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Texts -- 2 Chronicles 14:2--15:18 (NET)

Context
Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments
14:2 Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved . 14:3 He removed the pagan altars and the high places , smashed the sacred pillars , and cut down the Asherah poles . 14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands . 14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah . The kingdom had rest under his rule . 14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah , for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years ; the Lord gave him peace . 14:7 He said to the people of Judah : “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls , towers , and barred gates . The land remains ours because we have followed the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides .” So they built the cities and prospered . 14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah , equipped with large shields and spears . He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers ; they were all skilled warriors . 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots . He arrived at Mareshah , 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah . 14:11 Asa prayed to the Lord his God : “O Lord , there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered . Help us, O Lord our God , for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O Lord our God , don’t let men prevail against you !” 14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah . The Cushites fled , 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar . The Cushites were wiped out ; they were shattered before the Lord and his army . The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder . 14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar , for the Lord caused them to panic . The men of Judah looted all the cities , for they contained a huge amount of goods . 14:15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock . They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem . 15:1 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded . 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. 15:3 For a long time Israel had no true God , or priest to instruct them, or law . 15:4 Because of their distress , they turned back to the Lord God of Israel . They sought him and he responded to them. 15:5 In those days no one could travel safely , for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands . 15:6 One nation was crushed by another , and one city by another , for God caused them to be in great turmoil . 15:7 But as for you , be strong and don’t get discouraged , for your work will be rewarded .” 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. 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. 15:10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign . 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 . 15:12 They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being . 15:13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed , whether they were young or old , male or female . 15:14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord , shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns . 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 . 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 . 15:17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel , yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime . 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 .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • ZERAH (THE ETHIOPIAN)

    [isbe] ZERAH (THE ETHIOPIAN) - (zerach ha-kushi (2 Ch 14:9); Zare): A generation ago the entire story of Zerah's conquest of Asa, coming as it did from a late source (2 Ch 14:9-15), was regarded as "apocryphal": "If the incredibili...

  • Temple, Solomon's

    [ebd] Before his death David had "with all his might" provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the city, on the spot where ...

  • SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2

    [isbe] SACRIFICE, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, 2 - V. The Mosaic Sacrificial System. 1. The Covenant Sacrifice: The fundamental function of Moses' work was to establish the covenant between Israel and God. This important transaction took ...

  • Revivals

    [nave] REVIVALS. Religious Zech. 8:20-23. Prayer for, Hab. 3:2. Prophecies concerning, Isa. 32:15; Joel 2:28; Mic. 4:1-8; Hab. 3:2. Instances of Under Joshua, Josh. 5:2-9; Samuel, 1 Sam. 7:1-6; Elijah, 1 Kin. 18:17-40; Jehoas...

  • Religion

    [nave] RELIGION. False Deut. 32:31-33. See: Idolatry; Intolerance; Teachers, False. Family See: Family. National Supported by taxes, Ex. 30:11-16; 38:26. Priests supported by the State, 1 Kin. 18:19; 2 Chr. 11:13-15. Subve...

  • Queen

    [ebd] No explicit mention of queens is made till we read of the "queen of Sheba." The wives of the kings of Israel are not so designated. In Ps. 45:9, the Hebrew for "queen" is not malkah, one actually ruling like the Queen of She...

  • Preaching

    [nave] PREACHING, the act of exhorting, prophesying, reproving, teaching. Solomon called preacher, Eccl. 1:1, 12. Noah called preacher, 2 Pet. 2:5. Sitting while, Matt. 5:1; Luke 4:20; 5:3. Moses, slow of speech, Ex. 4:10-12. Re...

  • Prayer

    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Man

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning "to be red," and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of ...

  • MARESHAH, OR MARESHAH

    [smith] (crest of a hill), one of the cities of Judah in the low country. (Joshua 15:44) It was one of the cities fortified and garrisoned by Rehoboam after the rupture with the northern kingdom. (2 Chronicles 11:8) Near it was fo...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Idol

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. aven, "nothingness;" "vanity" (Isa. 66:3; 41:29; Deut. 32:21; 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19, etc.). (2.) 'Elil, "a thing of naught" (Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:3); a word of contempt, used of the gods of Noph (Ezek. 30...

  • Iddo

    [ebd] (1.) Timely (1 Chr. 6:21). A Gershonite Levite. (2.) Lovely. The son of Zechariah (1 Chr. 27:21), the ruler of Manasseh in David's time. (3.) Timely. The father of Ahinadab, who was one of Solomon's purveyors (1 Kings 4:14)....

  • HIGH PLACE

    [ebd] an eminence, natural or artificial, where worship by sacrifice or offerings was made (1 Kings 13:32; 2 Kings 17:29). The first altar after the Flood was built on a mountain (Gen. 8:20). Abraham also built an altar on a mount...
    [isbe] HIGH PLACE - 1. General: (1) "High place" is the normal translation of bamah, a word that means simply "elevation" (Jer 26:18; Ezek 36:2, etc.; compare the use in Job 9:8 of the waves of the sea. For the plural as a proper n...

