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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: |
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| 2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. |
Asa – Whose environments in youth had been unfavorable but who quickly developed a loyalty to God and soundness of judgment beneficial to his kingdom. R4724:2
The LORD Is with you – They had all done well and faithfully and therefore God's blessing was with them. R4724:5
While ye be with him – The continuance of divine blessing would depend upon their faithfulness to God and to the requirements of his Law. R4724:5
If ye forsake him – The hour of victory is more dangerous than the hour of distress; the heart is more apt to be proud and feel its own importance. The divine warning helped Asa and his people take a firmer stand for righteousness. R4724:5
Nor should a great victory elate us and make us careless and self-sufficient. R4725:4
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| 3 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: |
Israel – The ten tribes. R5733:3
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| 4 but when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. |
He was found of them – The Lord helped Israel proportionately as they at any time had turned to him. R5733:3
Reveals God's care over his people when they seek him. R5733:5
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| 5 And in those days there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. |
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| 6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity. |
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| 7 But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded. |
Be ye strong therefore – Asa had manifested a disposition in harmony with God and now had this encouraging message. R5733:3
Work shall be rewarded – God's promise to Israel was his divine blessing of peace and earthly prosperity in proportion to their loyalty to him. R4725:1
Contrariwise, spiritual Israel is assured of tribulation, hatred, opposition and suffering in the world, but with the peace of God and a spiritual reward. R4725:1
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| 8 And when Asa heard these words, even the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah. |
Abominable idols – No idolatry was thenceforth permitted in the kingdom under penalty of death. R4724:6
We should put away all idolatry of money, fame, honor of men, and do the will of the Lord from the heart. R4725:4
Renewed the altar – Today, proportionately as creed idols and their worship would cease, the repair of the true altar of God would progress and many would rejoice to present their bodies living sacrifices. (Rom. 12:1, 2) R5734:1
As the Bible comes to be rightly understood, the unscriptural follies of the creeds will be appreciated. R5734:1
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| 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. |
Out of Israel – Many of the ten-tribe kingdom who were piously inclined and still respected God and his promises were glad to leave their king and ally themselves with the tribe of Judah, where the great God was worshipped and they were known as "Jews." R5733:3, R2380:2, R2084:6
God grants blessings to those who humble themselves and are obedient. R2380:2
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| 10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. |
They gathered themselves – A great convention was held--a holiness convention. R2363:5
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| 11 And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. |
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| 12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; |
Entered into a covenant – A great national awakening along religious lines. R5733:5
Such a company of consecrated covenanters, enlightened as we are today, would be a mighty force, a mighty power. R5734:4
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| 13 and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. |
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| 14 And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with straight trumpets, and with rams horn trumpets. |
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| 15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round about. |
Lord gave them rest – The Lord's blessing continued with the kingdom of Judah. R4724:6
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| 16 And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. |
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| 17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. |
Were not taken away – It is not sufficient that we outwardly acknowledge the Lord to be our God; we must also be zealous in serving his cause. R2363:3
The heart of Asa was perfect – Asa was not serving the Lord because it would be the most profitable course for himself and for the nation but from a heart that was in harmony with God. R2363:3
Perfection of heart in the Lord's consecrated people of the Gospel age means a great deal more--a full consecration in thought, word and deed. R2364:4
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| 18 And he brought into the house of God the holy things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels. |
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| 19 And there was no more war unto the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. |
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