Please take a moment and read 2 Chronicles 15:1-15 right now.
It is the Spirit of God speaking through Azariah, son of Oded, which triggers Asa’s devotion to the God of Israel:
“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.”[1]
Doesn’t this description of Godlessness remind you of where America is heading today?
Once Asa has physically cleansed Judah of all idolatry, he gathers all his people together. But notice carefully the second half of 15:9.
“…for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.”[2]
That’s right, Asa’s actions attract true lovers of God to desert other apostate tribes and emigrate to Judah in perfect unity with God.
Asa organizes a giant worship celebration so powerful in its perfect oneness that the entire gathering enters into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul (15:12). This is not a covenant offered from God to Israel as to Abraham long ago. This is a covenant to seek the God they have lost along the way!
But now a word of caution: the passion for perfect unity is so great that it goes far overboard:
“…but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.”[3]
Whoa! While there is no record of anyone being killed for not seeking the God of Israel, this is a parallel that goes too far for us today. No true disciple of Jesus the Messiah of Israel would condone anything like this.
But it is fascinating to dream how this passion for perfect unity with God could be put to work today by all who claim the unconditional love of Jesus as Savior and Lord around the world through a covenant declared on what we have in common in Jesus!
Here is what matters to us today as we are surrounded by world-wide chaos:
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. [4]
No more war. No more terrorism. Attracting spiritual emigrants to the Kingdom of God through perfect unity, perfect peace, straight from God!
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (2 Ch 15:2–7). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (2 Ch 15:9). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (2 Ch 15:13). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (2 Ch 15:15). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.