14 May

Bible In 365 Days                                                             

2 Chronicles 13-17

2 Chronicles 13

In the reign of Abijah there was terrible war between Judah and Israel. The king himself was evil, as the Book of the Kings declares. Here, however, he was speaking and acting for his people. His address, in which he at tempted to persuade Israel to submission, is very remarkable. It is a strange mixture of misrepresentation and religion. The misrepresentation is in his statement of the reason for the rebellion of Israel, which culminated in the crowning of Jeroboam. He attributed the rebellion to the influence of evil men whom he described as "sons of Belial."

How often in process of time men misrepresent the reasons from which differences spring. There is no doubt that the contrasts which Abijah drew between the nations were true, and that Judah more nearly represented the true ideal of the nation of God than did Israel. This, however, does not justify his misrepresentation of the real beginning of disaffection in Israel. From the standpoint of righteousness, the condition of Israel was deplorable, and Jeroboam was a veritable incarnation of evil. His method of warfare as here recorded was mean and despicable. To surprise a foe from ambush in the midst of conference is inexpressibly wicked. The God of the nations Himself acts, and the power of Jeroboam was broken utterly by the victory of Judah.

2 Chronicles 14

In Asa there was a break in the continuity of naughtiness which so singularly characterized the succession of kings. His was a long reign, and though not characterized by the pronounced reforms which obtained under future kings, it did give the nation some glimpses of a better order. He commenced by breaking down false worship so far as he was able, and as a result the land had "quiet before him." He took advantage of the peaceful years to build and wall the cities. In a time of peril resulting from the invasion of the Ethiopians, the king's crv to God was answered by a signal deliverance.

How unfailingly the patience of God is made to appear in these records! The repetition of the fact in notes of exposition becomes almost monotonous. Yet, after all, is it not the monotony of the perfect music of those who with veiled faces chant the story of God's holiness and love? The condition of the chosen people as a whole at this time was terrible. Yet immediately man or nation returned to God with repentance and amendment, He responded with pardon and deliverance. There is a limit to His forbearance; but if this history teaches anything it is that the limit is set where by the act of the sinner, be that sinner man or nation, there is no possibility of return. God never ratifies the hardening of any heart until the hardness is absolute through the action of the sinner.

2 Chronicles 15

This chapter chronicles with greater detail the occasion and value of the reform wrought in Judah during Asa's reign. Here appears a man mentioned nowhere else. His name was Azariah. Suddenly anointed by the Spirit of God, he appeared to the king, and in a brief prophetic word gave direction to all his life and reign.

If the message was brief, it was yet weighty. As to enunciation of principles, it occupies only half a verse in our Bibles. "The Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you." The rest is illustrative application of the principle by reference to then existing conditions, ending with a direct appeal. The principle is of perpetual application. It represents God as unchanging. All apparent changes on His part are really changes in the attitude of men toward Him. Man with God, finds God with him. Man forsaking God, finds that he is forsaken of God. These are the extremes of the one truth. Between them, not contradicting them, but complementing them, is the declaration that the seeker finds. A recognition of these principles must inspire the heart with courage. It certainly did in Asa's case. Upon the ground of that announcement he purged his country to a large extent, even deposing his mother in his loyalty to the principle.

2 Chronicles 16

This is a very sad chapter, telling as it does the story of the lapse of a man who, considering the conditions under which he lived, had for six and thirty years been so remarkably true to God. When Baasha, king of Israel, commenced to build Ramah with the express purpose of troubling Judah, Asa, who had so often been led by God, turned to Benhadad for help. It seemed to be a successful policy, for Benhadad spoiled the cities of Israel, and Baasha left his work. Things which appear successful may be in the life of faith most disastrous. As a matter of fact, the Syrians were worse foes of Judah than even Israel; and as Hanani, the seer, told the king, by this act they had escaped out of his hand.

How perpetually men defeat their own ends when either through lack of faith or overconfidence, which are practically the same thing, they attempt to do by policy what God is prepared to do for them in answer to their obedient belief. The story is the sadder in that the king seems to have had no repentance for his wrong. He persecuted the prophet, flinging him into prison. Moreover, in his latter days he became despotic, and even though physical suffering came to him, "he sought not to the Lord," so engrossed was he with the suffering and his attempts to gain relief through the physicians.

2 Chronicles 17

With the accession of Jehoshaphat a period of definite reformation for Judah commenced. In this chapter we have, first, the account of his own relationship to God, and the resulting blessing that came to him. Then follows an interesting account of what in these latter times would be called special missions, arranged by the king, and conducted through the cities of Judah by representatives of the princes, the Levites, and the priests.

Jehoshaphat put into practice himself, and by these special methods provoked his people to put into practice, the principle which Azariah had declared to his father. Coincident with this activity within, a remarkable fear of the Lord fell on the people without, so that they ceased to make war on Jehoshaphat. Thus God was with the man who was with Him, and the result was opportunity to strengthen the kingdom within by building castles and cities, by commerce, and by carrying out many works.