or discourage you. The best is yet to come.
The words of the prophet gave Asa enough motivation to act. For some reason, he had left undone the tasks related to destroying certain things and repairing others. If we're not careful, we tend to delay tasks, which can lead to a backlog of work that must be done all at once. Asa followed the principle of first separating from evil, then focusing on the necessary repairs. Immediately, "he took courage" and removed the "abominations" that still existed among God's people. Afterward, he made the necessary repairs so that what was right was fully restored, allowing the altar to serve its proper purpose. Clearly, work was needed on the altar. Let us never be careless about doing what is right or lax in dealing with evil. Someone has well said, "The cost of truth never exceeds its value." "A good example has a good effect."
When the Lord encourages some of His people to move forward in faith for His glory and His name's sake, others who may be more timid, hesitant, or even afraid will catch some of that spiritual fire and join the work with enthusiasm. It happened in Asa's day when some people from the north grew tired of wrong doctrine and practice. It can happen today when those who are faithful to God dedicate themselves to doing His will. God commits to those people because He does not abandon the faithful. Other believers will realize that some remain true to our Lord, and they will say, "God is with you of a truth."
Those who assembled when "they saw that the Lord his God was with him" offered generously to the Lord in worship. "They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul." The three terms of the covenant were objective redemption on God’s part, as He was “found of them.” There was to be a subjective response of faith and obedience on the part of the Jews: “Seek the Lord God of Israel.” The inheritance of reconciliation would be “The Lord gave them rest” from enemies, spiritual rest, and kingdom rest in the future.
Detachment from evil must come before doing what is right. There can be no mixture. When there is no tolerance for wrong, renewal and revival can begin. People today often struggle to fully commit themselves to God. Indecision, fear of failure, fear of personal consequences, and fear of responsibility frequently prevent individuals from living fulfilling lives. Declaring allegiance to God, as those people did, is bold and clear. They were fully committed to God, and because of that, peace came to the nation.
There is power in influence. If evil is allowed, it can cause serious harm even to what is right. A personal attachment to wrong makes it even more important to address the issue. Asa's grandmother had been a person of influence for years—a bad influence. He was aware of this and knew that if he wanted to have the Lord's support, she could no longer be in a position to influence others with her idols and sinful religious practices. A commitment to God and peace is definitely connected. Even though Asa left some buildings, high places, or patches of ground untouched where sacrifices to idols had been made in the past, "the heart of Asa was perfect." That clearly did not mean morally perfect, but related to his motivation to do what was right in practice. Doing what is right regardless of the cost and despite what others might say is always very important. Being right can come with an even higher price. Motivation. An awareness of God’s presence and pleasure, an assurance of God's guidance in the past, confidence in God’s direction for the future: these are motivations to move forward in faith! A person who we know has a close relationship with God offers warnings about the causes of failure and defeat, and provides encouragement for what has been accomplished—this is motivation to stay close to God.
Recognition of accomplishments achieved, rewards for solidified and lasting gains, and genuine praise for what the saints have done for God’s glory: this serves as motivation to stay the course! Others who participate, whether in large or small groups, people who say they believe in what is being done is right, those who say they can sense that God is in this place – this is the motivation to keep going!
The faithful saints who keep coming back week after week—The facial expressions of joy, peace, and contentment—The words of appreciation and gratitude for what is said—This is motivation to do things in God’s way! The rejoicing of those who rise from the table with thanks to God—The praise of voices that have praised God for years and still continue—The prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication that are made—This is motivation to give God and His Word first place!