Asa s Reform. 2 Chronicles 15:1-19

Transcription

1 1 Asa s Reform 2 Chronicles 15:1-19

2 2 Text: 2 Chronicles 15:1-19, Asa s Reform 1. God s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2. He met Asa and told him, Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to you, but if you reject him, he will reject you. 3. For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. 4. Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. 5. In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. 6. One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. 7. But as for you, be strong and don t get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded. 8. When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord s temple. 9. He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

3 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa s reign. 11. At that time they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. 12. They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. 13. Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. 14. They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. 15. All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side. 16. King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17. The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 18. He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 19. There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa s reign. (NET) Introduction: I. Asa reigned in Jerusalem B.C.

4 4 II. Parallel reference: A. 2 Chronicles 15:1-15 is unique to Chronicles. (Hicks) B. 2 Chronicles 15:16-18 parallels 1 Kings 15:13-15, He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. (NET) Commentary: 2 Chronicles 15:1, God s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. (NET) I. The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Obed. A. God s purpose through Azariah the prophet was to encourage Judah and Benjamin to be constant in their faithfulness to the Lord, because it was their lack of faithfulness which had so frequently resulted in manifold sorrows for the Chosen People. (Coffman) B. Little known prophets appeared at vital times in Chronicles with crucial messages from God. (See Hicks.) 1. Amasai

5 5 a. 1 Chronicles 12:18, But a spirit empowered Amasai, the leader of the thirty warriors, and he said: We are yours, O David! We support you, O son of Jesse! May you greatly prosper! May those who help you prosper! Indeed your God helps you! So David accepted them and made them leaders of raiding bands. (NET) 2. Azariah a. 2 Chronicles 15:1, God s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. (NET) b. Nothing more is known of Azariah other than what is said in this passage in 1 Chronicles 15. (Clarke) 3. Zechariah a. 2 Chronicles 24:20, God s Spirit energized Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, This is what God says: Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you! (NET) C. The spirit of God references: 1. Genesis 1:2, Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of

6 6 the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. (NET) 2. Genesis 41:38, So Pharaoh asked his officials, Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present? (NET) 3. Exodus 31:3, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, (NET) 4. Exodus 35:31, He has filled him with the Spirit of God with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work, (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:2, He met Asa and told him, Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to you, but if you reject him, he will reject you. (NET) I. He went out to meet Asa and said to him,... A. Azariah s purpose was to encourage Asa to continue his religious reforms. II. Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! A. Azariah demanded and received Asa s undivided attention. B. To God s word we are to give our undivided attention.

7 7 III. The Lord is with you when you are with him. A. 2 Chronicles 15:2, articulates the central theme of Chronicles, Hicks wrote Chronicles 28:9, And you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit, for the Lord examines all minds and understands every motive of one s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently. (NET) 2. 2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. (NET) 3. Deuteronomy 4:29, But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. (NET) 4. Jeremiah 29:11-14, For I know what I have planned for you, says the Lord. I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make

8 8 myself available to you, says the Lord. Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you, says the Lord. I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you. (NET) 5. Isaiah 55:6, Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! (NET) B. Those who seek God will find him; only those who forsake God will God forsake. (See Clarke.) IV. If you seek him, he will be found by you,... A. To be found of God, we must seek him. B. Finding God is not difficult! V. but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. A. Those who forsake God will themselves be forsaken of God. B. It is just that simple. 2 Chronicles 15:3, For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. (NET) I. For a long time Israel was without the true God,...

9 9 A. Verses 3-6 may refer to the time of the judges, to the Northern Kingdom or, as a general statement, applicable to past, present and future situations as a universal truth. (See Coffman and Hicks.) 1. There were many times in Israel s history when these conditions prevailed... because they would not follow God s way. (Coffman) 2. In the time(s) referenced in vs. 3-6, Israel lacked three (3) key ingredients of true piety; that is,... a. true God,... b. priests to teach, and... c. law (Torah). 3. The Targum applies this statement to the Northern Kingdom beginning with Jeroboam. (Clarke) a. Jeroboam certainly led his people away from God. 4. Clarke wrote that the primary application of this statement is to the times of Rehoboam and Abijah. 5. The Pulpit commentary states that the description would suit no state of things and no period better than that of the divided kingdoms, especially applying to the career of the separate kingdom of Israel.

