LESSON 1, VERSE 1:
After the
death of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel split into two
entities.
Once twelve united Tribes, she
now consisted of ten Tribes living in the north, still called
Israel, and two Tribes living in the south, called Judah.
Thereafter, once this
"division" had occurred, Bible historians usually dated one
King, say Asa of Judah, by referencing him to the reign of his
counterpart, the then current King of Israel.
Let me show you what I mean.
"In
the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of
Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent
that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah."
2nd Chronicles 16:1
Asa, son of
Abijah, reigned over Judah for forty-one years! 1st Kings 15:11
adds: "And Asa did that which was
right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father."
Asa, the name,
according to many Bible experts, means "healer!"
On the other
hand, Baasha, that name, means "wickedness." At least some text
books say so. And here's his "report card," straight from the
Lord: "And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin
wherewith he made Israel to sin." 1st Kings 15:34 tells
us this. Surprisingly, Baasha was allowed to reign twenty-four
years!
Oh, one more
thing! Today's "historical" note needs to mention also:
"And there was war between Asa and Baasha
king of Israel all their days" So adds 1st King 15:32.
Civil war!
Brother
fighting Brother!
And it is this
on-going conflict that is referenced in our verse today,
"In
the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of
Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent
that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah."
2nd Chronicles 16:1
This verse
records an event that happened five years before King Asa died,
year thirty-six of forty-one.
To "come up
against" a Nation, in Bible language, is to fight them! To be at
war against them!
The verb
"built" is "banah" and here likely indicates constructing the
city in this sense, fortifying it for battle! Transforming it
into a military outpost! The first time Ramah is mentioned in
Scripture is back in Joshua 18:25, where the land allotments
were being dispensed to the Twelve tribes respectively. Benjamin
inherited Ramah. Ramah means "hill" in Hebrew.
Ramah was near
Jerusalem, about five miles away, and was situated on the main
road into and out of the Capital City.
In effect
Baasha just blockaded Asa and his people!
It appears that
both something political and spiritual was happening, and Baasha
did not like it at all!
People from
Baasha's Kingdom were returning to Judah by the droves! Here's
why, people from Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon, the Northern
Kingdom, were moving back "home" in abundance, when they saw God
was with King Asa, blessing what he did! See 2nd Chronicles
15:9. The Spirit of God was moving!
Back to our
Text verse:
"In
the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of
Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent
that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah."
2nd Chronicles 16:1
Now no one
could reach Jerusalem, at least from the north, from Baasha's
Kingdom!
Look what we
have here today!
Politics placed
ahead of godliness!
These Jews of
the north, when they moved back to Jerusalem and its environs,
experienced revival! Read about this crowd, along with their
Brethren of the south: "So they gathered
themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they offered unto the
LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought,
seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And they entered
into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all
their heart and with all their soul." 2nd Chronicles
15:10-12
And the
"government" of Baasha didn't like that at all!
They could not
allow spirituality, love for Almighty God, to supercede the
making of money!
To hurt the
economy!
Or to change
the demographics of their land!
Or alter the
popular notions, the accepted ideas!
And that is the
very battle that is raging in America today, folks!
Many do not
like it when we Bible believers gain a following in the areas of
creation ... versus evolution!
Or a little
unborn baby's right to life as opposed to the culture of death's
desire to "abort" him or her, murdering them in Mother's womb!
Liberals see
"red" when the courts of the Land issue a rare Biblically based
ruling!
No wonder the
atheists and so-called progressives and free-thinkers and
a-moralists want to "blockade" Christian thinking!
People, when
they really "come to themselves" as did the Prodigal a long time
ago, will return "home" to the Bible!
And the "Baashas"
of this world can't stand that!
This "civil
war," this culture battle, will rage until Jesus returns!
Then, and only
then, will it be won!
Surely I don't
have to tell you Who is the Victor?
"Even so, come,
Lord Jesus!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, VERSE 2:
With so many of the Kings of
Judah, their reigns do not end as well as they started.
King Asa is such a case.
Having done so many good things
in his earlier years, purifying his Nation from much apostasy,
he made several grave errors later in his administration.
For example, 2nd Chronicles
16:2 tells us: "Then Asa brought out
silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD
and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria,
that dwelt at Damascus, saying ...."
What is to us an adverb opens
the Text for today, but to the Hebrews it's a conjunction.
Either way we are driven back to verse one for some background.
