2 Chronicles 15:3,4 – “For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.”
Several generations have come and gone since the reigns of David and Solomon. The kingdom is now divided and David’s descendants rule the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin (referred to as Judah), while the northern kingdom (referred to as Israel) is controlled by idolatrous godless kings. The above verses in today’s Old Testament One Year Bible reading are a portion of the prophetic words of Azariah to king Asa of Judah. Azariah defines Israel’s problem by identifying three missing cultural components: 1) They are without the true God. Their kings led them into all kinds of idolatrous practices. They had forsaken the worship of the true God. The kings did not want the people dwelling in the land of Israel to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship so they set up false gods as a substitute, hoping to keep attrition down. 2) They are without a teaching priest. No one was instructing Israel concerning the Law of Moses and the requirements o God. There were violations throughout the land as a result. 3) They were without law. Lawless people create a chaotic climate and descend into unbelievable depths of debauchery.
The three missing ingredients created a recipe for the perfect storm. Yet, when they turned to the Lord and sought Him, God responded. This amazing grace reached them because of several reasons. First, God is compassionate. He is moved by our circumstance. Second, God sees the big picture. It’s not about us as much as it’s about future generations. Third, God remembers His word. Somewhere along the way someone in our history made a deal with God and He’s simply keeping His word.
God is simply awesome. When you get into trouble, don’t forget where to turn.