2 Chronicles 15-16-17-18-19, Bible Highlights: week starting december 14

Highlights From Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 15-19. Information for personal study.

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Dec. 14 Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 15-19

(2 CHRONICLES 15:1)

“Now the spirit of God came upon Az•a•riʹah the son of Oʹded.”

*** it-2 p. 525 Oded ***
ODED
(Oʹded) [[God] Has Relieved].
1. Father of the prophet Azariah. (2Ch 15:1) Second Chronicles 15:8 describes Oded himself as being a prophet: “As soon as Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet.” Some scholars would drop the words “of Oded the prophet” as a copyist’s error, but this would not explain why the writer says Asa heard “these words and the prophecy.” Others would make an addition so as to read, “Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded,” to agree with the Greek Septuagint (Alexandrine Codex), Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate (Clementine recension), but this still leaves the above difficulty unexplained. The third solution is to accept the Masoretic text as it is, with the understanding that Oded himself gave a prophecy that has not been preserved in the record. Asa heeded the words of Azariah (2Ch 15:2-7) and those of his father Oded.

(2 CHRONICLES 15:2)

“So he went out to meet Aʹsa and said to him: “Hear me, O Aʹsa and all Judah and Benjamin! Jehovah is with you as long as you remain with him; and if you search for him, he will let himself be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.”

*** w12 8/15 p. 9 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
“Hear me, O Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! Jehovah is with you as long as you prove to be with him; and if you search for him, he will let himself be found by you, but if you leave him he will leave you.

*** w12 8/15 p. 9 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
These words can strengthen our faith. They show that Jehovah will be with us as long as we serve him faithfully. When we cry out to him for help, we can be confident that he hears us.

*** w12 8/15 pp. 9-10 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
However, there was also an ominous side to the words of the prophet Azariah. He warned: “If you leave [Jehovah] he will leave you.” Never may that happen to us, for the consequences can be tragic! (2 Pet. 2:20-22) The Scriptures do not reveal why Jehovah sent Asa this warning, but the king failed to heed it.

*** w12 8/15 p. 9 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
2 Chron. 15:1, 2,

(2 CHRONICLES 15:7)

“But you, be strong and do not become discouraged, for your activity will be rewarded.””

*** w12 8/15 p. 9 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
Be courageous and do not let your hands drop down, because there exists a reward for your activity.”—2 Chron. 15:1, 2, 7.

*** w12 8/15 p. 9 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
“Be courageous,” said Azariah. It often takes great courage to do what is right, but we know that we can do so with Jehovah’s help.
Because Asa’s grandmother Maacah had made “a horrible idol to the sacred pole,” Asa faced the difficult task of removing her from her royal position as “lady.” He met the challenge and also burned her idol. (1 Ki. 15:13) Asa was blessed for his resolve and courage. We too must stick unflinchingly to Jehovah and his righteous standards whether our relatives are loyal to God or not. If we do, Jehovah will reward us for our faithful conduct.
Part of Asa’s reward was to see many Israelites from the apostate northern kingdom flow into Judah when they observed that Jehovah was with him. They appreciated pure worship so much that they chose to leave their homes in order to live among servants of Jehovah. Asa and all Judah then joyfully entered into ‘a covenant to search for Jehovah with all their heart and soul.’ The result? God “let himself be found by them; and Jehovah continued to give them rest all around.” (2 Chron. 15:9-15)

*** it-1 p. 1029 Hand ***
‘dropping the hands down,’ becoming discouraged (2Ch 15:7;

(2 CHRONICLES 15:8)

“As soon as Aʹsa heard these words and the prophecy of Oʹded the prophet, he took courage and removed the disgusting idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had captured from the mountainous region of Eʹphra•im, and he restored Jehovah’s altar that was before the porch of Jehovah.”

(2 CHRONICLES 15:17)

“But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, Aʹsa’s heart was complete all his life.”

