2 Ch. 16: Asa Burns Out

2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."

Asa was tired of Baasha, the king of Israel fortifying Ramah, so he made a deal with Ben-Hadad, the Aramite king to have Baasha's army conquer some Israelite towns. This scared Baasha off. I guess I don't really get what Asa was so freaked out about, but Baasha was essentially blockading Judah. 

Even though Asa had relied on God when the Cushites came rowdy, he didn't apparently bring the Baasha situation to God. Asa didn't fight Baasha either, interestingly enough. Maybe as a result of not consulting God. Maybe he assumed God wouldn't help him, because he wouldn't ask, so he ended up going to Ben-Hadad. Asa would go so far as to involve a foreign ruler to circumvent requesting God's help. What would this say to Ben-Hadad about Asa's faith in God, which, as we read previously, had something resembling a firm foundation considering the reforms he had made.

Verse 9 is pretty interesting as a rudimentary view into the heart of God. His eyes range throughout the earth, looking to strengthen those who are fully committed to him. It's not just that God's always there. God is always there, and wanting to help. The purpose of God's omnipresence is to be our strength, should we commit ourselves to Him. Its a baffling attribute, omnipresence, but a simple help.

Anyway, when Hanani the prophet came to call Asa out on despising God's advice, it kind of turned Asa for the worse. He threw Hanani in the clink and became a jerk to his people. But not too bad of a jerk apparently, because when he died, they still had a huge fire in his honor. That's right, the Bible says "huge." Which is cool.

2 Ch. 15: Asa's Reform

2 Chronicles 15:4 "But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them."

Having read this before in 1 Kings 15, there is a new bit about Azariah the priest that pokes me a couple different ways. The first is that the Spirit of God comes upon Azariah. Its curious who and why God chooses to give the benefit of a prophet. There are times when a prophet holds office, and apparently times where a prophet does not. And probably a prophet is there, but is ignored. But I wonder just how often Israel's good behavior is linked to a prophet whose messages are heeded. 

The other thing is that even in Israel's ignoring or lacking prophets, in their sin, somehow they managed to seek God out, and that is curious to me. How, in the midst of the idolatry and debauchery does a nation suddenly awaken to their own evil? In their "distress," they managed to find him. My opinion here is that they didn't really "find" God. I imagine it was more God revealing himself to them. Allowing himself to be found. He doesn't seem like the type to just completely abandon Israel, his chosen covenant people. He always seems like he's right there, outside the circle of the bonfire of our vanities. When the flame dies down, you can see him.

Asa's cool because he tossed his grandma out for making an Asherah pole.

2 Ch. 14: Asa d. Cush

2 Chronicles 14:12 "The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah."

Asa is the reverse of Rehoboam. Not only because he destroyed the relics of polytheism and idolatry in Israel, but because he built up the towns in peace time...seemingly for their own good, not for military might.

Asa was given ten years of peace, a reward perhaps for his adherence to God's covenant. But he did go to war. Maybe it was after the ten years of peace, or during it. Zerah the Cushite amassed what was called a vast army and marched on Israel. Asa called on the LORD for protection, and it was the LORD who wiped out the Cushite army. Did he do any actual fighting? I don't know. How did the LORD wipe out the Cushites? Fire from heaven? Did He strike them dead where they stood? Whatever happened must have been devastating, as it caused a severely outnumbering army to flee in terror.

Asa and his men pursued them as they fled. The Bible says many Cushites fell at the hands of the LORD and "his forces." Were those forces "the army of the LORD?" Angels? Or did Asa and his army have the qualifications to be the LORD's forces?

1 Ki. 15: The Line of Genius Continues

1 Kings 15:4 "Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong."

Abijah is no better than his dad Rehoboam, but still God keeps a lamp for him because of the promise made to David. And that makes me wonder. The sin, and the horrible things these people did...God still honored his promise in spite of their failings. And even David wasn't the sweetest smelling rose himself. Makes me wonder if there's a lamp for me, so to speak.

Abijah's son Asa, however, did what was right in the eyes of God. He upset the system, throwing out the man-whores in the temple, and burning down the Asherah poles. He even deposed his own grandmother. This guy caused a ruckus for God, and ended up unifying some tribes and making treaties.

Nadab was evil as well. He was eventually killed by Baasha, who was the son of another guy named Ahijah. Baasha killed Jeroboam's entire family, thus fulfilling the word of God from Ahijah the prophet in the last chapter.

Apparently there's some annals of the kings of Israel, for further reading. I'll get right on that.