10 10 a. Of course, The Pulpit Commentary refers to other times in Israel s history that could be similarly described. II. without a priest to teach and without the law. A. Leviticus 10:11, and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. (NET) B. Deuteronomy 33:10, They will teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they will offer incense as a pleasant odor, and a whole offering on your altar. (NET) C. Jeremiah 18:18, Then some people said, Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah! There will still be priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare God s word. Come on! Let s bring charges against him and get rid of him! Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says. (NET) D. The Northern Kingdom had no qualified priests to teach the law because Jeroboam appointed as priests people who had no proper credentials. 2 Chronicles 15:4, Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. (NET) I. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

11 11 A. God sometimes uses distress to lead wayward people to return to righteousness. 1. God blesses those who forsake their evil ways and return to him. a. Isaiah 45:7, I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. (NET) b. Hosea 5:15, Then I will return again to my lair until they have suffered their punishment. Then they will seek me; in their distress they will earnestly seek me. (NET) c. Acts 17:27, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:5, In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. (NET) I. In those days it was not safe to travel about,... A. Without God, his worship and laws, anarchy followed. II. for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil.

12 12 A. Remove God and civil unrest, disturbance and disorder result. 1. Judges 21:25, In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:6, One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. (NET) I. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,... A. Judges 20:35-45, The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city. The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city, the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said, There s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle. But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. When the

13 13 Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated them all the way to a spot east of Geba. Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. The rest turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites caught five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more. (NET) B. Judges 9:44-47, Abimelech and his units attacked and blocked the entrance to the city s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled the city and spread salt over it. When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard the news, they went to the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. Abimelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. (NET) II. because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. A. God brings distress on sinners for their wickedness. 2 Chronicles 15:7, But as for you, be strong and don t get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded. (NET)

14 14 I. But as for you, be strong and do not give up,... A. Revelation 2:10b, Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (NIV) B. 2 Timothy 2:1, So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (NET) C. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand. 7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! 8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing. (NET) II. for your work will be rewarded. A. Jeremiah 31:6, Yes, a time is coming when watchmen will call out on the mountains of Ephraim, Come! Let us go to Zion to worship the Lord our God! (NET) B. Ecclesiastes 4:9, Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. (NET) C. Proverbs 11:18, The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward. (NET)

15 15 D. Genesis 15:1, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:8, When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord s temple. (NET) I. When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of (Oded) the prophet,... A. The most important thing for Asa and for us is what we do with God s word when we hear it. II. He took courage. A. Asa strengthened himself to do as Azariah had said; that is, to do as God had commanded. III. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and... IV. from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. A. Asa sought to institute worship of God in the divinely prescribed manner everywhere he had authority and influence.

16 16 V. He repaired (renewed) the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico (porch) of the Lord s temple. A. Asa repaired (renewed) the temple complex which may have fallen into a state of disrepair and/or which may have been damaged during Shishak s invasion or simply came to need repairs due to passage of time (sixty years since it was built). 1. Asa rededicated the altar, perhaps also enlarged or refurbished it for better and more honored sacrificial use. 2. The altar of burnt offerings was located in front of the porch at the eastern end of the temple. 2 Chronicles 15:9, He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. (NET) I. Then he (Asa) assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them,... A. Hicks wrote, The period of reform extended from immediately after the battle with Zerah in Asa s eleventh year to the climactic celebratory festival in his fifteenth year ( B.C.). B. The north had been estranged from God, but a number of them moved south and remained loyal to God.