Wicked King Baasha of Israel had virtually declared war against
Asa and his Nation, little Judah. Ten tribes versus two tribes!
The thought of such
overwhelming odds apparently frightened King Asa, leading him
into the mistake of verse two.
Yes, Asa the wise "healer," the
definition of his very name, has become Asa the "salesman!" He
is "renting" an ally to help in the coming fight with Baasha!
Good political and military sense The Jerusalem Times
would have called it! But it was a deadly decision spiritually!
In those days Kings had nearly
absolute power ... even over the national treasuries it seems!
And rightly so when the "treasures of the King's house" are
involved. But NOT rightly so when it the "treasures of the House
of the Lord" are concerned!
The noun "treasures" translates
"otzsar" and means "garners" for holding grain or "storage"
facilities for warehousing precious goods of all kinds, even
including "cellars" and an "armoury" in the King James Version.
The Temple Solomon built had such storage rooms attached, many
of them!
King Asa raided God's wealth
... silver and gold deposits the Israelites had brought during
worship ... and sent it to a wicked heathen King, Benhadad of
Syria, for support in the coming civil war!
Earlier in his reign, under
similar circumstances, King Asa wisely depended solely on the
Lord! A Lord "mighty in battle" you might remember! See Psalm
24:8.
Second Chronicles 14:9-12
relates how Asa, relying just on the Lord, had defeated an
Ethiopian army of a million soldiers!
But now, sadly, King Asa has
grown fearful, and "buys" protection from afar, from a wicked
source!
"Benhadad" means "son of the
god Hadad," an idol of the heathen people surrounding Judah!
By committing this sin,
misappropriating the Lord's funds, Asa perpetuated this form of
godless robbery! Several Kings later again did this very thing,
desecrating the House of the Lord! Ahaz, Jehoash and Hezekiah
are examples of such "copy-cat" sinning.
What made Asa do such an unwise
thing?
"The
righteous are bold as a lion," says Solomon in Proverbs
28:1. Maybe by now King Asa is not living as close to the Lord
as he once did! He certainly on this occasion has lost his
bravery!
Maybe he forgot this verse too.
"The horse is prepared against the
day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."
Proverbs 21:31
And King Asa had certainly
drifted far from the words of an earlier Prophet, Azariah son of
Oded, who once told the King: "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." 2nd Chronicles 15:2
Asa the King
just may have had access to these verses also:
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall
direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
Sadly, here
good King Asa made a terrible mistake.
Folks, let us,
unlike Asa in today's Text, trust the Lord completely, fearing
nothing the enemy can do!
After all,
"If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Friend reading
here today, do not be guilty of misappropriating God's money
either!
By the way, did
we all tithe last Sunday?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 3:
King Asa of Judah, like so many
others, believed that money could buy anything!
Even friendship!
When Baasha, wicked King of
Israel's Ten Tribes, prepared to war against Judah, Asa tried to
hire some help in the coming battle!
Here's what the King proposed
to the heathen Leader of Syria: "There
is a league between me
and thee, as there was between my father and thy father:
behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league
with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me."
2nd Chronicles 16:3
The noun
"league" is spelled "beriyth" and is the same word as
"covenant." KIng Asa, who knows better, desires to enter into a
partnership with an ungodly Gentile named Benhadad. This would
be a classic "unequal yoke!"
It is
historically hard to pinpoint what league existed between
Benhadad's Father and Asa's Father, King Abijah. I'm not sure
that this confederacy is described in Scripture.
Anyway, the King of Syria,
again his name is Benhadad, was already involved in some kind of
treaty with Israel, the northern Kingdom!
"Have army ... will travel!"
A mercenary military!
Protection to the highest
bidder!
This sounds like a "mob" scene,
a page from the underworld's daily operations!
The silver and gold Asa sent to
Benhadad was NOT his to send either! It belonged to God! It was
surplus, unused gifts from God's people to Jehovah, their mighty
Lord!
To "break" a covenant or
league, using the verb "parar," means "to make void, to
disannul, to dissolve or even to cause to cease."
To "depart," Asa's real goal
for King Baasha, literally means "to go up!" It's "alah" and
here demands that the forces of Baasha return northward to their
own Land.
But what a confusing situation
King Asa is creating here!
"There
is a league between me
and thee, as there was between my father and thy father:
behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league
with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me."
