* mains of the Army in them. 15 They ſmote alſo the tents of Cattel m, and car- ried away ſheep and cammels in abundance, and re-
turned to Jeruſalem.
m 1. e. The dwellers in Tents, which were either a part of Ze- ral's Company or joyned with them, or had come along with them to furniſh that great Hoſt with neceſſary Proviſions ; which their Cuſtom of dwelling in tents made them more capable of
doing.
CHAP. XY.
Aſa with Judah and many of Iſrael moved by Azariah the Prophet, renew a ſolemn Covenant with God, 1 15. He removeth Maachah hs Mother for her- dolarry : bringeth the hallowed things again into the Temple ; and enjoyeth a long peacey 16 19. /
-1-A ND the {pirit of God came upon Azariah the fon of Oded.
{HP 2 And he went out | to meet Aſa, and faid unto
| him, Hear ye me, Afa, and all Judah and Benjamin, | ** The LORD zs with you @ while ye be with him,and + Heb-be- ;f ;e feck him, he will be found of you : but if ye for- fake him, he will forſake you 5.
* s To defend you againſt all your Enemies, as now you have
* Jam:4:$ ſeen, and you may hereafter expe&, if you perſiſt in thar good
o Courſe into which you are entred- 6b Bur ler not this Viftory
mike you preſumpruous or ſelfe-confident; for you are upon your good Behaviour; and if you leave God, he will leave and deitroy you afrer he hath done you good.
- 2 Now for a long ſeaſon * Ifrael h2rh been without
* Cli12:1 the true God, and without a teaching prieſt, and with-
out Law c:
c Heb. For many days have been to Iirael without the true God, &c. 7. e. They have long lived without the ſouad knowledge and Worſhip of the True God. The Prophet confirms his foregoing Exhortation and the Threatning annexed ro it, Thar if they for- took God he wou'd forſake them, for the uſual manner of Gods ' dealing with Iſrael formerly, and therefore in the ſame caſe they may expett the ſame uſage. Iſrael here mentioned and propound- ed as an Example is here underſtood, either, 1. Specially of the 'Ten Tribes diſtinguiſhed by that Name from the Kingdom of 7u- dah ; whoſe Condition had been ſince Jereboams Revolt, and now was ſuch in ſome meaſure, as is here deſcribed, they having been - and ſtill being, withour God and his True Worſhip, and there- fore expoſed to many Vexations,and Wars,and Miſeries. Bur theſe | Had nor as yet turned unto God or ſought him, nor was God yet ' Found of them, as is ſaid of this Iſrac], v. 4. Nor had they as yer been exerciſed with thoſe grievous and continual Vexations, and Wars, and mutual Deſtruttions of which he here ſpeaks, wv. 5, 6. And which in ſucceeding times they felt. For except that one Blow which they had from Ab:jah, ch. 13- we read of none other great Miſchiefs which befel them. Or rather 2. Generally of the whole Nation of 1/raet in former times, and eſpecially in the times of the Judges ; to which all that follows ſuirs very well © For then many times they were,though not wholly and univerſally, yet in a very great meaſure and for the generality of them, without God, and bis Law, and Teaching Prieſts, as plainly appears from divers Paſſages in the Book of the Judges ; and then indeed they were brought to all the Exigencies and Calamities here following ; then they had grievous Wars both Foreign and Domeſtick; and then they did ſometimes turn to the Lord and ſought him, and he was found of them,and did raiſe up Judges and Saviours to them ; of
which ſee Fudg: 2. at large, and Juag. 3. 9,15. and 10.10, &c. But when they 'd in their trouble did turn unto
the LORD God of Lirael, and ſought him, he was
found of them.
d i.e, Iſrael, mentioned wv: 31
5 And in thoſe times e there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came inf, but great vexati- ons were upon all the inhabitants of the countries g.
e When [Iſrael lived in the groſs Negle& and Contempt of God and his Law and Worſhip. f Men could not go abroad about their private Occaſions without great Danger ; as it was in the days of Shamgar, Jud, 5.6. which is a good comment upon this Text. £g Heb. of theſe Contries,i. e. The divers parts of the Land . of Iſracl, both within and without Jordan. 4Heb.b-a* 6 And nation was + deſtroyed of nation þ, and city ren inpieces of city : for God did vex them with all adverſity.
h i. e. One part of the People of Iſrael deſtroyed the other by Civil Wars : of which ſee inſtances, Jug; 9: 23, &c. and 12. 1 &c. As all the People of Iſrael are called a Nation, ſo the ſeveral Tribes and Families of them are ſomerimes called Nations, as Cen. 17: 4, Exck. 2: 3. A 4: 27. compared with Pſal. 2: 1.
7 Be ye ſtrong therefore 7, and let not your hands be weak & : for your work ſhall be rewarded /.
5 Go on therefore Couragiouſly and Reſolutely to maintain Gods Worſhip and to root our Idolatry,as you have begun to do; For this is the only right method of preſerving your telves from ſuch Calamiries as your Predeceflors have felt. k Be not diſcoura- ged with the Oppolition which you may poſlibly neert with.! What
N I CLE ©
| you do for God and for his Honour and Service? ſhall not go un. requited.
8 And when Affa heard theſe words, and the pro. phecy of Oded the prophet mz he took courage n, ang put away the + abomineble idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the citics which | e had taken o from mount Ephraim, and renewed the 9% altar of the LORD p, that was before the porch cf the LORD.