2 Chronicles
Chapter 16
In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha, king of Israel, invaded Judah. He fortified Ramah to blockade Asa, king of Judah.
Asa then took the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s house and the royal palace and sent it with the following message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus:
“Let there be a Covenant between myself and you, as between my father and your father! With this, I send you silver and gold. Come, break off your alliance with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he goes away from me.
Ben-hadad agreed and sent his generals against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the garrison towns of Naphtali.
When Baasha heard this, he stopped fortifying Ramah, abandoning this work.
King Asa then brought all the people of Judah, who took away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Ramah, and the king used them to fortify Geba and Mizpah.
It was then that Hanani, the prophet, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said: “Since you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram will escape from you.
Did not the Cushites and Libyans form a vast army with great numbers of chariots and horses? And were they not delivered into your power because you relied on the Lord?
The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world to give strength to those devoted to him wholeheartedly. You have acted foolishly in this matter, so from now on, you will have wars.”
Asa was very angry with the prophet and had him put in chains in prison, for he was angry because of these words. At the same time, Asa treated some others harshly as well.
The history of Asa, from first to last, is recorded in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
A disease attacked Asa from head to foot in the thirty-ninth year of his reign; and what is more, he turned in his sickness, not to the Lord, but to doctors.
Then Asa rested with his fathers in the forty-first year of his reign.
They buried him in the tomb he had ordered to be dug for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a couch covered with spices and varied ointments, products of the perfumer’s skill, and lit a massive fire.
Commentaries
The Kings of Judah Until the Exile.
The final section of the Chronicler’s work focuses on the history of the kingdom of Judah, covering from Solomon to the exile, with little mention of the Northern Kingdom. For the Chronicler, the kingdom of Judah represents the entire nation of Israel. The primary standard for judging each king is their loyalty to God. Four notable figures stand out as models of this loyalty: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, and especially Hezekiah. The prophets are also depicted alongside the kings, delivering messages that include warnings and sincere calls to stay loyal to the Lord. Ultimately, the Chronicler encourages the post-exilic community to seek God and remain faithful to the One who has remained true to his people despite their difficulties.
Positive Phase.
The reign begins by presenting Rehoboam as obedient to the Word of the Lord, who instructs him not to fight against Jeroboam. The list of cities (5-12) is likely authentic, although it is probable that they were only fortified after the invasion of Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt (12:1-12). Through the removal of priests and Levites (13-17), the author emphasizes that the center of worship is in Jerusalem and that the Levites have been loyal to the Temple from the start.
Negative Phase.
Through a pattern of sin, humiliation, and forgiveness, the Chronicler applies the doctrine of retribution to Rehoboam’s case. In response to the abandonment of his Law, the Lord demands humiliation from both the king and the people through the prophet Shemaiah (6:7, 12). As the people humble themselves, the Lord spares Judah from destruction (12). The chapter concludes by characterizing Rehoboam as one who “did evil because he did not set his heart to serve the Lord” (14).
The Faithfulness of Abijah.
Building on the account in 1 Kings 15:1-8, the Chronicler revises the story from a new perspective. Although he only reigned for three years, the Chronicler presents the king as faithful to God, a worthy successor to David and Solomon. The war against Jeroboam (3) is probably real and offers a chance to include a speech by Abijah to the northern tribes (4-12): those in the north (8.11) are not part of the Lord’s kingdom; they do not have a legitimate dynasty, only a usurper king; they worship idols instead of the true God, and they lack priests or proper worship. To fight against Judah (10) is to fight against the Lord (12). The logical result is Jeroboam’s defeat (13-18).
Asa of Judah.
These three chapters about Asa’s reign update the details found in 1 Kings 15:9-24. In the Book of Kings, Asa’s character is unclear. The Chronicler clears up these inconsistencies by dividing the story into two parts. The first part (14 and the following chapters) focuses on religious reforms and ends with a great victory. Then, two sins happen: seeking help from a foreign nation (16:1-6), which shows disloyalty by not trusting the Lord; and persecuting a prophet who tells him to repent and seek God (16:7-10). As a result, ongoing wars and an illness follow, eventually leading to his death (16:11-14). By trusting only human cures, the king shows he hasn’t truly understood his illness and makes his sin worse. This makes his reign a clear example of the principle of retribution.