17 17 C. The tribe of Simeon occupied territory within the territory of Judah. 1. Judah s territory actually surrounded Simeon s territory. II. for large numbers (in abundance) had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. A. All Israel who would follow the God of their fathers were invited to this grand assembly. B. God welcomes all who seek him Chronicles 34:6, In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:10, They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa s reign. (NET) I. They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa s reign. A. Coffman wrote, This was May or June (Sivan), 895 B.C. on the sixth day of which the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was observed. 1. Exodus 23:16, You are also to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you

18 18 have gathered in your harvest out of the field. (NET) 2. Exodus 34:22, You must observe the Feast of Weeks the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year. (NET) 3. Leviticus 23:15-21, You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks. You must count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of bread for a wave offering; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour, baked with yeast, as first fruits to the Lord. Along with the loaves of bread, you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs, one young bull, and two rams. They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. You must also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two yearling lambs for a peace offering sacrifice, and the priest is to wave them the two lambs along with the bread of the first fruits, as a wave offering before the Lord; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest. On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy assembly for you. You must not do any regular work. This is a

19 19 perpetual statute in all the places where you lie throughout your generations. (NET) 4. Pentecost celebrated the harvest. a. Exodus 34:22, You must observe the Feast of Weeks the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year. (NET) b. Deuteronomy 16:10, Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering that you will bring, in proportion to how he has blessed you. (NET) 5. In the context of 2 Chronicles 5:10, this assembly also celebrates reform, victory and rededication, Hicks wrote. 2 Chronicles 15:11, At that time they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. (NET) I. At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven-hundred (700) head of cattle and seven-thousand (7,000) sheep and goats from the plunder they brought back. A. The sacrificial costs were likely paid from the plunder taken from Zerah s retreating army Chronicles 24:14, 15, When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to

20 20 the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord s temple. Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:12, They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. (NET) I. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. A. Covenants between God and his people include: (Coffman) 1. Original covenant at Sinai. a. Exodus 24:3-8, Moses came and told the people all the Lord s words and all the decisions. All the people answered together, We are willing to do all the words that the Lord has said, and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve standing stones according to the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings to the Lord. Moses took

21 21 half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar. He took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, We are willing to do and obey all that the Lord has spoken. So Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people and said, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words. (NET) 2. Renewed at Shechem. a. Joshua 8:30-35, Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the Lord s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses. All the people, rulers, leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. Then

22 22 Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them. (NET) 3. Asa s covenant ratification at Jerusalem a. 2 Chronicles 15:12, They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. (NET) 4. Covenant in the days of Nehemiah. a. Nehemiah 10:30, We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons. (NET) B. The people pledged themselves to seek the Lord with all their hearts. 1. Deuteronomy 4:29, But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. (NET) 2. Psalm 84:2, I desperately want to be in the courts of the Lord s temple. My heart and my entire being shout for joy to the living God. (NET)

23 Deuteronomy 6:5, You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (NET) 4. Deuteronomy 10:12, Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, to obey all his commandments, to love him, to serve him with all your mind and being, (NET) 5. Deuteronomy 11:13, Now, if you pay close attention to my commandments that I am giving you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, (NET) 6. Deuteronomy 13:3, You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being. (NET) 7. Matthew 22:37, Jesus said to him, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (NET) C. Clarke observed that this covenant had two (2) parts; viz., We will seek the Lord with all our heart and soul. 2. Whosoever will not worship the true God, and serve him only, will be put to death.

24 24 a. Idolatry would not be tolerated! 2 Chronicles 15:13, Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. (NET) I. All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death,... A. Deuteronomy 17:2-8, Suppose a man or woman is discovered among you in one of your villages that the Lord your God is giving you who sins before the Lord your God and breaks his covenant by serving other gods and worshiping them the sun, moon, or any other heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship. When it is reported to you and you hear about it, you must investigate carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done in Israel, you must bring to your city gates that man or woman who has done this wicked thing that very man or woman and you must stone that person to death. At the testimony of two or three witnesses they must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The witnesses must be first to begin the execution, and then all the people are to join in afterward. In this way you will purge evil from among you. If a matter is too difficult for you to judge bloodshed, legal claim, or assault matters of controversy in your villages you must leave there and go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. (NET)

25 25 B. Deuteronomy 13:6-10, Suppose your own full brother, your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have previously known, the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other). You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to strike him, and then the hands of the whole community. You must stone him to death because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. (NET) C. Exodus 22:20, Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord alone must be utterly destroyed. (NET) II. whether small or great, man or woman. A. This was equal justice under law. 1. The same rules and penalty applied to everyone! 2 Chronicles 15:14, They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. (NET) I. They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns (cornets).

