HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 765
2 CHR ONICL ES 16
page 395
presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the
enemy fled. 13 Asa and his army pursued them
as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that
they were unable to rally. They were destroyed
by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.
14 While they were at Gerar, they attacked
all the towns in that area, and terror from the
Lord came upon the people there. As a result,
a vast amount of plunder was taken from these
towns, too. 15 They also attacked the camps of
herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and
camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.
Asa’s Religious Reforms
Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went out to
meet King Asa as he was returning from the
battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The
Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with
him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him.
But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
3 For a long time Israel was without the true God,
without a priest to teach them, and without the
Law to instruct them. 4 But whenever they were
in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of
Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
5 “During those dark times, it was not safe to
travel. Problems troubled the people of every
land. 6 Nation fought against nation, and city
against city, for God was troubling them with
every kind of problem. 7 But as for you, be
strong and courageous, for your work will be
rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard this message from Azariah
the prophet,* he took courage and removed all
the detestable idols from the land of Judah and
Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in
the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the
altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the
entry room of the Lord’s Temple.
9 Then Asa called together all the people of
Judah and Benjamin, along with the people
of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had
settled among them. For many from Israel had
moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they
saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 The
people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring,*
during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11 On that day they sacrificed to the Lord
700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the
plunder they had taken in the battle. 12 Then
they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord,
the God of their ancestors, with all their heart
and soul. 13 They agreed that anyone who
15
15:8 As in Syriac version and Latin Vulgate (see also 15:1);
Hebrew reads from Oded the prophet. 15:10 Hebrew in
the third month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar
calendar usually occurs within the months of May and June.
15:16 Hebrew his mother. 16:3 As in Greek version; Hebrew
reads There is a treaty.
refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel,
would be put to death—whether young or old,
man or woman. 14 They shouted out their oath
of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring
and rams’ horns sounding. 15 All in Judah were
happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly
sought after God, and they found him. And the
Lord gave them rest from their enemies on
every side.
16 King Asa even deposed his grandmother*
Maacah from her position as queen mother
because she had made an obscene Asherah
pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it
up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although the pagan shrines were not removed
from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely
faithful throughout his life. 18 He brought into
the Temple of God the silver and gold and
the various items that he and his father had
dedicated.
19 So there was no more war until the thirtyfifth year of Asa’s reign.
Final Years of Asa’s Reign
In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign,
King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and
fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from
entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.
2 Asa responded by removing the silver and
gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the
Lord and the royal palace. He sent it to King
Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:
16
3 “Let
there be a treaty* between you and
me like the one between your father and
my father. See, I am sending you silver
and gold. Break your treaty with King
Baasha of Israel so that he will leave
me alone.”
• Help
2 C HR ON I C LES 15:4
Azariah’s challenge to King Asa was to
connect with God. He reminded the king
that this had happened before with the
people of Israel. He pointed out that in
the past, whenever the people had turned
to God, God had helped them. When they
rebelled against God, troubles plagued
the nation. Help from the creator of the
universe is ours for the asking, as long
as we ask with full devotion to him and
not merely in the interest of a momentary,
hoped-for favor. Just remember that
God’s help may be better than we expect,
but not always what we want.