Divrey Hayamim Bais 15

1 5 And the Ruach Elohim came upon Azaryahu ben Oded;

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and kol Yehudah and Binyamin. Hashem is with you, while ye be with Him; if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 Now for yamim rabbim Yisroel hath been without the Elohei Emes, and without a Kohen Moreh, and without Torah.

4 But when they in their tzoros did turn unto Hashem Elohei Yisroel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

5 And in those times there was no shalom to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but mehumot rabbot (great turmoil) was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city, for Elohim did trouble them with every tzuris.

7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for there is sachar (reward) for your pe’ulah (work).

8 And when Asa heard these words, and the nevu’ah of Oded HaNavi, he took courage, and put away the shikkutzim (abominable idols) from kol Eretz Yehudah and Binyamin, and from the cities which he had captured from Mt Ephrayim, and renewed the Mizbe’ach Hashem, that was in front of the Ulam Hashem.

9 And he gathered all Yehudah and Binyamin, and the gerim with them from Ephrayim and Menasheh, and from Shim’on, for they fell to him from Yisroel in abundance, when they saw that Hashem Elohav was with him.

10 So they gathered themselves together at Yerushalayim in the chodesh hashelishi, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 And they offered unto Hashem on that day, of the plunder which they had brought back, 700 bakar and 7000 tzon.

12 And they entered into the Brit to seek Hashem Elohei Avoteihem with all their lev and with all their nefesh;

13 That whosoever would not seek Hashem Elohei Yisroel should be put to death, whether katan or gadol, whether ish or isha.

14 And they swore unto Hashem with a kol gadol, and with teruah, and with trumpets, and with shoferot.

15 And all Yehudah rejoiced at the shevu’ah, for they had sworn with all their lev, and sought Him with their whole ratzon; and He was found by them; and Hashem gave them rest all around.

16 And also concerning Ma’achah em Asa HaMelech, he deposed her from being gevirah, because she had made to Asherah a mifletzet, and Asa cut down her mifletzet, and ground it up, and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.

17 But the high places were not removed from Yisroel; nevertheless the levav Asa was shalem all his days.

18 And he brought into the Beis HaElohim the things that Aviv had dedicated as kodesh, and that he himself had dedicated as kodesh, kesef, and zahav, and kelim.

19 And there was no more milchamah unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

Divrey Hayamim Bais 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

The people make a solemn covenant with God.

- The work of complete reformation appeared so difficult, that Asa had not courage to attempt it, till assured of Divine assistance and acceptance. He and his people offered sacrifices to God; thanksgiving for the favours they had received, and supplication for further favours. Prayers and praises are now our spiritual sacrifices. The people, of their own will, covenanted to seek the Lord, each for himself, with earnestness. What is religion but seeking God, inquiring after him, applying to him upon all occasions? We make nothing of our religion, if we do not make heart-work of it; God will have all the heart, or none. Our devotedness to God our Saviour, should be avowed and shown in the most solemn and public manner. What is done in hypocrisy is a mere drudgery.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 15

Asa returning from the battle, and with the spoil of the enemy, was met by a prophet of the Lord, who encouraged him to go on with the work of reformation, promising the presence and help of God with him, 2Ch 15:1-7, which inspired him with fresh courage, and he went about the work with great alacrity; and having offered sacrifices, he and his people entered into a solemn covenant with the Lord, to serve him, 2Ch 15:8-15 upon which he destroyed his mother's idol, brought the dedicated things into the house of God, and the effect of this was peace for a long time, 2Ch 15:16-19.