2 Chronicles Chapter 15

Revival and Reform in Judah

A. Azariah brings a warning from God.

1. (2 Chronicles 15:1-2) Asa is exhorted to seek God.

“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 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.’”

After Judah’s overwhelming victory over the Ethiopians, Asa and the people were enjoying a season of rest and spiritual momentum. It is at this moment, when triumph could easily lead to complacency, that God sends a prophetic warning. The Spirit of God falls upon Azariah, son of Oded, marking him as a true messenger of the LORD. His prophetic address is straightforward, uncompromising, and covenantal. The message is not simply encouragement but conditional exhortation. The victory Judah experienced is not an automatic guarantee of future blessing. God requires ongoing faithfulness.

a. “Azariah the son of Oded.”

This prophet is otherwise obscure, yet he appears at a pivotal moment in Judah’s history. The chronicler emphasizes that the Spirit of God came upon him, establishing divine authority behind his words. Azariah’s courage is notable. He approaches Asa while the king is flush with military success, a moment when flattery would have been easy and confrontation dangerous. Yet Azariah boldly speaks truth to the king, reaffirming that Judah’s security depends not on Asa’s leadership or military reforms but on the nation’s relationship with God.

b. “The LORD is with you while you are with Him.”

This statement strikes at the heart of covenant theology. Asa’s victory over Ethiopia might have led him to believe that God’s favor was permanently secured. But God reminds him that His presence is relational and conditional in the sense of fellowship and blessing. God does not change. What changes is man’s posture toward Him. The promise is clear. If Judah abides in God, then God will abide with Judah in guidance, protection, and prosperity. This is not a works-based salvation but a principle of covenant blessing. The chronicler emphasizes this because his post-exilic audience needed the same reminder. Returning from Babylon, they too had a fresh start, but that start would only flourish if they remained faithful to the LORD.

c. “If you seek Him, He will be found by you.”

Azariah now outlines a foundational spiritual principle repeated throughout Scripture. God reveals Himself to those who genuinely seek Him. Seeking God is not a superficial gesture but an earnest turning of the heart, an act of humility and desire for His will.

The Scriptures repeatedly reinforce this truth:

• “You will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

• “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

• “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

These passages establish a consistent biblical theme. God does not hide from the repentant or earnest heart. The problem is not God’s accessibility but man’s willingness to seek Him. Asa’s reforms and victories thus far were evidence that he was seeking the LORD. Azariah now calls him to continue in that posture.

i. The converse principle: “If you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

This statement reflects the moral logic of Scripture. God ultimately gives a person what he desires. If one seeks God, God grants fellowship, guidance, and blessing. If one rejects God, God allows that person to walk the path he chooses, which naturally leads to spiritual ruin. God’s forsaking here is not the loss of His omnipresence but the withdrawal of His protective and guiding favor.

Morgan captures the principle well. What appears to be divine change is actually human change. When people draw near to God, they experience Him as present. When they turn from Him, they experience the absence of His help. God’s character remains constant; human response determines the nature of the relationship.

2. (2 Chronicles 15:3-7) The exhortation in light of the past disobedience of Israel.

“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

Azariah expands his prophetic warning by reminding Asa of Israel’s historical pattern of unfaithfulness. His words echo the darkest periods in Israel’s past, when the nation abandoned God, neglected His law, and ignored the ministry of those appointed to teach His Word. This historical reflection is not intended to condemn but to exhort Judah toward faithfulness. The prophet uses Israel’s past disobedience as a cautionary example, demonstrating both the consequences of forsaking God and the mercy available when His people return to Him.

a. “Without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.”

Azariah describes the spiritual bankruptcy of earlier generations. Israel had drifted so far from God that three defining elements of covenant life had nearly vanished.

First, they were without the true God, meaning not that God had ceased to exist but that they no longer acknowledged Him as Lord. Their lives were shaped by idolatry, syncretism, and spiritual ignorance.

Second, they were without a teaching priest. The priesthood was never meant to be confined to temple rituals. According to God’s design, the priests and Levites were dispersed among the tribes to teach His Word continually. Their ministry was instructional as much as it was sacrificial.

i. The priestly role in teaching.

The priesthood’s teaching function is evident throughout Scripture:

• Leviticus 10:11 commands priests to teach Israel all the statutes of the LORD.

• Deuteronomy 33:10 assigns the Levites the task of teaching Jacob God’s judgments.

• Malachi 2:7 reminds Israel that the priest’s lips should keep knowledge and that the people should seek the law at his mouth.

• 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 later records the reforms of Jehoshaphat, who restored priestly teaching to strengthen the nation’s spiritual integrity.

