2 CHRONICLES 14, 15 AND 16 (FROM CAC'S NOTES)
[p. 389] 2 CHRONICLES 14, 15 AND 16 (FROM CAC’S NOTES)
2 Chronicles 14: 1 to 2 Chronicles 16: 14
Asa maintains and carries forward the recovery granted to his father, and for ten years he had rest. He faithfully dealt with all the religious abominations that had come in after the house had been built. He also felt the need for building fortified cities, using the time of rest from war to prepare strength in view of future danger. In a time of recovery we have to see that nothing is allowed that is not in line with the recovered truth, and we have also to see that the military position is strengthened against any forcible movement of the enemy. In a time of quietness the assemblies are to be built up (Acts 9: 31).
Zerah the Ethiopian represents the hostility of the natural man in his darkness against what is of God. The faithfulness of Asa called out this opposition so that the question was really between God and man. It was a clear-cut issue. So that it made no difference whether there was much or no power with them who were attacked. It was Jehovah and His army. So there is absolute victory; none of the enemy were left alive, and very much spoil was secured. It is always so when the enemy is met in reliance upon God. Every form of opposition brings out the truth more clearly, so that the saints become stronger at the very points which have been attacked. I doubt whether we really stand intelligently in any truth until we have to meet darkness as to it, either in ourselves or in others. It is a real help to us when Zerah comes with apparently overwhelming power because we are acting faithfully in a day of recovery. We see also that there was offering to God out of [p. 390] the spoil, so His service was enriched.
And there was, in addition, a great confirmation by the Spirit of God through Azariah. God’s fixed principles of acting come in as a great encouragement in a day of recovery. Verse 2 of chapter 15 indicates fixed principles answering to 2 Timothy. Every victorious conflict is a source of strength, and the prophetic word gives intelligent assurance. “There is a reward for your deeds” (verse 7).
So we find there is a further putting away of abominations (verse 8). This occurs repeatedly as though to remind us that there is always something which may be found out as inconsistent with the holy service of God.
Then there is a covenant — a definite committal to seek Jehovah.
It is beautiful to see Asa acting with such decision and faithfulness for 35 years but this makes it the more sorrowful that he did not rely upon Jehovah when Baasha came up and built Ramah. This is a warning to old saints who may have had a fairly good record in the past. There is often a tendency to drop down to reliance upon human means even after proving God’s faithfulness in a remarkable way for many years. Something occurs which restricts our liberty, or is a check in some way, and we do not turn to God about it but we make use of some human expedient and it apparently succeeds, but God has something to say about it. He knows exactly when we depart from reliance on Himself, and He feels it. The more we have relied on Him in the past the more He feels it if we cease to rely on Him. His eyes run to and fro to shew Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect. He is ever looking out for an opportunity to shew Himself strong. When we rely on human resources in a difficulty we rob Him of a pleasure.
We are not told just how Asa’s failure came about. It would appear that he had no consciousness of having [p. 391] ceased to rely upon Jehovah. He was “wroth” and “enraged” with the seer and put him in prison. His will was seen strongly at work. It is a sad spectacle! An old brother in a remarkable time of recovery allowed to fall back into himself so as to deny all that had once been precious to him. We may be sure that there was a sorrowful working of the flesh. It is put on record as a warning to us that Satan may trip us up even at the end of a long and faithful life. He resents the word of God; he oppresses some of the people, and in the last two years of his life he was diseased in his feet until his disease was extremely great. There is no recovery — a very solemn thing.