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-   -   Day 123. 2 Chronicles 13-15 (https://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=8319)

Brother V 02-10-2008 09:49 PM

Day 123. 2 Chronicles 13-15
 
2 Chronicles 13-15

Today we get:
  • Abijah versus Jeroboam
  • Good king Asa
  • Asa cleans house

2 Chronicles 13

Abijah became the king of Judah; Jeroboam was still the king of Israel. Abijah decided he was going to reunite the country, so there was a war between Judah and Israel.

3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

400,000 versus 800,000. Things don't look favorable for Judah.

4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

Abijah, knowing he's out maned, doesn't necessarily plea for his people to survive; he tells it like it is to Israel.

5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

I remember the covenant, but I don't remember reading anything about salt. What was the significance of salt? Salt was used to preserve and store, it wasn't just for adding flavour. When Abijah said there was a "covenant of salt" he said it was a covenant of preservatives. Salt as a salary wasn't a salary of Mrs. Dash. Salt as a salary was to allow people to preserve their food. Salt is also used as a koshering agent; as it draws the blood out of meat. Salt also preserves food because many bacteria and fungi can't live in a highly salty area. So this covenant was one of perseverance. Abijah says God promised David's line will stay good; like salt keeps food fresh.

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

You will note that "lord" in this instance is lower case. This rebellion is against Solomon (and Abijah) and not against God, which is always in caps lock.

7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

Remember Rehoboam was the guy who said that he would raise taxes; and that's why Israel decided that they would secede. Abijah claims Rehoboam was young when he took the throne; he was 41.

8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

Abijah was telling the people that they had false gods with them; the golden calves.

9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.

Ah, once again, we get the Levitical bent on history. As Chronicles was written by a levite; he takes a jab at the people who kicked them out of Israel. Here, we see Ezra mocking the false priests. To be a priest of the LORD, you had to be born into the tribe of Levi; to be a false priest, all you had to do was sacrifice a cow and 7 rams; hardly a birthright.

10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

Wow, the author (probably Ezra) really likes to talk about how great it is to be a Levite.

11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.

Ezra starts out talking in this verse about "they"; they do this and they do that; until finally he forgets himself and says "WE".

12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

So, while Abijah was saying all this; Jeroboam sends around many of his troops to ambush the army of Judah from behind. Abijah turns around and sees them and cries to the LORD; the priests blow trumpets.

15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.


God starts smiting Israel. He does that; He's good at it.

17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

They started the day with 800,000 and between God and Judah, they ended the day with 300,000.

21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

Jeroboam died; Abijah was mighty. 14 wives, 22 sons and 16 daughters; he was a mighty man, with MIGHTY seed!

22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

Iddo-know, his book his missing. You'd think that a guy nicknamed Iddo the seer, could have seen that his book would have been lost and would have tried to hide it and make it available for future generations. But, he didn't see that.

2 Chronicles 14

1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

Asa was a good guy, he took away the altars of the strange gods, took away most of the groves, took away the high places, and took away the idols.

9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

Ethiopia attacked with a million really skinny fighters.

Asa, like his father Abijah prayed to the LORD for help.

11 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 no man prevail against thee.

So God intervened and killed most of the Ethiopians in front of Asa.

13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

When the LORD helps you win (as though you could win without Him) he always provides spoil. Sometimes you aren't allowed to take it; but many times you are.

2 Chronicles 15

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

Azariah tells Asa that if he (the people) seek the LORD, then the LORD will be found; if he (the people) forsakes the LORD, the LORD will forsake him.

8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

This should really be the prophecy of Azariah the prophet.

So Asa calls all the people together (which included some people who fled Israel including people who weren't jews); and they made a new covenant.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

With ALL their HEART and ALL their SOUL. This is the greatest covenant that I've ever read. It's one of my favorite Bible (KJV1611) verses of all times. Someday, I hope the United States will adopt this covenant.

13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

Did you read that? 13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

If you did not ACTIVELY seek the LORD God of Israel; you would be put to death. It's similar to the rules for church league softball (here in Champaign County, Illinois); to be on a church team, "All players must attend at least one service per month at their sponsoring church. We ask that any person(s) on your team that is not currently attending to at least be on their journey to having a relationship with Christ." (No jews, muslims, mormons or any other cult can play!)

Now the interesting part about that verse, is it's kind of like the emancipation proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in the south; an area that was a separate country from the north. Lincoln's proclamation should have held just as much weight as if he'd freed the slaves in Mexico. So why is the above verse similar? Well, if you think of Israel and Judah as two separate countries, Israel (at the time) didn't have the LORD as their god. So, Asa's proclamation was to follow Baal (if you read it as the LORD God of Israel (the country). However, the proclamation really meant the LORD God of Israel (the guy who used to be Jacob).

15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

Deciding to eradicate everyone who disagrees with you spiritually is one of the greatest steps a country can do to ensure their well being. Sure, if the U.S. decided to do this, there'd only be a few hundred thousand people left (most in Freehold, Iowa) but there'd be a couple other True Christians ™ who would be out there, and I'm sure we'd get several converts.

But just imagine, a United states without mormons; catholics, hindu, muslim, lutherans, pagans, neo-pagans, and without jews. Wouldn't that be GLORIOUS???

16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

As a footnote, Asa removed his mother from being queen. We must assume that she converted; otherwise under the new covenant, she would have been killed.

Asa then consecrated the gold and silver spoil; and the land had peace for a long time.

So what have we learned today?

1. Champaign Church league softball discriminates based on religious preference.
2. If you want peace in your land, drive out (or kill) all other religions; religious diversity=dischord!
3. If you go to war against an overwhelming force; praying to God is probably the best tactic you can do.

YIC
V


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