Selman observes that when the priesthood ceased functioning as teachers, truth declined and covenant life collapsed. Without instruction, the people drifted into moral confusion and spiritual decay.

ii. Historical reference to the days of the Judges.

Payne notes that this description most likely points to the period of the Judges, summarized by Judges 21:25, which says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It was an era characterized by lawlessness, idolatry, and repeated cycles of rebellion and restoration.

b. “But when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.”

Here lies the centerpiece of Azariah’s message. Even in Israel’s darkest moments, when they had abandoned God, neglected His law, and silenced His priests, God remained willing to forgive. Every time they sought Him sincerely, He made Himself known. The chronicler includes this to encourage the returning exiles in his own generation. Their ancestors had been cast into Babylon because of their disobedience, yet God restored them when they sought Him. This verse becomes a theological anchor for repentance and restoration. No matter how far Israel had fallen, God did not abandon those who returned to Him.

c. “Be strong… for your work shall be rewarded.”

Azariah concludes with a powerful call to perseverance. He acknowledges that God Himself brought trouble upon the disobedient—nation against nation, city against city, turmoil throughout the land. But despite this sobering reminder, the final word is encouragement, not judgment.

Asa must not grow weary. He must continue the work of reform, cleansing the land of idolatry, restoring true worship, and strengthening the nation spiritually and militarily. God assures him that his work will be rewarded. This promise reflects God’s unchanging character. Obedience brings blessing. Faithfulness brings reward. Repentance brings restoration.

i. Selman observes the sermonic nature of this prophecy.

Selman notes that this prophecy acts as an exposition of earlier Old Testament narratives, drawing theological lessons from Israel’s past. Though sermonic in tone, it is thoroughly prophetic in force, especially in its urgent final command: “Be strong.” God is calling Asa not only to understand history but to act upon it with renewed vigor.

B. The reforms of King Asa.

1. (2 Chronicles 15:8-9) King Asa cleanses the land and gathers the nation together for worship.

“And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD. Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.”

Azariah’s prophetic message did exactly what God purposed it to do. Rather than discouraging Asa with warnings about Israel’s past failures, it emboldened him. Asa hears the prophecy of Oded and responds with decisive action. Reform deepens. Worship is restored. National unity around the LORD increases. The king’s renewed obedience becomes a catalyst for widespread revival throughout Judah and even among the northern tribes.

a. “He took courage, and removed the abominable idols.”

This statement captures Asa’s heart. The word of God stirred him not to passive reflection but to courageous obedience. He did not assume that past victories guaranteed future blessing. Instead, he understood that God’s mercy calls His people into deeper commitment.

i. Some view God’s forgiveness as license to sin. Asa demonstrates the opposite.

Rather than using grace as an excuse for compromise, Asa uses grace as fuel for greater holiness. Understanding the forgiving nature of God should never produce irresponsibility. When rightly understood, it produces greater passion, heightened vigilance, and renewed determination to honor the LORD.

ii. Asa’s reforms required enormous courage.

Removing abominable idols meant confronting entrenched cultural, political, and spiritual opposition:

• Entrenched interests had powerful reasons to maintain idolatry, including financial gain and social influence.

• Spiritual forces opposed Asa’s efforts, for idolatry was never merely cultural; it was demonic at its core.

• Historical precedent weighed against him. His predecessors, including his own father, tolerated or promoted idolatry.

• Human nature resists decisive holiness. Asa, like every believer, had fleshly inclinations toward compromise.

• National lethargy supported idolatry by apathy. Reform often requires waking a sleeping people.

Removing idols is always harder than tolerating them. Asa’s courage marks him as a true reformer. As many well-meaning leaders discover, convictions without courage change nothing.

iii. Selman notes the sweeping scope of Asa’s reforms.

Asa’s reforms reached:

• The queen mother (15:16),

• All Judah (14:5),

• And even the northern tribal territories (15:8-9).

The revival was not partial or localized. It touched every level of society.

b. “And he restored the altar of the LORD.”

True reform is never merely destructive. Asa did not only tear down idols; he built up the worship of God. Removing evil is incomplete unless replaced with righteousness. Asa repaired and restored the altar before the vestibule of the LORD, reestablishing proper sacrificial worship and drawing the nation back to covenant fidelity.

Reform must always be both negative (removal of sin) and positive (restoration of God’s truth). A house swept clean must be filled with the presence and worship of the LORD, or it will eventually fall back into bondage.

c. “They came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.”