*** it-1 pp. 183-184 Asa ***
The record at 2 Chronicles 14:2-5 states that Asa “removed the foreign altars and the high places and broke up the sacred pillars and cut down the sacred poles.” However, 1 Kings 15:14 and 2 Chronicles 15:17 indicate that “the high places he did not remove.” It may be, therefore, that the high places referred to in the earlier Chronicles account were those of the adopted pagan worship that infected Judah, while the Kings account refers to high places at which the people engaged in worship of Jehovah. Even after the setting up of the tabernacle and the later establishment of the temple, occasional sacrificing was done to Jehovah on high places, which was acceptable to him under special circumstances, as in the cases of Samuel, David, and Elijah. (1Sa 9:11-19; 1Ch 21:26-30; 1Ki 18:30-39) Nevertheless, the regular approved place for sacrifice was that authorized by Jehovah. (Nu 33:52; De 12:2-14; Jos 22:29) Improper modes of high-place worship may have continued in spite of the removal of the pagan high places, perhaps because the king did not pursue their elimination with the same vigor as he did the removal of the pagan sites. Or Asa may have effected a complete removal of all high places; but if so, such cropped up again in due time and had not been removed by the time of the conclusion of his reign, allowing for their being smashed by his successor Jehoshaphat.

*** it-1 pp. 1108-1109 High Places ***
Asa, who succeeded Abijam to the throne, served Jehovah in faithfulness and put forth decisive efforts to rid the kingdom of all appendages of false worship. (1Ki 15:11-13) “He removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense stands.” (2Ch 14:2-5) However, 1 Kings 15:14 and 2 Chronicles 15:17 apparently indicate that the high places were not removed. It may be that, although Asa removed the high places for worship of false gods, he left those at which the people worshiped Jehovah. Or, perhaps, high places cropped up again toward the end of his reign and were thereby present for his successor Jehoshaphat to destroy. But even during Jehoshaphat’s reign the high places did not fully disappear. (1Ki 22:42, 43; 2Ch 17:5, 6; 20:31-33) So entrenched was Judah’s worship at high places that the reforms of both Asa and Jehoshaphat could not remove all of them permanently.

(2 CHRONICLES 15:19)

“There was no war until the 35th year of Aʹsa’s reign.”

*** it-1 p. 184 Asa ***
So, too, the apparent difference between the statement at 2 Chronicles 15:19 to the effect that, as for “war, it did not occur down to the thirty-fifth [actually, the fifteenth] year of Asa’s reign,” and the statement at 1 Kings 15:16 to the effect that “warfare itself took place between Asa and Baasha the king of Israel all their days,” may be explained in that once conflicts began between the two kings they were thereafter continuous, even as Hanani had foretold.—2Ch 16:9.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:1)

“In the 36th year of the reign of Aʹsa, King Baʹa•sha of Israel came up against Judah and began to build up Raʹmah to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to King Aʹsa of Judah.”

*** w12 8/15 p. 10 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
In the 36th year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel made hostile moves against Judah. Perhaps to prevent his subjects from expressing loyalty to Asa and pure worship, Baasha began to fortify the border city of Ramah, five miles (8 km) north of Jerusalem.

*** w12 8/15 p. 10 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
2 Chron. 16:1

*** it-1 p. 184 Asa ***
The statement at 2 Chronicles 16:1 that Baasha came up against Judah “in the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa” has caused some question, since Baasha’s rule, beginning in the third year of Asa and lasting only 24 years, had terminated about 10 years prior to Asa’s 36th year of rule. (1Ki 15:33) While some suggest a scribal error and believe the reference is to the 16th or the 26th year of Asa’s reign, the assumption of such error is not required to harmonize the accounts. Jewish commentators quote the Seder Olam, which suggests that the 36th year was reckoned from the existence of the separate kingdom of Judah (997 B.C.E.) and corresponded to the 16th year of Asa (Rehoboam ruling 17 years, Abijah 3 years, and Asa now in his 16th year). (Soncino Books of the Bible, London, 1952, ftn on 2Ch 16:1) This was also the view of Archbishop Ussher.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:3)

““There is a treaty between me and you and between my father and your father. I am sending you silver and gold. Come, break your treaty with King Baʹa•sha of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.””

