2 Chronicles 15 Study Notes

15:1-2 Azariah son of Oded is one of many prophets who make brief appearances in the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles. He came with a message of encouragement for Asa to continue his devotion to the Lord.

15:3-7 Azariah reminded Asa of the cycles when the people had abandoned God, were punished (particularly by means of invasions of foreign armies), returned to God, enjoyed God’s blessings, and once again abandoned him. The prophet’s intent was to praise Asa and to motivate him to continue what he was doing.

15:8 It is not clear when this event occurred. It is possible that this passage is an elaboration of the introduction to Asa in 14:2, but we cannot rule out that Asa had not completely followed through on his earlier attempts at reform and that Azariah’s message led him to become more aggressive in his purge of idolatry.

15:9-11 The people responded favorably to Asa’s reforms, including further defections from the north (see note at 11:13-16). They held a major feast of sacrifice in the temple, which the king had renovated (15:8). The animals that were sacrificed came from the plunder of Asa’s earlier victory (14:13-15).

15:12-15 Everyone took an oath of allegiance to the Lord, and they did so joyfully and voluntarily. This oath included an automatic death penalty for anyone who would not seek the Lord. The Lord rewarded their zeal and genuine repentance with rest (Dt 4:29; 1Sm 7:3); God reserves the right to ignore insincere repentance (Ps 66:18; Pr 1:28-31; 21:27; Jr 11:9-11).

15:16 One of the important acts of Asa was that he removed from power Maacah, his grandmother, because she was a supporter of idol worship.

15:17 This verse illustrates the difference between high places that were pagan sites and those that were used for worship of the Lord (see note at 14:2-3). The high places that Asa did not remove were dedicated to the true God.

15:18 Asa was as faithful as David and Solomon had been (5:1; 1Ch 29:3).

15:19 For a long time Asa did all the right things and avoided doing all the wrong things, and things went well for him and the kingdom.