Asa’s obedience drew people. His holiness became magnetic. Many from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon — tribes belonging to the northern kingdom — crossed the border to join Judah because they recognized that God was with Asa. These were the godly remnant, those discouraged by idolatry in the north and longing for a leader who sought the LORD.

i. The chronicler includes this narrative to encourage the post-exilic community.

The chronicler’s audience was small, discouraged, and surrounded by larger powers. Yet Asa’s story testified that obedience attracts fellowship and that God gathers His people to faithful leaders. Even a faithful minority can experience renewal when they walk in courage.

ii. Selman highlights Chronicles’ recurring theme of reunification.

Every movement toward national reunification in Chronicles occurs around worship, never around political or military pressure. Asa’s reforms created an environment where estranged Israelites voluntarily returned because they recognized God’s hand. Spiritual unity, not force or strategy, is the chronicler’s vision for Israel’s ultimate restoration.

2. (2 Chronicles 15:10-15) A public covenant made at Jerusalem.

“So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they offered to the LORD at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought. Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.”

After hearing Azariah’s prophetic exhortation, Asa gathered Judah, Benjamin, and the faithful remnant from the northern tribes for a massive national assembly at Jerusalem. This gathering was not merely political; it was spiritual in purpose and covenantal in tone. The third month, the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, becomes a defining moment of revival and renewal. They came not simply to celebrate victory but to publicly realign themselves under the covenant relationship established between God and Israel. Worship, sacrifice, covenant, accountability, joy, and divine blessing all converge in this singular event.

a. “They offered to the LORD at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought.”

This sacrificial offering was enormous, reflecting the magnitude of both their gratitude and their desire for renewed fellowship with God. The bulls and sheep came directly from the spoil taken from the Ethiopians (2 Chronicles 14:12-15), demonstrating that Judah understood the victory was the LORD’s doing.

i. Generosity flows from recognizing God as provider.

When people understand that everything comes from God, giving back becomes natural. Refusal to give, Scripture teaches, is often rooted in pride, self-reliance, and a failure to acknowledge that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Asa and the people honored God as the One who granted the victory and provided the spoil, so they offered back a portion of what He had supplied.

ii. Selman notes the recurring pattern of national assemblies in Chronicles.

Such gatherings appear repeatedly throughout Israel’s history:

• David: 1 Chronicles 13:2-5; 15:3; 28:8; 29

• Solomon: 2 Chronicles 1:3; 5:6

• Jehoshaphat: 2 Chronicles 20

• Hezekiah: 2 Chronicles 29–30

The chronicler presents these assemblies as moments when God’s people unite in worship, covenant, repentance, and renewed commitment.

b. “They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.”

This covenant echoes the foundational covenant Israel made with God at Sinai (Exodus 24:7-8). The people bind themselves to seek the LORD wholeheartedly. This is not casual devotion but full surrender.

i. Connection with past covenants.

By invoking “the LORD God of their fathers,” the people admitted their desire to return to the covenant relationship enjoyed by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. They desired the same intimacy, blessing, protection, and guidance God had granted their ancestors. Renewal always involves returning to what God established at the beginning.

ii. The covenant included consequences.

The people agreed that anyone who refused to seek the LORD — whether man or woman, small or great — was to be put to death. This reflects the seriousness with which Scripture treats covenant unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 17:2). A public oath enforced by a binding penalty ensured accountability within the community. This covenant was not symbolic or empty. It demanded total commitment and promised consequences for rebellion.

iii. Meyer ties this covenant to the New Covenant.

Meyer warns against thinking too highly of our own ability to keep covenant. Instead, he directs attention to Christ, who kept the covenant perfectly on our behalf. While Asa’s covenant called for human obedience, the New Covenant rests on Christ’s obedience, ensuring the believer’s standing before God through His finished work.

iv. Poole notes the biblical foundation for capital punishment in covenant violation.

Israel’s law required that persistent idolatry be punished severely, as idolatry threatened to corrupt the entire covenant community. Asa’s covenant simply applied biblical law to their present revival.

c. “All Judah rejoiced at the oath.”

The covenant did not burden the people. Instead, they rejoiced. Wholehearted commitment to God produces joy, not oppression. The people rejoiced because:

• They knew their oath was sincere.

• They longed for God’s presence.

• They saw national unity forming around worship.

• They felt the relief of repentance and restoration.

Joy is one of the clearest evidences of genuine revival.

d. “And He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.”

Azariah had promised in 2 Chronicles 15:2, “If you seek Him, He will be found by you.” Now that promise is fulfilled. The people sought God corporately, sacrificially, covenantally, sincerely, joyfully, and publicly — and He revealed Himself to them.