*** it-1 p. 184 Asa ***
Intrigue and Warfare Against Baasha. King Baasha of Israel set out to block the path of any inclining toward a return to Judah by fortifying the frontier city of Ramah, located on the main road to Jerusalem and only a short distance N of that city. Asa, by some process of human reasoning or because of heeding bad counsel, now failed to rely solely on Jehovah and resorted to diplomacy and conspiratorial maneuvering to remove this threat. He took the temple treasures and those from the royal house and sent them as a bribe to King Ben-hadad I of Syria to induce him to divert Baasha’s attention through an attack on Israel’s northern frontier. Ben-hadad I accepted, and his raid on Israelite cities in the N disrupted Baasha’s building work and brought a withdrawal of his forces from Ramah. Asa now conscripted all the available manpower from the entire kingdom of Judah and carried off all Baasha’s supplies of building materials, using them to build up the cities of Geba and Mizpah.—1Ki 15:16-22; 2Ch 16:1-6.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:4)

“Ben-haʹdad listened to King Aʹsa and sent the chiefs of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they struck down Iʹjon, Dan, Aʹbel-maʹim, and all the storage places of the cities of Naphʹta•li.”

*** it-1 p. 16 Abel-beth-maacah ***
The surrounding fertile, well-watered fields doubtless gave rise to another merited name, Abel-maim (meaning “Watercourse of Waters”). Its situation made it a good storage place.—2Ch 16:4.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:9)

“For the eyes of Jehovah are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him. You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on there will be wars against you.””

*** cl chap. 4 pp. 42-43 pars. 15-16 “Jehovah Is . . . Great in Power” ***
15 Jehovah also uses his power to benefit us as individuals. Note what 2 Chronicles 16:9 says: “As regards Jehovah, his eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.” Elijah’s experience, mentioned at the outset, is a case in point. Why did Jehovah give him that awesome demonstration of divine power? Well, wicked Queen Jezebel had vowed to have Elijah executed. The prophet was on the run, fleeing for his life. He felt alone, frightened, and discouraged—as if all his hard work had been in vain. To comfort the troubled man, Jehovah vividly reminded Elijah of divine power. The wind, the earthquake, and the fire showed that the most powerful Being in the universe was there with Elijah. What had he to fear from Jezebel, with the almighty God on his side?—1 Kings 19:1-12.
16 Although now is not his time for performing miracles, Jehovah has not changed since Elijah’s day. (1 Corinthians 13:8) He is just as eager today to use his power in behalf of those who love him. True, he dwells in a lofty spirit realm, but he is not far off from us. His power is limitless, so distance is no barrier. Rather, “Jehovah is near to all those calling upon him.” (Psalm 145:18) Once when the prophet Daniel called upon Jehovah for help, an angel appeared before he had even finished praying! (Daniel 9:20-23) Nothing can prevent Jehovah from helping and strengthening those whom he loves.—Psalm 118:6.

*** w02 10/15 p. 14 Jehovah Cares for You ***
Jehovah Seeks to Help Us
4 The Devil roves about in the earth, seeking to accuse and devour someone. (Job 1:7, 9; 1 Peter 5:8) In contrast, Jehovah seeks to help those who need his strength. The prophet Hanani told King Asa: “As regards Jehovah, his eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) What a difference between Satan’s hateful scrutiny and Jehovah’s loving care!

*** it-1 p. 184 Asa ***
So, too, the apparent difference between the statement at 2 Chronicles 15:19 to the effect that, as for “war, it did not occur down to the thirty-fifth [actually, the fifteenth] year of Asa’s reign,” and the statement at 1 Kings 15:16 to the effect that “warfare itself took place between Asa and Baasha the king of Israel all their days,” may be explained in that once conflicts began between the two kings they were thereafter continuous, even as Hanani had foretold.—2Ch 16:9.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:11)

“Now the history of Aʹsa, from beginning to end, is written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and of Israel.”