2nd Chronicles 16:3
He is asking disloyalty from
King Benhadad! Break your current contract! Come help us
instead!
He furthermore is stealing
money from God's House for political and military purposes!
He indirectly is implicating
the Syrian King, already wicked enough by far, in the theft!
And perhaps most important of
all, King Asa is trusting someone other than the Lord for
protection!
This whole process might be
called "chain sinning!" It just can't be stopped! One wrong
leads to another!
David fell into that pit with
the Bathsheba affair!
Peter did too, warming his
hands by an enemy's fire one night!
Not to mention Lot or Samson!
Folks, at the first prompting
of the Holy Ghost, that gentle "tug" He often gives you, at the
first "no" you hear ... drop whatever you've planned! It's
wrong!
Stop it immediately, before the
"snowball" effect of sin can get started!
King Asa had been a sterling
example of faith once in his reign, during the early years!
Now he's caught in the web, a
sinful web, one of his own making!
Where will it end?
Its resolution is one sad
story!
The wages of sin still is
death!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, VERSE 4:
Sold to the highest bidder!
King Benhadad of Syria could
have easily said those words to anyone needing his services, his
military services.
The Syrian army had no loyalty.
It would work, fight really,
for whomever paid the highest amount, cash of course!
In 2nd Chronicles 16:3 Syria
was in league with Israel. A sort of mutual defense treaty
existed between them.
But by verse 4
that treaty had been broken and Syria was at war with Israel,
her former ally!
And just what
precipitated this drastic change?
Money!
King Asa of
Judah, smaller sister nation to Israel, paid to enlist
Benhadad's military services!
Why?
Because King
Baasha, the wicked ruler of Israel, was preparing to attack
little Judah!
Here's how the
Chronicler records it. Judah's threat from the north:
"In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king
of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent
that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah."
2nd Chronicles 16:1
King Asa's
sinful move, virtually stealing money from God's House:
"Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of
the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to
Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying ...."
2nd Chronicles 16:2
Asa's proposal,
to a heathen King mind you: "There is a
league between me and thee, as there was between my father and
thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break
thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from
me." 2nd Chronicles 16:3
Then today's
verse, what King Asa bought with God's money:
"And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and
sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel;
and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store
cities of Naphtali." 2nd Chronicles 16:4
There's just
one problem with all this military posturing. Why could Asa not
have trusted the Lord God Himself to protect him and his nation
from the wicked Israelites?
He had so
leaned on the Lord earlier in his reign. When another reprobate
King attacked Jerusalem, Asa begged God for deliverance! Zerah
the Ethiopian had a million soldiers too! And God gave the
humble Asa a great victory, even against such overwhelming
numbers!
How soon King
Asa seems to have forgotten God's power!
How soon we
forget too!
So, no longer
trusting God alone, Asa watches as the Syrians, hired guns that
they are, attack their former friends, the Israelites!
Verse 4 tells
us that Behadad "hearkened" to Asa's offer, money apparently
being on his mind. "Shama" just means "to hear." But usually it
carries the notion of hearing and obeying also. That's certainly
the case here.
The noun for
"captains" is "sar" in Hebrew. However, once the word is
translated "general" in Scripture. These men know how to fight.
Three of
Israel's cities are mentioned, all up north! "Ijon" means a
"ruin" in Hebrew and was only eight miles north of Dan, meaning
"judged!" And "Abelmaim" meaning "a meadow of waters," was
situated only four miles west of Dan! The place was probably not
so pleasant after the attack!
The vicious
Syrians then proceeded southward and took "all the store cities
of Naphtali." The verb being used here for this military action
is "to smite," in Hebrew "nakah." It often just means "to slay,
to kill!" Five times it is "slaughter" in the King James Bible.
"Store" cities
were apparently places where the King's treasures were kept in
reserve, perhaps even including his military weaponry. "Naphtali"
means "wrestling" and this Tribe's allotment was in the northern
part of Israel, northwest of Galilee.
Benhadad's
tactic was to draw Baasha away from his stronghold at Ramah,
thus freeing Judah from oppression!
By the way, the
plan worked! Using the standard of pragmatism only, this whole
scheme of Asa's was a great success!
But, as we
shall soon see, God is not pleased!
Today's lesson:
just because something "works," does not mean God is in it!
Many Churches
today are growing like wildfire, but the Lord is not the Author
of such things as these Churches are using to draw their crowds!
