17 But the high places H1116 were not taken away H5493 out of Israel: H3478 nevertheless the heart H3824 of Asa H609 was perfect H8003 all his days. H3117
Take heed H8104 to thyself that thou offer H5927 not thy burnt offerings H5930 in every place H4725 that thou seest: H7200 But in the place H4725 which the LORD H3068 shall choose H977 in one H259 of thy tribes, H7626 there thou shalt offer H5927 thy burnt offerings, H5930 and there thou shalt do H6213 all that I command H6680 thee.
Only the people H5971 sacrificed H2076 in high places, H1116 because there was no house H1004 built H1129 unto the name H8034 of the LORD, H3068 until those days. H3117 And Solomon H8010 loved H157 the LORD, H3068 walking H3212 in the statutes H2708 of David H1732 his father: H1 only he sacrificed H2076 and burnt incense H6999 in high places. H1116 And the king H4428 went H3212 to Gibeon H1391 to sacrifice H2076 there; for that H1931 was the great H1419 high place: H1116 a thousand H505 burnt offerings H5930 did Solomon H8010 offer H5927 upon that altar. H4196
For he took away H5493 the altars H4196 of the strange H5236 gods, and the high places, H1116 and brake down H7665 the images, H4676 and cut down H1438 the groves: H842 And commanded H559 Judah H3063 to seek H1875 the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers, H1 and to do H6213 the law H8451 and the commandment. H4687 Also he took away H5493 out of all the cities H5892 of Judah H3063 the high places H1116 and the images: H2553 and the kingdom H4467 was quiet H8252 before H6440 him.
And at that time H6256 Hanani H2607 the seer H7200 came H935 to Asa H609 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 and said H559 unto him, Because thou hast relied H8172 on the king H4428 of Syria, H758 and not relied H8172 on the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 therefore is the host H2428 of the king H4428 of Syria H758 escaped H4422 out of thine hand. H3027 Were not the Ethiopians H3569 and the Lubims H3864 a huge H7230 host, H2428 with very H3966 many H7235 chariots H7393 and horsemen? H6571 yet, because thou didst rely H8172 on the LORD, H3068 he delivered H5414 them into thine hand. H3027 For the eyes H5869 of the LORD H3068 run to and fro H7751 throughout the whole earth, H776 to shew himself strong H2388 in the behalf of them whose heart H3824 is perfect H8003 toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: H5528 therefore from henceforth H6258 thou shalt have H3426 wars. H4421 Then Asa H609 was wroth H3707 with the seer, H7200 and put H5414 him in a prison H4115 house; H1004 for he was in a rage H2197 with him because of this thing. And Asa H609 oppressed H7533 some of the people H5971 the same time. H6256 And, behold, the acts H1697 of Asa, H609 first H7223 and last, H314 lo, they are written H3789 in the book H5612 of the kings H4428 of Judah H3063 and Israel. H3478 And Asa H609 in the thirty H7970 and ninth H8672 year H8141 of his reign H4438 was diseased H2456 in his feet, H7272 until his disease H2483 was exceeding H4605 great: yet in his disease H2483 he sought H1875 not to the LORD, H3068 but to the physicians. H7495
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 15
2Ch 15:1-15. Judah Makes a Solemn Covenant with God.
1. Azariah the son of Oded—This prophet, who is mentioned nowhere else, appears at this stage of the sacred story in the discharge of an interesting mission. He went to meet Asa, as he was returning from his victorious pursuit of the Ethiopians, and the congratulatory address here recorded was publicly made to the king in presence of his army.
2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him—You have had, in your recent signal success, a remarkable proof that God's blessing is upon you; your victory has been the reward of your faith and piety. If you steadfastly adhere to the cause of God, you may expect a continuance of His favor; but if you abandon it, you will soon reap the bitter fruits of apostasy.
3-6. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, &c.—Some think that Azariah was referring to the sad and disastrous condition to which superstition and idolatry had brought the neighboring kingdom of Israel. His words should rather be taken in a wider sense, for it seems manifest that the prophet had his eye upon many periods in the national history, when the people were in the state described—a state of spiritual destitution and ignorance—and exhibited its natural result as widespread anarchy, mutual dissension among the tribes, and general suffering (Jud 9:23; 12:4; 20:21; 2Ch 13:17). These calamities God permitted to befall them as the punishment of their apostasy. Azariah's object in these remarks was to establish the truth of his counsel (2Ch 15:2), threatening, in case of neglecting it by describing the uniform course of the divine procedure towards Israel, as shown in all periods of their history. Then after this appeal to national experience, he concluded with an earnest exhortation to the king to prosecute the work of reformation so well begun [2Ch 15:7].
7. Be ye strong—Great resolution and indomitable energy would be required to persevere in the face of the opposition your reforming measures will encounter.
your work shall be rewarded—What you do in the cause and for the glory of God will assuredly be followed by the happiest results both to yourself and your subjects.
8. when Asa heard … the prophecy of Oded the prophet—The insertion of these words, "of Oded the prophet," is generally regarded as a corruption of the text. "The sole remedy is to erase them. They are, probably, the remains of a note, which crept in from the margin into the text" [Bertheau].
he took courage—Animated by the seasonable and pious address of Azariah, Asa became a more zealous reformer than ever, employing all his royal authority and influence to extirpate every vestige of idolatry from the land.
and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim—He may have acquired cities of Ephraim, the conquest of which is not recorded (2Ch 17:2); but it has been commonly supposed that the reference is to cities which his father Abijah had taken in that quarter (2Ch 13:19).
renewed the altar of the Lord … before the porch—that is, the altar of burnt offering. As this was done on or about the fifteenth year of the reign of this pious king, the renewal must have consisted in some splendid repairs or embellishments, which made it look like a new dedication, or in a reconstruction of a temporary altar, like that of Solomon (2Ch 7:7), for extraordinary sacrifices to be offered on an approaching occasion.
9-15. he gathered all Judah and Benjamin—Not satisfied with these minor measures of purification and improvement, Asa meditated a grand scheme which was to pledge his whole kingdom to complete the work of reformation, and with this in view he waited for a general assembly of the people.
and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh—The population of Asa's kingdom had been vastly increased by the continued influx of strangers, who, prompted by motives either of interest or of piety, sought in his dominions that security and freedom which they could not enjoy amid the complicated troubles which distracted Israel.
and out of Simeon—Although a portion of that tribe, located within the territory of Judah, were already subjects of the southern kingdom, the general body of the Simeonites had joined in forming the northern kingdom of Israel. But many of them now returned of their own accord.
10-14. the third month—when was held the feast of pentecost. On this occasion, it was celebrated at Jerusalem by an extraordinary sacrifice of seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep, the spoil of the Ethiopians being offered. The assembled worshippers entered with great and holy enthusiasm into a national covenant "to seek the Lord their God … with all their heart and with all their soul;" and, at the same time, to execute with rigor the laws which made idolatry punishable with death (2Ch 15:13; De 17:2-5; Heb 10:28). The people testified unbounded satisfaction with this important religious movement, and its moral influence was seen in the promotion of piety, order, and tranquillity throughout the land.
18. the things that his father had dedicated—probably part of the booty obtained by his signal victory over Jeroboam, but which, though dedicated, had hitherto been unrepresented.
and that he himself had dedicated—of the booty taken from the Ethiopians. Both of these were now deposited in the temple as votive offerings to Him whose right hand and holy arm had given them the victory.