26 26 A. 2 Chronicles 23:13, Then she saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, Treason! Treason! (NET) B. Nehemiah 12:27, 42-43, At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the places they lived to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of thanksgiving and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. The choirs sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah. And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:15, All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side. (NET) I. All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. II. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them.

27 27 III. so the Lord gave them rest on every side. 2 Chronicles 15:16, King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. (NET) I. King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother,... A. 1 Kings 15:12-15, He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. (NET) B. 2 Chronicles 13:2, He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. (NET) C. Loyalty to God supersedes family loyalty. (See Hicks.)

28 28 D. The role of queen mother was quite significant....in the Near East she was a senior counselor to the king. (Hicks) 1. The removal of the queen mother was a political move that signaled idolatious interests no longer had a voice in the royal court, Hicks wrote. E. Clarke wrote, The Jews imagine that Maachah repented, and her name was changed to Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah and that was done that there would be no mention of her former name Chronicles 11:20, He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. (NET) II. because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. A. In view of what is said in verse 13, why was Maacah not put to death? B. This Asherah pole, pillar, image was called repulsive, abominable, unspeakable, horrible. (See Coffman.) 1. Coffman wrote, The Douay Version translates this passage like it is: Maacah the mother of Asa made in a grove an idol of Priapus. This was an image of the human phallus, which in all probability was the usual form these pillars took. In Greek and Roman mythology, this was the god of male procreative power.

29 Hicks, however, wrote, The Asherah was probably a female counterpart to Yahweh. Baal had a wife (Asherah) as well. It was usually represented by a wooden image or pole. III. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it n the Kidron Valley. A. The kidron was a torrent rather than a brook. 1. It flowed between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, and finally emptied into the Dead Sea, The Pulpit Commentary reads. 2. The Kidron Valley was the site of the destruction of Maachah s obscene phallic abomination. B. The Kidron Valley has a less than glorious Old Testament history Kings 11:16, They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses entrance. There she was executed. (NET) 2. 2 Kings 13:4, 6, 12, Jehoahaz asked for the Lord s mercy and the Lord responded favorably, for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria. But they did not repudiate the sinful ways of the family of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. There was even an Asherah pole standing in Samaria. The rest of the events of Joash s reign, including

30 30 all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. (NET) 3. 2 Kings 23:6, He removed the Asherah pole from the Lord s temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. He smashed it to dust and then threw the dust in the public graveyard. (NET) 4. Jeremiah 26:23, and they brought Uriah back from there. They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. (NET) 5. Jeremiah 31:40, The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown and all the terraced fields out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far north as the Horse Gate will be included within this city that is sacred to the Lord. The city will never again be torn down or destroyed. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:17, The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. (NET) I. Although he did not remove the high places from Israel,...

31 31 A. Asa gave his best efforts to eradicating idolatry throughout Judah, Benjamin and the conquered cities of Ephraim, but this was a most difficult job. 1. Asa would destroy the idols in one place and, when he turned his attention elsewhere, the people in the previous location would replace the destroyed idols. 2. The high places left standing were in Israel, the Northern Kingdom. a. 2 Chronicles 15:17, The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. (NET) 3. All the high places were removed from Judah. a. 2 Chronicles 14:4, He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands. (NET) 4. Asa had totally suppressed or destroyed the idolatry; but some of the places, buildings or altars were permitted to remain, Clarke wrote. B. The high places were hills on which sacrifices were illegitimately offered instead of at the chosen place at Jerusalem. (The Pulpit Commentary) II. Asa s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

