How did Asa respond to Azarias’s warning and encouragement?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He took courage, removed idols from Juda, Benjamin and his captured cities on mount Ephraim, dedicated the Lord’s altar and gathered the people. In Jerusalem they sacrificed and confirmed the covenant to seek the Lord with their whole heart and soul.

Chapter breakdown

The heading introduces Azarias’s prophecy, Asa’s covenant with God and his removal of his mother from authority.

The spirit of God came upon Azarias son of Oded. Meeting Asa, he addressed Asa and all Juda and Benjamin: the Lord was with them because they had been with him; if they sought him they would find him, but if they forsook him he would forsake them. He said many days would pass in Israel without the true God, a priest who teaches or the law. In distress they would return to the Lord God of Israel, seek him and find him. At that time there would be no peace for those going out or coming in, but terrors on every side among all earth’s inhabitants. Nation would fight nation and city fight city, for the Lord would trouble them with every distress. He urged courage and hands that would not weaken, because their work would receive a reward.

Hearing Azarias son of Oded the prophet’s words, Asa took courage. He removed idols from all Juda, Benjamin and the cities he had taken on mount Ephraim. He dedicated the Lord’s altar before the Lord’s porch. He gathered all Juda and Benjamin and the strangers with them from Ephraim, Manasses and Simeon; many had come to him from Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.

They came to Jerusalem in the third month of Asa’s fifteenth year. That day they sacrificed 700 oxen and 7,000 rams from the spoils and prey they had brought.

Asa went in to confirm the covenant as usual: they should seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul. He said anyone not seeking the Lord God of Israel should die, whether little or great, man or woman. They swore to the Lord loudly, with joyful shouting, trumpet and cornets. All in Juda swore with a curse, with all their heart; they sought him with all their will and found him. The Lord gave them rest round about.

Asa removed Maacha, called his mother in this verse, from royal authority because she had made an idol of Priapus in a grove. He entirely destroyed it, breaking it into pieces and burning it at the torrent Cedron. High places nevertheless remained in Israel, while Asa’s heart was perfect all his days.

He brought what his father and he himself had vowed into the Lord’s house: gold, silver and vessels for different uses. There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s kingdom.

The story inside

Azarias’s speech combines a warning about forsaking the Lord with a promise of finding him when seeking him, a future description of distress and encouragement to work courageously. Asa’s hearing is expressly followed by his taking courage and acting against idols. The gathering includes named groups from Israel who have come because they see the Lord is with him. The account dates the Jerusalem assembly and gives separate sacrifice figures, then records the covenant, death command and joyful oath with a curse. Their seeking and finding the Lord lead into the notice of surrounding rest. Asa’s action against Maacha’s idol is followed by a qualification: high places remain in Israel despite the judgment on his heart. Vowed gifts and the no-war endpoint conclude the chapter.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The admitted prophecy uses future wording: many days shall pass, and the people shall return in distress and find the Lord. It should not be silently rewritten as a recollection of specific earlier eras. Its final command connects courage with a reward for work, and the account explicitly says Asa takes courage after hearing it.
2
The assembly has exact bounds: Jerusalem, the third month, Asa’s fifteenth year,700 oxen and 7,000 rams from the spoils and prey brought. The covenant calls for seeking with all heart and soul. The command of death includes little and great, man and woman, and the oath includes a curse as well as joyful sounds. These details are historical statements here; no added treason law, executed sentence or classification of the spoil’s origin is needed.
3
Removing Maacha’s authority has a stated cause: her grove idol of Priapus. Its destruction is described as breaking and burning at Cedron. The account keeps both remaining high places in Israel and Asa’s perfect heart, rather than claiming every place had been cleared. The ending says no war until year 35; it does not mean an additional uninterrupted 35 years starting with this assembly.

Test your recall

Azarias’s words reach Asa → he takes courage, removes idols and dedicates the altar. Israelites see the Lord is with Asa → many come over and are included in the gathering. They seek with all their will → they find the Lord and he gives surrounding rest. Maacha makes the named grove idol → Asa removes her royal authority and breaks and burns it. Father and son vow gifts → Asa brings the gold, silver and vessels to the Lord’s house.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 45609–45612
2 Paralipomenon Chapter 15 The prophecy of Azarias. Asa’s covenant with God. He deposeth his mother.
Lines 45614–45635
15:1. And the spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Oded, 15:2. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: Hear ye me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, because you have been with him. If you seek him, you shall find: but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 15:3. And many days shall pass in Israel, without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, and without the law. 15:4. And when in their distress they shall return to the Lord the God of Israel, and shall seek him, they shall find him. 15:5. At that time there shall be no peace to him that goeth out and cometh in, but terrors on every side among all the inhabitants of the earth. 15:6. For nation shall fight against nation, and city against city, for the Lord will trouble them with all distress. 15:7. Do you therefore take courage, and let not your hands be weakened: for there shall be a reward for your work.
Lines 45637–45645
15:8. And when Asa had heard the words, and the prophecy of Azarias the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and took away the idols out of all the land of Juda, and out of Benjamin, and out of the cities of mount Ephraim, which he had taken, and he dedicated the altar of the Lord, which was before the porch of the Lord. 15:9. And he gathered together all Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers with them of Ephraim, and Manasses, and Simeon: for many were come over to him out of Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.
Lines 45647–45652
15:10. And when they were come to Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa, 15:11. They sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils, and of the prey, that they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand rams.
Lines 45654–45666
15:12. And he went in to confirm as usual the covenant, that they should seek the Lord the God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul. 15:13. And if any one, said he, seek not the Lord the God of Israel, let him die, whether little or great, man or woman. 15:14. And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet, and sound of cornets, 15:15. All that were in Juda with a curse: for with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought him, and they found him, and the Lord gave them rest round about.
Lines 45668–45674
15:16. Moreover Maacha the mother of king Asa he deposed from the royal authority, because she had made in a grove an idol of Priapus: and he entirely destroyed it, and breaking it into pieces, burnt it at the torrent Cedron. 15:17. But high places were left in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
Lines 45676–45681
15:18. And the things which his father had vowed, and he himself had vowed, he brought into the house of the Lord, gold and silver, and vessels of divers uses. 15:19. And there was no war unto the five and thirtieth year of the kingdom of Asa.