But You, Take Courage! (2 Chronicles 15:7)

 


Saturday, June 29, 2024


Psalm 145

2 Chronicles 15

James 5


Observance: Peter and Paul, apostles and martyrs


But You, Take Courage! (2 Chronicles 15:7)


Let’s take a quick moment to remember what the overall intention of the books of Chronicles are. They were written at a time when the Jews were really battered and hard done by; when the exiles were returning from Babylon and rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the temple. When they needed a bit of encouragement from their history to remind them of the big picture.


It can feel like the words of the prophets are always about doom and gloom. The three big ones, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, certainly have a lot of hard words to read. But here in Chronicles we have the words of God through the prophet Azariah, and they are very encouraging. He tells us that the Lord is with us when we are with him. If we seek him, he will be found by us.


St James tells us to take courage from the example of the prophets, the example of suffering and patience. (James 5:10) The prophetic words of Azariah put an encouraging spin on the prophetic example. Prophecy is not all about doom and gloom. Prophecy is about the doom and gloom that we bring on ourselves, that if we abandon God, he will abandon us. And prophecy is also about encouragement, the encouragement that if we seek God, he will be found by us.


Asa sought out God on behalf of himself and of the people. Seeking God involves removing distractions, and so he did a pretty good job of getting rid of most of the demon worship in the land. I’m sure there was opposition to this (as silly as it sounds, some people really like worshipping demons), but he took courage from what God had said to him through Azariah.


God spoke these words of encouragement through Azariah to Asa. God also spoke them to the people of Judah and Benjamin. God also spoke them to the author of Chronicles, and through this author, to the people of the exile, and also to us reading them today. If you are looking for a message from God today, listen to this one:


“But you, take courage! Do no let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

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