Remember this
too. King David won the military battle the night he committed
adultery with Bathsheba! He just lost the spiritual battle!
THE MOST
IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP IN THE LIFE OF ANY MAN OR WOMAN OR FAMILY
OR NATION IS ONE'S WALK WITH THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!
To violate that
aspect of life, abiding in Christ Jesus, is to err everywhere
else too!
Let me close
with a New Testament verse that summarizes this whole article,
Matthew 6:33. Jesus taught: "But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His Righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you." And "these things"
include safety and protection!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, VERSE 5:
Mission accomplished!
But it might have been a case
of "victory at any cost!"
To put it another way, King Asa
of Judah just might have sacrificed the permanent on the altar
of the immediate!
Our verse simply says:
"And it came to pass, when Baasha heard
it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work
cease." 2nd Chronicles 16:5
Civil war was
about to erupt!
Wicked King
Baasha of Israel was about to attack good King Asa of Judah,
even though the two Nations were related!
Asa panicked!
He took silver
and gold form the House of God and hired a gun-slinging heathen
King named Benhadad, from the idolatrous land of Syria! He hired
him for military purposes, to attack Israel!
The plan was
successful!
Asa's scheme
made Baasha King of Israel refocus his attention ... away from
Judah!
"And it
came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off
building of Ramah, and let his work cease."
"And it came to
pass," this string being used 396 times in the Bible, means
something like "in the process of time." Its key word, the verb
"hayah," shows the constant movement of time and is framed in
the active voice. Spiritually speaking however, we Believers see
behind the clock the Hand of God! Providence, the old-timers
used to call it! By the way, "hayah" here is the "root" of God's
great Name Jehovah, the God who is! The eternal "I
AM THAT I AM!" "Hayah" means "to be."
And do remember
what the name "Baasha" means, "wicked" or "the wicked one!"
The verb
"heard" is the common "shama" and means "to hear with
perception." He got the message! He knew he was at war, on a
different front!
Baasha had
placed the southern city of Ramah as his focus of attention,
building and fortifying it for the coming war with Judah his
neighbor. Now all of a sudden he was being devastated from the
north! And his former friend, Syria, was the perpetrator!
"Left off"
translates "chadal" and means "to stop, to desist, to forego or
even to forsake." The parallel verb "cease" is spelled "shabath."
What does this look like to you? It's our word "sabbath"
virtually! Which day is a day of "rest!"
Forget about
Judah!
Baasha has
bigger problems now!
And that's
exactly what King Asa of little Judah intended!
"Brilliant,"
the military strategist would say!
"Shrewd," would
add the psychologist!
"Real
leadership," would chime the local media!
Victory!
But as was said
earlier, maybe victory "at any cost!"
We are soon
going to learn from our Bible Text that, while tactically
useful, even successful on the surface, Asa's actions here
displeased the Lord!
After all, King
Asa on this occasion did not even "think" of trusting Jehovah!
Yes, our great God Who, in Exodus 15:3, is called a Man of War!
What an offense to the Lord that was!
And Asa also
confiscated, stole really, treasures from the Temple to finance
his little back-stabbing effort! Some of the monies he used were
from his own savings, that was perhaps acceptable. But that
which was seized "out of the treasures of the House of the
Lord," was theft, absolutely!
Furthermore, by
his little plan, King Asa was promoting disloyalty and
truce-breaking! Maybe insignificant to many, especially when a
Land is threatened by war, but a big thing to Almighty God!
Kings were expected to keep their word! Not lie and cheat and
deceive their way through life!
Yes, Asa
achieved temporary victory.
But doing so
offended God, ignoring His Power!
It also
released the "devourer" on Judah, having stolen God's tithes and
offerings from the Temple!
And it violated
an honest lifestyle!
Big costs ...
even for such a clear-cut accomplishment!
Asa got what he
wanted, Israel off his back, but he paid for it the rest of his
life!
Reminds me of
Psalm 106:15, "And He gave them their
request, but sent leanness to their soul." Yes, God
allowed this devious plan to succeed ... but the spiritual cost
was overwhelming, never-ending in fact!
Oh, that hurts!
Today's Lesson
surely gives a new perspective on the dear old song, "Have Thine
Own Way, Lord!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6, VERSE 6:
The Lord does so every time it
happens!
He frowns upon brothers or
sisters fighting one another.
Beginning as long ago as Cain
and Abel, our God asks that harmony and love and cooperation be
a mark of family life.
