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In verses 1-7, God’s Spirit came on Azariah, and he went to tell Asa what God said to him. God said He would always be with Asa if he would always be with Him. If he seeks Him, he will find Him but if he forsakes Him, He will forsake him. The context was Israel’s failure to worship the true God for a long time because she turned to idol worship under their kings. There was no priest to teach them, so they did not know God or His law.
But even when they did not worship God, when they were in trouble and turned to seek God, God was found by them. During those times, they had no peace but only troubles in their land. Their nations were broken, and their cities were crushed as God gave them all kinds of problems for turning away from Him. Azariah told Asa that God wanted him to be brave instead of weak as he was the king of the people. God will reward him for the reformation he would make to revert the spiritual decay in Israel.
In verses 8-15, after Asa heard what Azariah said, he took courage and started the spiritual reform. He removed all the idols and their practices from the land. He also repaired the altar in the house of the Lord. He gathered God’s people in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of his reign to make sacrifices from the spoil they had, 700 oxen and 7000 sheep. They made a covenant with the Lord but those who refused to worship the Lord would be put to death. They took an oath and rejoiced over what they did as they swore with all their heart to seek Him and He was found by them. The Lord then gave them peace in the land.
In verses 16-19, Asa also removed his mother as the queen-mother as she made an image of Asherah to worship. Asa destroyed the image and burnt it at the brook of Kidron. However, there were high places still around. But Asa was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. He brought the sacred gifts of his father and his gifts of silver, gold, and vessels into the house of God. There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of his reign.
God promised that if we walk with Him, He will walk with us. He will be found if we seek Him. Jesus said something like this as well in the gospels. God has not changed, and He continues to keep His promises to us today. The only condition is that we are faithfully following Him with all our hearts as Asa did in all his days.
God sees our hearts and not only our deeds. Our deeds are sometimes inadequate or not in keeping with God’s word. It was no different for Asa as there were high places that he did not remove. But God did not fault him but still rewarded him as He promised through Azariah.
If God were to look at everything that we do or not do, we would not be able to live up to His standards and requirements. He looks at the sincerity of our hearts. He searches our hearts to see whether we are faithful like David, the man after His own heart and also the heart He saw in Asa as a man who is faithful and sincere towards Him.
Prayer: O God, give to me a pure and sincere heart that would seek You and You alone, and love You purely with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength as Jesus commanded us to do. May my life be committed wholly to live for you and to serve you!