Their seeking involved multiple components:

• Assembly at Jerusalem

• Sacrifice according to God’s standards

• Covenant commitment rooted in historical faith

• Wholehearted devotion with no divided loyalty

• Accountability, accepting consequences for unfaithfulness

• Public confession, declaring allegiance openly

• Joyful worship, free from hypocrisy

The result was not only divine presence but divine rest. Rest here means security, stability, victory, and God’s protective favor. The chronicler wants his readers to understand that true seeking leads to true rest, and God’s presence is never a burden to the faithful—it is their greatest blessing.

3. (2 Chronicles 15:16-19) The extension of the reform into the king’s own household.

“Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days. He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.”

Asa’s reform movement reaches its most difficult and revealing test — his own family. True spiritual reform must not only confront the sins of the nation but also the sins closest to the reformer’s own life. Asa’s courage is demonstrated not solely in public policies but in personal purity, where loyalty to God must outweigh sentimental loyalty to relatives. This section shows that Asa’s reforms were not superficial or political. They were rooted in genuine covenant devotion.

a. “He removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah.”

The queen mother held tremendous influence in the royal court, often functioning as a political, ceremonial, and moral authority. Removing Maachah was therefore a major act of reform, signaling that Asa would tolerate no idolatry — not even from the highest woman in the land.

Knapp rightly observes, “It is in a man’s own family circle that his faithfulness is put fairly to the test.” Asa’s willingness to depose his grandmother shows uncompromising devotion to the LORD.

i. Maachah was Asa’s grandmother.

1 Kings 15:12-15 clarifies that Maachah was not Asa’s biological mother but his grandmother. Her lineage is significant. Patterson and Austel note that she was the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah and Tamar, making her the granddaughter of Absalom, David’s rebellious son. Her influence thus represented a dangerous mixture of political authority and spiritual corruption, continuing the pattern of rebellion deep in the royal family.

ii. The meaning of “obscene image.”

The Hebrew term translated “obscene” is more closely associated with what is frightening, horrible, or abominable, often linked to sexual perversity in pagan fertility worship. Asherah images frequently took the form of carved poles or phallic symbols, representing the goddess of fertility. Dilday notes that the symbol likely reflected the explicit sexual rites associated with Asherah’s cult.

iii. Clarke’s vivid historical insight.

Clarke concludes that the image was likely a Priapus-like idol, used in sexually impure ceremonies conducted in the grove. Maachah not only established this image but likely led worship rituals associated with it. Asa’s destruction of the idol — cutting it down, crushing it, and burning it in the Brook Kidron — mirrors later reforms by kings such as Hezekiah and Josiah. These idols were not removed quietly or ceremonially, but violently and publicly to demonstrate their total rejection.

iv. Jewish tradition regarding Maachah’s repentance.

Clarke notes that Jewish tradition holds that Maachah repented and that her name was changed to Michaiah so that her past idolatry would no longer bring reproach. While this cannot be confirmed, it illustrates how deeply Asa’s reform impacted even the royal household.

b. “But the high places were not removed from Israel.”

At first glance, this appears contradictory to earlier statements in 2 Chronicles 14:3, which says that Asa removed high places. The distinction lies in the geographical and spiritual context.

i. Selman explains the distinction.

The chronicler clarifies by adding “from Israel,” referring not to the southern kingdom of Judah but to the northern tribal territories over which Asa had occasional influence. Asa removed idolatrous high places in Judah but was not able to remove the high places in Israel, where idolatry continued under the northern monarchy.

ii. Payne highlights the broader reach of Asa’s reforms.

Payne notes that Asa’s previous removals applied to “the whole land”, which included areas of Ephraim captured during years of conflict. However, complete removal of high places throughout Israel was impossible while the northern kingdom existed in apostasy.

c. “Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.”

This statement draws a sharp contrast with King Solomon, whose heart turned away in his later years. Asa’s loyalty is not presented as perfection but as sincerity and consistency. His devotion is demonstrated through his courageous reforms, moral purity in the royal court, restoration of temple treasures, and commitment to national worship.

Asa’s loyalty is further expressed by bringing into the temple the silver, gold, and utensils dedicated by his father and by himself. These sacred items symbolized devotion to the LORD and the ongoing support of temple worship.

i. “There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.”

Poole clarifies that while skirmishes and tension with Baasha existed (1 Kings 15:16), an all-out war did not erupt until Asa’s thirty-fifth year. God honored Asa’s loyalty with prolonged peace, fulfilling the covenant promise declared earlier: “The LORD gave them rest all around” (2 Chronicles 15:15).