But today's verse shows one
King, Asa of Judah, trying to "outdo" his counterpart, King
Baasha of Israel.
Now it's true
that Baasha had first sought to harm the little Kingdom of
Judah. Here's Baasha's initial move, wrong as it can be:
"In the six and thirtieth year of the
reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and
built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come
in to Asa king of Judah." 2nd Chronicles 16:1 records a
virtual blockade!
And just as
suddenly Asa retaliates! He "hires" Benhadad King of Syria as an
ally, who then begins sacking the northernmost cities of Israel.
This action, drawing Baasha's attention and armies, vacates the
occupied city of Ramah as Israel marches to defend itself!
Therefore, naturally: "It came to pass,
when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah,
and let his work cease." 2nd Chronicles 16:5
What's next, as
the battle builds? "Then Asa the king took
all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the
timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built
therewith Geba and Mizpah." 2nd Chronicles 16:6
Thus, the
conflict escalates at every turn!
Now,
truthfully, part of what Asa did cold be considered
"self-defense," plain and simple. That is, if one could forget
his prior actions! His failure to trust God for protection! His
"stealing" money from the Temple to "hire" a "heathen"
body-guard! His promotion of disloyalty and truce-breaking! And
now, in today's verse, his spirit of competition.
Again, removing
the stones might could be called reasonable, if the "spirit" of
this conflict were not already known.
Asa's name,
according to some, means "healer," but he apparently does not
know that! He makes no effort to live up to that noble
definition anyway!
The city of
Ramah, if under Judean watchcare, could have remained fortified,
strengthened by the many stones Baasha had placed there,
probably around its walls. Why not just situate your army in a
position that Ramah could not be taken again?
Instead, Asa
removes every stone, "eben" in Hebrew, meaning rocks of any
size. Here however one gets the idea that they were heavy and
massive!
Is Asa
protecting his Country or frustrating his neighboring King?
Remember that Judah, Asa's Nation ... and Israel, Baasha's
Charge, are brothers! Sons of Jacob are they all! Yes, the ten
tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah are Jews, to the
last person!
"All" Israel
helping frustrate their northern adversary might not promote
much harmony either! While "all" Israel forbidding Baasha's
entrance into their Land would have indeed been commendable! "Kol,"
here rendered "all," means every man who could help!
The verb "took"
is "laqach" and can mean "to draft" or "fetch" someone,
indicating a bit of force if necessary!
Yes, since King
Asa deemed it proper, conscripted labor was enforced ... to
fight one's Brother!
The noun
"timber" is "etzs" and most often means "trees." Some real
Israelite money has been invested here, wood being expensive
then as now.
But, as we've
already seen from today's verse, Asa is not finished!
"Asa the king took all Judah; and they
carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof,
wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and
Mizpah." 2nd Chronicles 16:6
If Baasha
builds, Asa will build too!
Sounds a bit
like jealousy!
In fact, if
King Baasha fortifies one city, Ramah, then King Asa will build
two cities, Geba and Mizpeh.
And if Ramah
means "mount," which it does, Asa' new cities will be named
"hill," which is Geba's root, and "watchtower," Mizpeh's
definition.
I see a spirit
of rivalry again!
Not merely
national defense!
One can be sure
of this, the next two verses proving so, God is displeased with
Asa's tactics!
Israel fighting
Judah!
Judah fighting
Israel!
Stop it,
Brethren!
But truthfully,
we do not have to go hundreds of years back into history to find
brother at war with brother!
In fact, such a
thing happens nearly weekly in many Bible-believing Churches!
Christian
friend, can you think of anyone now, a fellow saint I mean, with
whom you are in conflict?
Not speaking?
Angry?
Bitter?
Then the "Asa
versus Baasha" conflict still lives! Judah still dislikes
Israel, or vice versa.
And the Lord?
How does He
feel about such behavior? Today just one short Passage will
suffice, purposely chosen from the Old Testament,
"These six things doth the LORD
hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud
look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an
heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in
running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies,
and he that soweth discord among brethren."
See that last
one?
Jealousy,
rivalry, bitterness ... Paul might would have said even of these
sins, "Let them not once be named among you, as becometh
saints." That quotes part of Ephesians 5:3.
Not once!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, VERSE 7:
God is jealous!
He Himself says so it in Exodus
20:5: "I the LORD thy God am a
jealous God."
