2 Chron 16 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Chron 16:1-14

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

2 Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 ‘Let there be a treaty between me and you,’ he said, ‘as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.’

4 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: ‘Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 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.’

10 Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

11 The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the doctors. 13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honour.

A. Find Out:

1. What happened in Asa’s thirty sixth year? v.1
2. So what did he do? v.2-6
3. Who came and said what about this? v.7-9
4. What was Asa’s response? v.10
5. What subsequently happened to him? v.12
6. With what eventual outcome? v.13

B. Think:

1. What appears to be God’s first disciplining here?
2. What seems to be the second disciplining?
3. Summarise Asa’s folly in the closing years of his life.

C. Comment:

      Asa started well but finished badly. How sad. Let’s note the detail. First the king of Israel barricaded the frontier between Judah and Israel . Now Asa took this badly but instead of seeking the Lord for what he anticipated were possible preparations for war, he entered into a treaty with the king of Aram in the far north and caused the king of Israel to cease his activities in this way.

      Now there are two things to note about this. First, throughout his reign so far, there has been peace with neighbours because of his obedience to the Lord (see 14:6,7, 15:15), except the short war in the ten year of his reign. This was clearly the hand of the Lord and any challenge to that peace Asa should have referred to the Lord. Second, when there had been that war with the Cushite, Asa had sought the Lord and had a great victory. Because he failed to seek the Lord he was rebuked by the Lord, but reacted badly and imprisoned the Lord’s messenger. When he is subsequently afflicted, Asa fails to seek the Lord. We must see this as the disciplining hand of the Lord seeking to bring his child back to Him. Asa refuses and eventually dies, presumably as a result of this ‘severe’ disease. Moreover there is a brief mention that Asa is now brutally oppressing some of his people. In a whole variety of ways, in his latter years Asa fails. How sad.

D. Application:

1. Did you start well, but are not continuing so well?
2. When rebuked, take it and respond well.