Dave Burnette's Commentary

2 Chronicles Chapter 16

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Ezra
Date Penned: (430 BC)
Overview: A History of God's Chosen People (c 1-36)
Theme: The Kingdom of Judah (c 10-36)
Message: Asa Forgets God (v 1-14)

2 Chronicles 16 Commentary 

(16:7-10) Asa chooses Men over God - Judah suffered from faithless forgetfulness. Although God had delivered the people even when they were outnumbered (13:3-22; 14:9-15), they repeatedly sought help from pagan nations rather than from God. That Asa sought help from Syria was evidence of national spiritual decline. With help from God alone, Asa had defeated the Ethiopians in open battle. But his confidence in God had weakened, and now he sought only a human solution to his problem. When confronted by the prophet Hanani, Asa threw him in prison, revealing the true condition of his heart. It is not sin to use human means to solve our problems, but it is sin to trust them more than God, to think their ways are better than God's ways, or to leave God completely out of the problem-solving process.


(16:10) Asa throughs Hanani in Jail -  Asa was angry with Hanani's message, so he threw the prophet in jail. God's truth will not always be welcomed with open arms, especially when it reveals people's sins. But we must speak and live by God's truth, no matter how people respond.


(16:12) Asa denies God's Help -  The criticism of Asa's visit to the physicians was not a general indictment of medicine. Asa's problem was that he completely ignored God's help. The medicine practiced at this time was a mixture of superstition and folk remedies. We should certainly avoid any pseudomedical treatment derived from occult sources. Asa's experience should also encourage us to follow the New Testament practice of receiving prayer for our sickness (James Sil4) as we seek responsible medical help.


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Don't Forget the Lord

 

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of 2 Chronicles with Chapter 16 and we see Asa forget the Lord when faced with another battle. When the Lord sent a messenger to Asa he through the messenger in jail. Asa forgetting the Lord even affected him when seeking help for his ailing health which resulted in an early death. In making application we see that we too can forget God. We can easily forget what the Lord has done for us. The danger in this is that we will look toward man instead of the Lord when we face battles in our lives. The Lord gave his people feasts to remember the past victories, he told them to make memorials to remember what God has done, and we too need to remember what the Lord has done in any way possible. I have seen some have a spiritual birthday party to remember the day they were saved, keeping a journal, making a memorial around the home, etc... How about you? Do you forget what the Lord has done for you? Let us learn from our text today and the life of Asa to not forget what the Lord has done in your life.

 

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2 Chronicles 16

2 Chronicles 16

 1In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

 2Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

 3There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

 4And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

 5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.

 6Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.

 7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

 8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.

 9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

 10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

 11And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

 12And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

 13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

 14And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.