2nd Chronicles 15 HE WILL BE FOUND The writer of the Chronicles knew the value of lessons learned by the good things practiced by the older generations as well as the lessons from their mistakes. God in His mercy sent a relatively unknown prophet named Azariah to meet Asa the king and give him a message of encouragement and instruction. That message was unmistakably clear. God wants to be with His people who seek Him. Those who forsake Him will find themselves abandoned by God. When someone makes a clear statement and an appeal that can be tested by the word of God, we need to pay attention. The writer of the Chronicles used these words from the past as an incentive to that present generation of returnees to live for God now. This is a principle that we should practice constantly. Take counsel from godly people who have had experiences with God and are guided by the Spirit of God.
By keeping in contact with people who learn from God through His word, and who are committed to being guided by the Holy Spirit, we can be preserved from the evil and failures others have experienced. Discussion over the scriptures and spiritual insight from those who are willing to counsel us, gives us understanding as to how to deal with the issues of life and faith as they arise. What we learn will be able to be applied in appropriate ways to bring about the best results.
Jeroboam had abandoned the law of the Lord and the northern nation of Israel suffered the consequences. Eight kings had ruled in Israel during the forty-one years Asa ruled over Judah, and all eight of them were evil men. The prophet used the departure of Israel as an example of what happens to those who turn away from God and His word. The chronicler used that as a lesson to those who returned from exile, so they would not do the same thing. "The things that happened to them for ensamples: are written for our admonition..." Commitment to God and peace go together. Evil and conflict go together.
The charge to "be strong" was often given to the Lord's people lest in spiritual weakness all their "work" should be in vain. There are two areas of recognition and reward when one's work is done for God and His glory. Here on earth faithful service by a trustworthy person is often recognized by others who will be grateful for what you have done. Reward may be given in the sense of satisfaction for a job well done, or at times by some other means. In heaven in the future that recognition and reward will be of far greater importance when "Well done, good and faithful servant," comes from our Savior and Lord. Both of these are incentives for us to be faithful in any work because "your labor is not in vain in the Lord." If for some reason one feels unrecognized and unrewarded here, do not let that stumble nor trip you up. The best is yet to come.
The words of the prophet were incentive enough for Asa to get to work and do what needed to be done. For some reason he had left work undone in regard to the things that had to be destroyed and the things that had to be repaired. If we are not careful, we can leave things to another time and the result is a whole lot needs to be done at one time. Asa applied the principle of separation from evil first, and then he could get on with the repair work that needed to be done. Right away "he took courage" and did away with the "abominations" that had remained among God's people. Then he made the necessary repairs so that what was right was fully restored to carry out its intended purpose as in restoring the altar. There was apparently work that needed to be done to the altar. Let us never be careless about that which is right, nor lax when it comes to dealing with evil. One has well written, "The cost of truth never exceeds its value." "A good example has a good effect."
When the Lord moves some of His people to go forward in faith in any endeavor for His glory and His name's sake, others who may be more timid, reticent or even afraid will catch some of that spiritual fire themselves and join in the work with enthusiasm. It happened in Asa's day when some people from the north had enough of wrong doctrine and practice. It can happen today when those who are faithful to God commit themselves to Him to do His will. God commits Himself to those people because He does not abandon the faithful. Other people of faith will find out there are those who remain true to our Lord, and will say, "God is with you of a truth."
Those who gathered together when "they saw that the Lord his God was with him," offered abundantly 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." Detachment from that which is evil precedes doing that which is right. There can be no mixture. When there is no toleration of that which is wrong, then renewal and revival can begin. People today find it difficult to commit themselves seriously to that which is of God. Indecision, fear of failure, fear of personal cost and fear of responsibility hold people to mediocre living. To declare allegiance to God like those people did is public and decisive. They were wholehearted in their commitment to God, and because of that, peace came to the nation.
There is power in influence. If evil is allowed, there is a seriously negative impact even on that which is right. A personal attachment to that which is wrong makes it even more necessary to deal with the matter. Asa's grandmother had been a person of influence for years - bad influence. He knew it and he knew if he was going to have the Lord with him, she had to no longer be where she could influence anyone with her idols and sinful religious practices. Commitment to God and peace are definitely linked.
Even though Asa left some of the buildings and high places or some piece of ground untouched where there were sacrifices to idols made in the past, "the heart of Asa was perfect." That obviously did not mean morally perfect but was in relation to his motivation to that which was right in practice. Doing what is right no matter what the cost and in spite of what people might say, is always of great importance. Being right has an even higher cost.