*** w09 3/15 p. 32 Questions From Readers ***
On the other hand, certain references may be to books that have names similar to books of the Bible but that are not actually part of the Bible. We might illustrate this with four ancient books: “the book of the affairs of the times of the kings of Judah,” “the Book of the Kings of Judah and of Israel,” “the Book of the Kings of Israel,” and “the Book of the Kings of Israel and of Judah.” While those names may sound similar to the names of the Bible books we know as 1 Kings and 2 Kings, the four books were not inspired, nor do those books find a place in the Bible canon. (1 Ki. 14:29; 2 Chron. 16:11; 20:34; 27:7) They were likely just historical writings available back in the period when the prophet Jeremiah and Ezra wrote the accounts that we have in the Bible.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:12)

“In the 39th year of his reign, Aʹsa developed an ailment in his feet until he became very sick; and even in his sickness, he turned, not to Jehovah, but to the healers.”

*** w12 8/15 p. 10 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
2 Chron. 16:12

*** w12 8/15 p. 10 “There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ***
In the 39th year of his reign, Asa became very ill with an ailment in his feet. “Even in his sickness he searched not for Jehovah but for the healers,” says the account. At that time, Asa seems to have been neglecting his spiritual health.

*** it-1 p. 184 Asa ***
Illness and Death. Asa’s last three years brought suffering due to an illness of the feet (perhaps gout), and he unwisely sought physical healing over spiritual healing.

(2 CHRONICLES 16:14)

“So they buried him in the grand burial place that he had excavated for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bier that had been filled with balsam oil and different sorts of ingredients mixed into a specially made ointment. Further, they made an extraordinarily great funeral burning for him.”

*** w05 12/1 p. 20 par. 5 Highlights From the Book of Second Chronicles ***
16:13, 14—Was Asa cremated? No, the “extraordinarily great funeral burning” refers, not to the cremation of Asa, but to the burning of spices.—Footnote.

*** it-1 p. 378 Burial, Burial Places ***
Spices such as myrrh and aloes were customarily included in with such bandages (Joh 19:39, 40), or the body might be laid in oil and ointment, as was done with King Asa’s body. (2Ch 16:14) The great “funeral burning” mentioned in this latter case was evidently a burning of such spices, giving off an aromatic incense.

*** it-1 p. 722 Embalming ***
The Scriptures, in telling about the burial of King Asa, state: “They laid him in the bed that had been filled with balsam oil and different sorts of ointment mixed in an ointment of special make. Further, they made an extraordinarily great funeral burning for him.” This was not cremation of the king, but a burning of spices. (2Ch 16:13, 14) And, if this use of an ointment may be considered a form of embalming at all, it was not the type practiced by the Egyptians.

*** it-2 p. 547 Ointment and Perfumes ***
When perfumed ointments of special make were used in preparing a corpse for burial, they no doubt served primarily as disinfectants and deodorants. (2Ch 16:14; Lu 23:56) With such usage in mind, Jesus explained that the anointing he received in the house of Simon the leper, which consisted of very costly perfumed oil the scent of which filled the whole house, was in a figurative sense “for the preparation of me for burial.” (Mt 26:6-12; Joh 12:3)

(2 CHRONICLES 17:6)

“His heart became bold in the ways of Jehovah, and he even removed the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.”

*** w09 6/15 p. 12 par. 4 Be “Zealous for Fine Works”! ***
Asa “removed the foreign altars and the high places and broke up the sacred pillars and cut down the sacred poles.” (2 Chron. 14:3) Jehoshaphat, fired by his zeal for the worship of Jehovah, “removed the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.”—2 Chron. 17:6; 19:3.

