- 103-
reformation so happily begun, and the religious revival which had appeared, only
issued in a thorough return to the LORD, the evil which had been in the far and near
past and which threatened in the future, might yet be averted. The morrow of the great
God-given victory seemed the most suitable time for urging this upon Judah.
Accordingly, Azariah, the son of Oded,^257 was Divinely commissioned to meet the
returning victorious army of Asa, and to urge such considerations upon the people.
"The Spirit of Elohim" was upon him, and what he spake bore reference not only to the
past and the present, but also to the future. Hence his message is rightly described as
both "words" and "a prophecy" (2 Chronicles 15:8). Carefully examined, it contains
alike an address and a prophecy. For it were a mistake to suppose, that the picture
which Azariah drew of Israel's sin and its consequence in vers. 3, 5, 6 was only that of
the far past in the time of the Judges, of the religious decline under Jeroboam and
Abijah, or even of their future apostasy and its punishment. All these were included in
what the prophet set before the people.^258 And not only so, but his words extended
beyond Judah, and applied to all Israel, as if the whole people were viewed as still
united, and ideally one in their relation to the Lord.^259 Accordingly, it deserves special
notice, that neither in ver. 3 nor in ver. 5 any verb is used, as if to indicate the general
application of the "prophecy." But its present bearing, alike as regarded Judah's sin and
repentance, and God's judgment and mercy, was an earnest call to carry on and
complete the good work which had already been begun (ver. 7).
And king and people hearkened to the voice of God through His prophet. Again and
more energetically than before, the religious reformation was taken in hand. The idol
"abominations" were removed, not only from Judah and Benjamin, but from the
conquered cities of the north, and the great altar of burnt-offering in the Temple was
repaired. The earnestness of this movement attracted the pious laity from the
neighboring tribes, and even led those of Simeon (in the far south) who, apparently,
had hitherto sympathized with the northern kingdom, as they shared their idolatry
(comp. Amos 4:4; 5:5; 8:14), to join the ranks of Judah. At a great sacrificial feast,
which the king held in Jerusalem, the solemn covenant into which Israel had originally
entered with Jehovah (Exodus 24:3-8) was renewed, in repentant acknowledgment that
it had been broken, and in believing choice of Jehovah as henceforth their God - just as
it was afterwards renewed on two analogous occasions: in the time of Josiah (2 Kings
23:3; 2 Chronicles 34:31), and in that of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:28-39). The
movement was the outcome of heart-conviction and earnest purpose, and consisted, on
the one hand, in an undertaking that any introduction of idolatry should be punished by
death^260 (according to Deuteronomy 13:9), and, on the other, in an act of solemn
national consecration to Jehovah.
To Asa, at least, all this was a reality, although, as regarded his subjects, the religious
revival does not seem to have been equally deep or permanent (2 Chronicles 15:17).
(^)