Jealous, but not in any wicked
sense, mind you.
In fact, the adjective
"jealous" here, "qanah" in Hebrew, has grown out of a root word
that means "to be zealous!"
He is fervent and
intense, especially when it comes to His Own Honor ... and
the welfare of His Own children!
This quality of
Almighty God is evident in an account given Second Chronicles
chapter sixteen.
Asa, King of
Judah, is a man who in many ways did "right" in the eyes of God.
But at least once, beginning a downward slide too, King Asa
ignored the Glory of God in favor of man's power and ability.
He hired a
heathen King, Benhadad of Syria, to be his "bodyguard!" Using
God's money to do so too, Asa suddenly refused to trust the God
who had protected him for years!
Once the sinful
treaty with Benhadad was ratified, the Lord sent a Prophet to
Asa. Here's the Bible account: "And at
that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said
unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not
relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of
Syria escaped out of thine hand." 2nd Chronicles 16:7
A "seer" is a
man who "sees" ahead! A Prophet of God who supernaturally, under
inspiration, can foretell coming events, but only as directed by
God. "Seer" is "raah" in Hebrew, the main verb for looking at
something with perception! Seer is just another name for a
Prophet in an eschatological sense.
The name "Hanani"
means "gracious!" Its stem source, "chanan," means to bend or
stoop down to an inferior, in kindness too! Here the Prophet is
spiritually on a higher level than the King! Tell that in
Washington or London or any other Capitol City!
Hanani's sermon
deals with one theme, "leaning" on the Lord! Or rather,
not leaning on the Lord!
The verb
"relied," used twice in our verse, is "shaan" and means, just as
I've implied, "to lean upon someone or rely upon him or to
support oneself by him!" Asa ignored God, choosing instead to
trust Benhadad of Syria.
Instead of some
heathen King, our Text would have had King Asa rely on "the Lord
God!" That's Jehovah Elohiym! The God Who eternally is! The God
Who enters into covenant relationship with His Own people! The
God of all Power! The God Who is Triune! Each of these four
preceding thoughts is a derivation of one of those two great
Names for our Creator!
Such blatant
failure, or outright refusal maybe, to "rely" on God is not
without consequence!
The King of
Syria, who once could have been defeated by even the small Judea
army, now will "escape" their orbit and be a nuisance and an
enemy for years and years to come! "Malat" means "to slip away
or to be delivered."
It's as if God
said: "You like the Syrians, do you? Then I'll give you plenty
of them with whom to contend ... for generations!"
Whomever one
chooses to be god ... instead of the Living God ... will
eventually become a snare to one's soul!
"And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them."
Psalm 106:36
It is
important!
On Whom are you
trusting today?
Who is your
God?
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs
3:5-6
To do otherwise
greatly offends God!
Our jealous
God!
That is,
jealous for our welfare too!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, VERSE 8:
It's a matter of history!
God has done some great things,
especially for His people!
The Old Testament is filled
with example after example.
Here's just one.
"Were not
the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many
chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD,
he delivered them into thine hand." 2nd Chronicles 16:8
These are the
words of a nearly unknown Prophet of God, Hanani of Judah. He's
speaking to King Asa.
Let me tell you
about that battle, Judah and King Asa versus Zerah and his
Ethiopian army. "And Asa had an army of
men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred
thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows,
two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty
men of valour. And there came out against them Zerah the
Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred
chariots; and came unto Mareshah." Second Chronicles
14:8-9 tells us here, among other things, the size of that
Ethiopian army, a million men! That indeed qualifies as "a huge
host!"
Yet,
"Asa went out against him, and they set
the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And
Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said,
LORD, it is nothing with
thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no
power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy
name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let
not man prevail against thee. So the LORD smote the
Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians
fled." Look especially at that prayer! Capitalized words
have been used on purpose.
The verb
"rest," in Hebrew "shaan," means "to lean upon" Someone! To
depend on Him, to have faith in Such a One!
That victory is
certainly one great act of God!
To Him be the
Glory!
But, and this
is sad, several years later King Asa faced a less threatening
situation, a much weaker enemy King and certainly a smaller
army, this time failing to trust the Lord!
Instead of
asking God to defend him from the Israelites, wicked King Baasha
being their head, Asa "hired" godless heathen polytheistic King
Benhadad of Syria to help him achieve victory!
This, needless
to say, upset the Lord!