*** w09 6/15 p. 12 Be “Zealous for Fine Works”! ***
Asa may have removed the high places associated with the worship of false gods but not those where people worshipped Jehovah. Or it may be that high places were rebuilt in the latter part of Asa’s reign and that these were removed by his son Jehoshaphat.—1 Ki. 15:14; 2 Chron. 15:17.

(2 CHRONICLES 17:17)

“And out of Benjamin was E•liʹa•da, a mighty warrior, and with him were 200,000 men equipped with the bow and shield.”

*** it-1 p. 171 Arms, Armor ***
The smaller “shield” or “buckler” (Heb., ma•ghenʹ) was customarily carried by archers and is usually associated with light weapons such as the bow. For instance, it was carried by Benjaminite bowmen of Judean King Asa’s military force. (2Ch 14:8) The smaller shield was usually round and more common than the large shield, probably being used chiefly in hand-to-hand fighting. That the Hebrew tsin•nahʹ and ma•ghenʹ differed considerably in size seems to be indicated by the gold shields Solomon made, the large shield being overlaid with four times as much gold as the smaller shield, or buckler. (1Ki 10:16, 17; 2Ch 9:15, 16) Ma•ghenʹ, like tsin•nahʹ, seems to be used as part of a formula for weapons of war.—2Ch 14:8; 17:17; 32:5.

(2 CHRONICLES 18:25)

“Then the king of Israel said: “Take Mi•caiʹah and turn him over to Aʹmon the chief of the city and to Joʹash the king’s son.”

*** it-2 p. 81 Joash ***
6. One of those into whose custody the faithful prophet Micaiah was committed for imprisonment by Ahab. He is designated “the king’s son.” (1Ki 22:26, 27; 2Ch 18:25, 26) This expression may refer to an offspring of King Ahab or it could denote an official of royal descent or someone else closely connected with the royal household.

(2 CHRONICLES 19:3)

“Nevertheless, there are good things that have been found in you, because you cleared out the sacred poles from the land and you have prepared your heart to search for the true God.””

*** cl chap. 24 p. 245 par. 12 Nothing Can “Separate Us From God’s Love” ***
12 An even more positive example may be found in good King Jehoshaphat. When the king committed a foolish act, Jehovah’s prophet told him: “For this there is indignation against you from the person of Jehovah.” What a sobering thought! But Jehovah’s message did not end there. It went on: “Nevertheless, there are good things that have been found with you.” (2 Chronicles 19:1-3) So Jehovah’s righteous anger did not blind him to the good in Jehoshaphat. How unlike imperfect humans! When upset with others, we may tend to become blind to the good in them. And when we sin, the disappointment, shame, and guilt that we feel may blind us to the good in ourselves. Remember, though, that if we repent of our sins and strive hard not to repeat them, Jehovah forgives us.

*** w05 12/1 p. 20 par. 12 Highlights From the Book of Second Chronicles ***
19:1-3. Jehovah looks for the good in us even when we give him reasons to be angry with us.

*** w03 7/1 p. 17 par. 13 “God Is Love” ***
13 The Bible reveals something else that assures us of Jehovah’s love. He looks for and values the good in us. Take, for example, good King Jehoshaphat. When the king committed a foolish act, Jehovah’s prophet told him: “For this there is indignation against you from the person of Jehovah.” What a sobering thought! But Jehovah’s message did not end there. It went on: “Nevertheless, there are good things that have been found with you.” (2 Chronicles 19:1-3) So Jehovah’s righteous anger did not blind him to the “good things” about Jehoshaphat. Is it not reassuring to know that our God looks for the good in us even though we are imperfect?

(2 CHRONICLES 19:4)

“Je•hoshʹa•phat continued living in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beʹer-sheʹba to the mountainous region of Eʹphra•im, to bring them back to Jehovah the God of their forefathers.”

