 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the Lordwith a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. 16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. Meditation God’s covenant faithfulness feeds Christian courage. God’s word and work gives strength for God’s people to stand for truth in a world drowning in lies. When Jesus walked on water during the storm, He offered courage to the anxious disciples (Mark 6:50). Today God’s grace offers you courage by trusting the power of Christ’s word and work to sustain boldness through the storms of life. King Asa had sought the Lord (14:7; 15:2) but he needed courage to continue his reforms. The Spirit of God used the word of God through the prophet Azariah to king Asa, “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands grow weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (1-7). Courage flows through God’s Spirit by way of God’s word. Courage is capture by hearts with confidence in God’s promises. Asa took courage and his leadership led to practical reforms (8). Asa removed idolatrous strongholds, restored right worship, revived the people’s faithfulness, and renewed the covenant (8-15). Courageous faith is contagious! And it revives the people of God “in their heart and soul” (12, 15). The gospel gives courage to Christians who abide in Christ, God’s word made flesh. Peter was broken after he denied Christ three times. During breakfast with Jesus on the beach , Peter was restored by grace and moved from cowardice to courage. Peter preached the first sermon of the Church before standing against intense opposition for his faith (Acts 2-5). Peter found courage from being with Jesus (Acts 4:13) and grace offers you the same opportunity today. Richly Dwelling -Are you marked by cowardice or courage in your faith? Why? -What stands out to you about how God’s word and spirit gave courage to Asa for reform? Do you see how courage is contagious? -Peter was courageous because he had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Take a moment to identify where you need courage and find refuge in Christ. How do you see His word doing the work of helping your heart take courage? Key Verse 8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. Comments are closed.
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