  • Grove

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'asherah, properly a wooden image, or a pillar representing Ashtoreth, a sensual Canaanitish goddess, probably usually set up in a grove (2 Kings 21:7; 23:4). In the Revised Version the word "Asherah" (q.v.) is int...

  • Cornet

    [ebd] Heb. shophar, "brightness," with reference to the clearness of its sound (1 Chr. 15:28; 2 Chr. 15:14; Ps. 98:6; Hos. 5:8). It is usually rendered in the Authorized Version "trumpet." It denotes the long and straight horn, ab...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • Bow

    [ebd] The bow was in use in early times both in war and in the chase (Gen. 21:20; 27:3; 48:22). The tribe of Benjamin were famous for the use of the bow (1 Chr. 8:40; 12:2; 2 Chr. 14:8; 17:17); so also were the Elamites (Isa. 22:6...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • Asa

    [isbe] ASA - a'-sa ('aca', "healer"; Asa): (1) A king of Judah, the third one after the separation of Judah and Israel. He was the son of Abijah and grandson of Rehoboam. Maacah, his mother, or rather grandmother, was daughter of A...
    [smith] (physician , or cure). Son of Abijah and third king of Judah. (B.C. 956-916.) (His long reign of 41 years was peaceful in its earlier portion, and he undertook the reformation of all abuses, especially of idolatry. He burnt ...
    [nave] ASA 1. King of Judah, 1 Kin. 15:8-24; 1 Chr. 3:10; 2 Chr. 14; 15; 16; Matt. 1:7. 2. A Levite, 1 Chr. 9:16.

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [2Ch 14:11] We Rest On Thee
  • [2Ch 15:12] O Happy Day, That Fixed My Choice

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

Scriptural Illustrations of Revival; It was my idea

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 2:4 Having related the creation of the universe as we know it, God next inspired Moses to explain for his readers what became of it.129Sin entered it and devastated it."The destiny of the human creation is to live in God's wo...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • It was when God had subdued all of David's enemies that He gave this covenant to him (vv. 1, 9). Those enemies included the Ammonites with whom David was at war when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Ur...
  • Solomon's sin in going after other gods was the quintessence of covenant infidelity. David had sinned against God deliberately (2 Sam. 11), but his heart remained devoted to Yahweh. His sin was not as serious as Solomon's was...
  • Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (v. 26).Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (v. 32; cf. 12:21; 2 C...
  • Asa was the first of eight kings of Judah whom the writer of Kings judged as good. Four were reformers who sought to bring the nation back to the Mosaic Covenant, and Asa was the first of these. The writer of Chronicles descr...
  • Asa came to power close to the end of Jeroboam's reign over Israel in 910 B.C. Asa reigned from 911-870 B.C., 41 years, an unusually long reign that probably began when he was quite young (cf. 15:2). It was his grandmother (N...
  • Chronicles covers a broader period of history than any other Old Testament book. It begins with Adam and ends with Anani who lived eight generations after King Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:24). If we allow 25 years for each generat...
  • Even though 1 and 2 Chronicles give one continuous story the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is different from that in 1 Chronicles. In 1 Chronicles the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life. However in 2 Chronic...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Chronicles)III. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-9A. Solomon's wisdom and prosperity ch. 1B. The building of the temple 2:1-5:11. Preparations for building the temple ch. 22. The temple proper 3:1-93. Th...
  • Chronicles gives much more attention to Asa than Kings does. That is because Asa's experiences illustrated the points the Chronicler wanted to drive home to his readers.We have already seen in Rehoboam's history that obedienc...
  • Asa inherited a kingdom at peace. He wisely used the peace to purge the idolatry that had crept into Judah (vv. 3-5). He also fortified his defenses against future attacks from the North. Because of his trust in Yahweh, God g...
  • The Chronicler featured Azariah's sermon (vv. 1-7), Asa's reformation (vv. 8-15), and Maacah's removal (vv. 16-19) during the middle part of Asa's reign.A message from the prophet Azariah was the spark that ignited revival in...
  • Three parts also mark this record of the later period of Asa's reign: his war with Baasha (vv. 1-6), Hanani's sermon (vv. 7-10), and the conclusion of his reign (vv. 11-14).Asa's heart was right in that he consistently loved ...
  • This account of Jehoshaphat's rule reveals that God was then actively leading His people. These were the years of alliance with Israel. Ahab was on the throne of the Northern Kingdom.The Chronicler deliberately presented Jeho...
  • The godly in Judah may have regarded Josiah as the most likely candidate to fulfill the promises God had given to David. His early life and reign were spiritually exemplary (vv. 2-3). He sought to purge idolatry from the whol...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. I and II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah. London: SCM Press, 1973.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William F. The...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: 3. For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places. and brake down the images, and cut. down the groves: 4. And commanded Judah t...
  • Namely, the connection between honouring Jehovah and national prosperity. He did not import that thought into his narrative, but he insisted on it as moulding the history of Judah. Modern critics charge him with writing with ...
  • And Ass cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with Thee 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...
  • They sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.'--2 Chron. 15:15.THESE words occur in one of the least familiar passages of the Old Testament. They describe an incid...
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