*** it-1 p. 277 Beer-sheba ***
Beer-sheba came to stand for the southernmost point in describing the length of the Promised Land, as expressed in the proverbial phrase “from Dan down to Beer-sheba” (Jg 20:1), or, in a converse direction, “from Beer-sheba to Dan.” (1Ch 21:2; 2Ch 30:5) After the division of the nation into two kingdoms, Beer-sheba continued to be used to indicate the southern extremity of the kingdom of Judah in the expressions “from Geba as far as Beer-sheba” (2Ki 23:8) and “from Beer-sheba to the mountainous region of Ephraim” (where the northern kingdom of Israel began). (2Ch 19:4) In postexilic times the expression was used in a yet more limited form to refer to the area occupied by the repatriated men of Judah, extending from Beer-sheba “clear to the valley of Hinnom.”—Ne 11:27, 30.
In reality, there were other towns of the Promised Land that lay to the S of Beer-sheba, even as there were Israelite towns N of Dan. However, both Dan and Beer-sheba were situated at natural frontiers of the land. In the case of Beer-sheba, its position was below the mountains of Judah on the edge of the desert. Additionally, it was one of the principal cities of Judah (along with Jerusalem and Hebron), and this was not only because it had an excellent supply of water as compared with the surrounding region, thus allowing for both farming and grazing of herds and flocks, but also because important roads converged on it from several directions. From Egypt an ancient route led up by the “Way of the Wells” through Kadesh-barnea to Beer-sheba, being joined by another road over which traveled the camel caravans from the “Spice Kingdoms” of the Arabian Peninsula, heading for Philistia or Judah. From Ezion-geber, at the head of the Gulf of ʽAqaba, another route led up through the Arabah and then turned W, climbing the Ascent of Akrabbim to Beer-sheba. At Gaza, in the Philistine Plain, a road branching from the highway led SE to Beer-sheba. And, connecting it with the rest of Judah, a road ran from Beer-sheba to the NE, climbing the plateau up into the mountains of Judah to Jerusalem and points farther N.—Ge 22:19.

(2 CHRONICLES 19:7)

“Now let the fear of Jehovah be upon you. Be careful about what you do, for with Jehovah our God there is no injustice, no partiality, no bribe-taking.””

*** w11 8/1 p. 28 A Day of High Hopes and Happy Expectations ***
“Let the Dread of Jehovah Be Upon You”
Anthony Morris of the Governing Body explained the meaning of the Scriptural phrase “the dread of Jehovah.” (2 Chronicles 19:7) Those words do not refer to any kind of morbid terror but, rather, to an intense desire to do what is right, a respect so intense and sincere as to be characterized by nervous trembling.

*** w86 10/1 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***
What is bribery, and what does the Bible say about it? The World Book Encyclopedia explains: “Bribery means giving or offering something of value to a person in a position of trust, who in return violates his or her duty or the law in order to benefit the giver.” Thus it is bribery to give money (or a gift) to a judge to influence his decision and pervert justice. It is also bribery to offer money so as to circumvent the law, such as asking a building or automobile inspector to ignore a violation.
God condemns bribery, telling Israelite judges: “You must not pervert judgment. You must not be partial or accept a bribe, for the bribe blinds the eyes of wise ones and distorts the words of righteous ones.” (Deuteronomy 16:19; compare Proverbs 17:23; Isaiah 1:23; 5:23; 1 Samuel 8:3-5.) Jehovah himself sets the standard, for with him “there is no unrighteousness or partiality or taking of a bribe.” (2 Chronicles 19:7; Deuteronomy 10:17) Christians desiring God’s approval refuse to resort to bribery.—Compare Acts 24:26.

(2 CHRONICLES 19:11)

“Here is Am•a•riʹah the chief priest who is over you for every matter of Jehovah. Zeb•a•diʹah the son of Ishʹma•el is the leader of the house of Judah for every matter pertaining to the king. And the Levites will serve as officers for you. Be strong and act, and let Jehovah be with those who do what is good.””

*** it-1 p. 87 Amariah ***
3. Chief priest “for every matter of Jehovah,” especially legal cases, during Jehoshaphat’s reign.—2Ch 19:11.

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