32 32 A. 1 Kings 15:17, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. (NET) 2 Chronicles 15:18, He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. (NET) I. He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. A. 1 Chronicles 18:11, King David dedicated these things to the Lord, along with the silver and gold which he had carried off from all the nations, including Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek. (NET) B. 1 Chronicles 22:3, David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails of the doors of the gates and for braces, more bronze than could be weighed, (NET) C. 1 Chronicles 29:1-2, assembly: My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man, and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. So I have made every effort to provide what is needed for the temple of my God, including the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, as well as a large amount of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster. (NET)

33 33 D. 2 Chronicles 5:1, The sons of Reuben, Israel s firstborn (Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father s bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel s son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records. (NET) E. He (Asa) and his father (Abijah) had bounty from their victories, a part of which may have been dedicated to divine service Chronicles 13:15-19, and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, the Lord struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army, and God handed them over to the men of Judah. Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead. That day the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors. Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. (NET) 2. These valuables may have been used to refurbish the temple. 2 Chronicles 15:19, There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa s reign. (NET)

34 34 I. There was no more war until the thirty-fifth (35 th ) year of Asa s reign. A. While hatreds (enmities) between North and South were continual, actual conflict was postponed until the thirty-fifth (35 th ) year of Asa s reign. 1. Baasha, a very wicked king, reigned over the Northern Kingdom of Israel B.C., a period of twenty-four (24) years. 2. Baasha died in Asa s twenty-sixth (26 th ) year on the throne. B. Clarke wrote, To settle in every respect these chronologies is a most difficult undertaking. Conclusion: 1. Some date the beginning of these thirty-five (35) years at the time the kingdom was divided north and south. 2. This, if the correct view, would resolve the chronological problem. I. From 2 Chronicles 15, Matthew Henry observed, we learn: A. Azariah the prophet, upon Asa s victorious return from his war with the Cushites, did not go to meet Asa to congratulate him upon his victory, but to urge him to continue his faithful service to God.

35 35 B. Asa took God s word, as spoken by Azariah, to heart and he dedicated himself and his people to Jehovah God. C. They entered into a sacred covenant to serve God faithfully and to rid the land of idolatry. D. God blessed faithful Asa and his people. II. May we follow God faithfully as did Asa!

36 36 Questions on Asa s Reform 2 Chronicles 15: Asa reigned from B.C. to B.C. over the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 2. Who was Azariah? Give all the information possible about this person. 3. Who was Oded? Was he the same as Obed? Give all the information possible about this person. 4. What was God s purpose in sending Azariah to Asa?

37 What does the Bible mean when it says, The Spirit of God came upon Azariah? 6. What is the central theme of Chronicles? 7. When was Israel without God, without his law and without teaching priests for a long time? 8. In their they to the, the of, and him, and he was by. 9. What happens to a society that is without God? See verses 5, 6.

38 Asa was advised,... be and do, for your will be. 11. What was Asa s response to Azariah s instructions? 12. Why did the altar need repairing, renewing? 13. When did Asa assemble in Jerusalem? What was the purpose of this assembly? 14. When was this assembly convened?

39 The people entered into a covenant with God. What were the provisions of this covenant? 16. What other covenants did Israel make with God? 17. How was this covenant ratified? 18. What was Israel s attitude toward this covenant?

40 What was God s response to the people s covenant pledge? _ 20. Who was Maacah? Give all the information you can about this person s identity. 21. What did Maacah do that caused her to lose her position? Give full details. 22. Why was Maacah fired ; that is, why was she not executed? After all, men and women, great and small who departed from God were to be executed.

41 Did Asa do right in regard to Maacah? Explain your answer. 24. List several things that happened in the Kidron Valley. Where was the Kidron Valley located? 25. Why did Asa not remove all the high places from Israel? Define high places. 26. s was to the, his. Can this be said of you? If not, why not? 27. What did Asa bring into the temple of God? Why were these needed, if indeed they were needed? Where did these silver and gold articles come from?

42 What is the difficulty with verse 19, There was no more war until the thirty-fifth (35 th ) year of Asa s reign? 29. How can this difficulty be resolved? 29. Who was Baasha? What kind of person was he? 30. What lessons does 2 Chronicles 15 teach us?