February 11: 2 Chronicles 15:1-7

Revival Is Especially Needed When Spiritual Life Is at a Low Point

The Spirit of God moved Azariah the prophet to go out to Asa after the great victory God had given and share both a word of encouragement and a word of challenge.

“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. 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.” (2 Chronicles 15:1-2, NKJV)

The grace of the LORD is shown in His desire to “be found by you” for He wants to be found. The challenge is to “seek Him” or to “forsake Him.” He will forsake the one who forsakes Him but will reveal Himself to the diligent seeker.

Azariah then reminds Asa of the history of the people of Israel. The time to which Azariah refers is most likely the period of the judges. In that period of Israel’s history, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Now, if that sounds familiar, I suggest that this is becoming the catch phrase to describe this moment in our culture’s history.

The political, moral, and spiritual chaos that results from adopting this philosophy has been well documented in the book of Judges. Here is the cyclical downward spiral: 1) forsaking the LORD, 2) experiencing the dire consequences of sin, 3) crying out for deliverance, and 4) God, in His mercy, sending a deliver, who would restore peace until they forsook God again. Reading Judges reminds me of how harmful moral and spiritual failure is to a society.

The Failures of That Generation

“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law;” (2 Chronicles 15:3, NKJV)

The first failure was the loss of the knowledge of God. They forsook Him and therefore, He forsook them. He was thus absent from their lives and their society. They had no moral or spiritual compass, so they made their own way without considering what was right or true. For some time now, our society has sought to remove God from the public life of its people. The tactics of our secular societal architects have been subtle and long range but are beginning to bear the fruit of confusion and chaos that we are witnessing today.

Another failure of the period was a lack of spiritual leadership. When the author of Judges describes the Levitical priests, he shows that they are spiritually bankrupt. The people are hungering for a word from the LORD and for spiritual worship, but that need goes largely unmet. In our day, we are facing a similar situation. The average age of pastors is around 60 years old. More pastors are staying in the ministry longer simply because there is no one to take their place. One of our pastors begged me to find someone to replace him. He has since had to step away from the pastorate for health reasons. When fewer young people are attending church and fewer still are pursuing ministry and current pastors are aging out, a crisis of spiritual leadership is brewing in our churches and culture.

The final failure the author mentions is that of lawlessness. “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18, NKJV)

We are living in an increasingly lawless society. Laws are ignored, even by the politicians who make and swear to uphold them. Laws are not enforced, and mobs roam the streets of major cities, unchecked by police, wreaking havoc. Laws are made so lenient that violent criminals are released without bail after committing those crimes. Sadly, when the law is enforced, it done so unjustly, harshly enforcing it for some and ignoring it for others. Again, when “every man does that which is right in his own eyes,” society will not flourish and may not survive.

The remedy for these failures is the same today as it was in their day.

“but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.” (2 Chronicles 15:4, NKJV)

The prophet goes on to remind Asa that those times were marked by “no peace” and “many disturbances” afflicting the people. This applied to the individual, the community, the cities, and even the nations crushing each other. He even reveals the source of these consequences: “for God troubled them with every kind of distress.” Even in our rebellion, God is still working to gain oir attention.

Azariah ended his message with a word of encouragement.

“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”” (2 Chronicles 15:7, NKJV)

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9, NKJV)

Find here Dr. Tony Evans preaching on this passage: