2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES
Wednesday in the Word
Second Baptist Church
November 30, 2022
2nd Chronicles 14-16
Verses 1-7. For the next three chapters the focus will be on King Asa. Asa is the son of Abijah, the grandson of Rehoboam, the great-grandson of Solomon. He is the third king after the nation of Israel spilt into the southern and northern tribes. Asa is the king of Judah in the south. He reigned as king for 41 years. For the first 36 of those years, he is an exemplary king. Which is a reminder to all of us that finishing strong is just as, or maybe even more important than starting strong. The writer wants the people reading this to see the benefits of being obedient to God and making the necessary changes in the community to honor the most high. When Asa began his reign as king, he focused on removing the idol worship in the nation and turning the people back to serving the Lord. Asa’s father’s reign was cut short because Abijah wasn’t faithful to God (1st Kings 15). Asa decided to do the opposite of what he saw his father do. Asa commanded the people to seek the Lord and obey the commandments. Because Asa sought to please God, God gave him rest on every side. This peace allowed Asa to focus on rebuilding the cities that were damaged in the recent wars. God giving the people rest was a sign that the Lord was well pleased with the king and the people. This is the lesson that the Israelites who are returning from exile needed to heed. Peace was the byproduct of seeking God and being obedient to Gods ways. The king even tells the people that they can rebuild the city because God has given them favor and peace on every side.
Verses 8-14. The people enjoyed peace for many years until a general from North Africa, just across the sea from the Hebrews, came with a huge army to attack the people. The Cushite Zerah had an army that could not be counted. King Asa had 580k troops, but even with such a large number, they were outnumbered by the Cushites (current Ethiopia and Sudan). Asa called out to the Lord for help and told the Lord that they are relying on God for their victory. The Lord gave them the victory against this mighty army, and they even were able to plunder the enemies towns and bring back much wealth to their city. The point we are supposed to see is that their victory came about because they were trusting in God. They didn’t run to another nation or seek a pagan god. They called on the Lord and humbled themselves before God and God was with them. What initially appeared as a problem, ended up being a big time blessing to the Hebrews. Oftentimes the enemy comes to attack you, but God uses the enemy to bring you a blessing.
Chapter 15. Verses 1-7. The battle took place in Asa’s 15th year as king. After that great victory, a man of God, a prophet by the name of Azariah came to the king and encouraged him to continue to seek God even more. The prophet reminded the king of the benefits of seeking God and the consequences of forsaking the Lord. The prophet reminded the king what the nation was like when they were not seeking God, and how different things were now that they were seeking God. The prophet told the king that he would be rewarded for seeking God.
Verses 8-15. Upon hearing the words of the prophet, Asa removed idols from the whole land; even the towns that they had captured. He also repaired the altar in the temple of the Lord. Asa was doing all that he could to rid the nation of any evil practice, especially the idol worship that God took great offense to. Because God had given the people in the south favor, people from the North began to migrate to the southern towns. The folks from the North saw that God was with the King and they wanted to find favor with God and seek the Lord as well. The king was leading the people back to God and it was becoming infectious. On the heels of that great victory and his national reforms, the king assembled all the people and gave them an ultimatum to serve God or die. From the king’s perspective if they didn’t serve God, they would die by the hands of their enemies. They entire assembly took the oath with joy and shouting. All of Judah rejoiced and they all sought the Lord eagerly and found the Lord. The impression is that there was a spiritual revival in the nation. In seeking God, God gave them rest from their enemies on every side for more than 20 years. The king was so devoted to the Lord, that he even deposed his own grandmother because she made an idol. He destroyed her idol and burned it. Some of the high places remained in the northern kingdom, but he was totally committed to God in the places where he lived. He also returned the gold and silver that was dedicated to the temple. The writer is quick to remind us that the people had rest for twenty years. Asa is a reminder to be devoted, uncompromising, and faithful.
Chapter 16. Verses 1-6. Fast forward 20 years to the 36th year of his reign and we see Asa forgetting who gave him rest for those 20 years. It is an easy thing to enjoy the comfort of God so long that you forget that your rest and peace had been supplied by the gracious hand of God. In the 36th year reign of King Asa, King Baasha of the Northern Kingdom decides he wants to attack Judah. Baasha took the throne after assassinating King Nadab son of Jeroboam while Nadab was attacking a Philistine town (1st Kings 15:27). Baasha then killed Jeroboam’s entire family. Although Baasha may not have known it, his actions, to secure his throne, were part of God’s will. Years earlier, through Ahijah the prophet, God had pronounced judgment on Jeroboam and his descendants for their evil practices (1st Kings 14:1-16). Baasha continued in Jeroboam’s wickedness. Because of Baasha’s rebellion against God’s Law, God spoke to the prophet Jehu and proclaimed the same judgment on Baasha’s house that Jeroboam’s family had received: complete destruction (1st Kings 16:1-4). Throughout his reign, King Baasha was at war against King Asa (1st Kings 15:16, 32). Baasha had an army, but it was nothing like the North African armies that Judah routed years before. This would be nothing for the hand of God. This was an opportunity for Asa to do what he did 20 years ago when the great armies of North Africa attacked him. This was the time to call on the Lord and tell the Lord you are relying on God for guidance and protection. Asa is scared and seeks a pagan king, Ben-Hadad, for help. King Asa bribes this king with the gold and silver that was dedicated to the house of God. Asa commits two violations: he seeks help from a pagan king, and he loots the temple to pay him. God is not pleased. King Asa was successful in preventing King Baasha from gaining territory, but he lost the favor of God.
Verses 7-14. A man of God by the name of Hanani came to Asa and told him that God was not happy that he trusted in the King of Aram and not the Lord. God spoke through the man of God and reminded the king of how the Lord delivered him in the past from a greater threat. Who was king Baasha in comparison to the North African armies? God told Asa that he would remove the army of Aram from their allegiance and leave Judah to defend itself with no help. Instead of repenting, Asa puts the man of God in prison. Asa reigned five more years, but he didn’t have peace and his feet were stricken with a disease. He refused to seek God and died.
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