2 Chronicles 11 – 15
Verse 12:1 starts showing the dysfunction of the family:
When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
Notice in Kings and Chronicles how much time was spent on David and Solomon, then you get the rest of the kings crammed into less space than they received. Often they were short and uneventful reigns or were a major turn away from God. With Rehoboam I wonder if he was still influenced by David’s drift. Think about how Solomon must of father his children with his mother being the one who unraveled David’s family.
Also, one needs to consider Solomon’s taking many foreign wives and his allowing them to worship foreign gods. In Solomon’s later life he was believed to have started to follow the other gods with his wives. He drifted into idolatry and was said to have written a book of chants to summon demons. So when reflecting on that you can see how one of his sons would “abandon” the Lord.
Verse 14:2 is a common comment:
And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
Now I say it’s common, but rather the statement that they did either good or evil in the eyes of the Lord is the commonality of the historical record of the kings. In this case Asa came after Abijah, Rehoboam son, was good in the eyes of the Lord. So we see in 3 chapters we get and lose two kings. Chapter 14 starts with the third king of Judah since Solomon’s death. Although Chronicles does not highlight the spilt, you notice the tribes of Israel have split into two factions, each with their own king. You will notice how they reference one king to who is reigning in the other nation.
Verse 15:2 is from a prophet, Azariah, who gives Asa a warning we all should consider:
and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
We all need to seek God first and foremost. I know for a fact if you do not seek him he will not “forsake” you completely since my college and post college years I turned my back on Him. Even during that time I could see His hand working in my life! He did not leave me alone. Now does that justify turning and partying? No, we should not tempt God!
Verses 15:12 – 13 gets into the harshness and I think over reaction to making sure they did not forsake God:
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
As I go through the Old Testament and read about the death penalties that were given for stuff that is heralded today is a concern. Today we live a nation where the majority does not seek God! Would God really want us to kill off half the nation for not seeking the Lord? Then really you would have to consider how many people believe, but don’t actively seek the Lord? Would we have to kill them also? In this case the “law” was clearly man’s doing. What about the “Book of the Law”? Did God really put to death people for what seems like minor things today? If so will we see that kind of wrath again or did Jesus buffer us from it?