That's why
Hanani is preaching so directly to the King. Again his words,
"And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and
said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria,
and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the
king of Syria escaped out of thine hand." 2nd Chronicles
16:7
The verb
"relied" here is identical to the verb "rest" in the above
Passage! In incident number one Asa "rested" on God, "shaan." In
event number two Asa "relied" on the King of Syria, "shaan"
again!
Then verse
eight, "Were not the Ethiopians and the
Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet,
because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into
thine hand."
The noun
"Ethiopians" is spelled "Kushiy," the Cushites. These two names
are used in reference to the very same people. The "Lubims," in
Hebrew "Lybiy," were a neighboring people living in north
African, west of Egypt. These armies have attacked Judah before,
during the days of Jeroboam. See 2nd Chronicles 12:3.
The "chariots"
are the war machines of their day, "rekeb" in Hebrew. The
equivalent of our army "tanks" one might say. These "horsemen"
are the cavalry, skilled and swift! "Parash" is the exact word.
But the size of
an army does not matter! That's not the issue at all, if one is
trusting the Lord!
And, as we
would expect, "rely" is again "shaan," our oft appearing verb in
this account! Yet it is only used 22 times in all the Bible! And
three of those times are right here!
The first
Scriptural use of "shaan" is in Genesis 18:4, where it is
translated "rest." See: "Let a little
water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree." Think of it, "resting" on the
Lord!
God "delivered"
a million soldier army into the hands of His King, one who
relied on Jehovah! The verb "delivered" is spelled "nathan" and
just means "to give." It's used that way over a thousand times
in Scripture.
Oh, here's one
more of the twenty-two places "shaan" appears in the Old
Testament. "Trust in the LORD with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."
With the
Ethiopians Asa obeyed the first half of that verse!
With the
Syrians he disobeyed the last half!
The Lord
brought victory in the first instance, a great victory
Asa's own
wisdom brought defeat in the second instance, an enduring
defeat.
Rely, lean,
trust, believe ... all are great verbs, when directed rightly
... straight toward the Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9, VERSE 9:
We have studied one Passage of
Scripture during the past eight days, 2nd Chronicles 16:1-9.
And now we arrive at the last
verse, perhaps the most powerful of them all!
The Lord here speaks to Asa,
King of Judah. He certainly needed to hear these words.
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf
of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein
thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt
have wars." 2nd Chronicles 16:9
The Lord is
looking for someone whose heart is "perfect" toward Him! This
Hebrew word, "shalem," means complete or whole or even full. A
heart totally dedicated to the Lord! In Genesis 15:16 we are
told that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet "full!"
That's our word!
King Asa well
may have once been such a man, but no more! His heart was now
divided, partly given to the Syrians, King Benhadad especially!
But if God can
find a man or woman or young person who is totally His ... He
promises them something. He will "show Himself strong" on their
behalf. "Chazaq" means literally "to fasten upon" or "to seize"
someone! The verb's first Bible appearance, Genesis 19:16, has
an angel "lay hold" upon the hands of the members of Lot's
family, ushering them out of Sodom!
In fact, God is
searching for a consecrated person like this. His eyes "run to
and fro" in the pursuit! "Sut" means "to push forth." And the
first time the verb here is used in Scripture, Numbers 11:8, the
Israelites are "going about" gathering their manna for the day!
The "whole
earth" means "all the land," every acre!
The
prepositional phrase "in behalf of" translates "im" and means
"with!" God desires to walk "with" us, sharing His mighty Power!
But sadly, Asa
had "done foolishly," disqualifying himself regarding the
empowering Presence of God! "Sakal" means "to be fat,"
spiritually sluggish or lazy. Then the word adopted the idea of
foolishness.
This exact term
is heaped upon King Saul by Samuel the Prophet too!
"And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done
foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy
God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have
established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever." 1st Samuel
13:13
Such behavior
reaps rewards, or the lack thereof! Asa,
"Therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." 2nd
Chronicles 16:9
Sounds like God
can send war or peace!
On what
grounds?
"When a man's ways please the LORD, he
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."
Proverbs 16:7
Question: is
anyone reading with us today whose heart God has touched? Whose
heart is totally dedicated to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ!
I hope so!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
THAT LAST VERSE IS
ONE OF THE GREATEST IN ALL THE BIBLE! BUT, HAVING NOW STUDIED
ITS CONTEXT TOO, IT MEANS MORE THAN EVER!
