SUMMARY
Two kings illustrate the necessity of reliance upon the Lord for the Chronicler, whose favorable assessment of Abijah is at odds with that of Kings, where he is known as Abijam. His famous speech (13:4-12) is often seen as the clearest exposition of the Chronicler’s distinctive theology. Asa begins his reign trusting in God and is successful. The closing portion of his reign, however, illustrates the dire consequences of Asa’s lack of trust.
ANALYSIS
The fivefold repetition of the verb “rely” (13:18; 14:11; 16:7 [twice], 8), unique to chapters 13-16, suggests that the reigns of Abijah and Asa are to be treated as a unit concerned with reliance upon God. In contrast to the utter condemnation of Abijah/Abijam in 1 Kings 15:3-6, the Chronicler uses Abijah, foolish Rehoboam’s son and successor, as illustrative of the faithful king whose address (2 Chronicles 13:4-12) has long been seen as a compendium of the Chronicler’s theological themes: David’s throne, Solomon’s TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More, and “all Israel.”
This famous address clearly differentiates between Israel (addressed as “you” in verses 5-9) and JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More (the “we” of verses 10-12a):
- Judah is ruled by a descendant of DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More whom God chose by a “covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More of salt” (v. 5). The covenant of salt refers to God’s promise to the Aaronic priests (Numbers 18:19) and attests to the eternal nature of God’s election of David’s house. Israel, however, by following Jeroboam’s rebellion, has rejected God (2 Chronicles 13:5-8a).
- Judah continues to worship in the Jerusalem Temple led by priests who are descendants of AaronMoses' brother and spokesman, and Israel's first high priest. More and attended by Levites. Israel, however, by driving out the priests and worshiping Jeroboam’s golden calves, has once again abandoned God (13:8b-12a).
As a result of Rehoboam’s foolish handling of Jeroboam’s rebellion, both north and south have fallen short of the Chronicler’s ideal and find themselves in direct military conflict. Abijah addresses the north by recounting the divine favor that had rested upon the united monarchy of David and SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. More (13:4-5). He also tells the story of the rebellion of Jeroboam (13:6-7). He goes on to note the centralized priesthood in Jerusalem and the functionality of its Temple (13:9-11) as testimonies to God’s continued favor upon Judah and the futility of Israel’s rebellion (13:12). Abijah’s subsequent routing of Israel proves his point, with the Chronicler noting, “The Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hands” (13:16). Later in the Chronicler’s history, HezekiahJudean king noted for his reforms in time of Isaiah. More will be another righteousA righteous person is one who is ethical and faithful to God's covenant. Righteousness in the Old Testament is an attitude of God; in the New Testament it is a gift of God through grace. In the New Testament righteousness is a relationship with God... More Judahite king who offers an invitation to the north to return under united Davidic sovereignty following the fall of Samaria (the capital of Israel) to the Assyrians in 722 BCE (2 Chronicles 30:6-9).
The rest of the text illustrates Abijah’s reliance upon God. Despite being outnumbered two to one (2 Chronicles 13:3) and outflanked (v. 13), the Judean forces succeed “because they relied on the LORD” (v. 18). The victory provides tangible proof that Abijah’s address had correctly assessed the situation.
The theme of reliance continues with the account of Asa (14:2-16:14). Within these chapters, two Hebrew roots of crucial importance to the Chronicler, each meaning “to seek” (darash and biqqesh), appear a total of nine times (darash: 14:4, 7 [twice]; 15:2, 12, 13; 16:12; biqqesh: 15:4, 15). The Chronicler may have been troubled by references in his source to a foreign alliance with Ben-Hadad of Damascus (1 Kings 15:19) and Asa’s diseased feet (1 Kings 15:23), both of which seemed to contradict the evaluation that Asa’s heart “was true to the LORD all his days” (2 Kings 15:14). To resolve the contradiction, the Chronicler has recast his account of Asa into two periods: one typifying the blessings of faithfulness (14:2-15:19) and a second typifying the consequences of apostasy (16:1-14). The Chronicler frequently recasts the reigns of kings in this way when he disagrees with the evaluation offered in his source (see RehoboamThe son of Solomon during whose reign the kingdom divided into north and south. More, Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah for examples of good kings gone bad; and Manasseh, the only example of a bad king gone good).
Another of the Chronicler’s favorite techniques, concentric arrangement of narrative material, highlights the contrasts for us: At the heart of the text is the disparity between Asa’s covenant renewal (2 Chronicles 15:9-19) and his disastrous covenant (“alliance,” NRSVUE) with Ben-Hadad (16:1-3). This contrast is flanked by the positive elements of his victory over Zerah and the Ethiopians (a direct consequence of his “reliance” upon God) and his religious reforms in response to Azariah’s prophetic word (14:8-15:8), and by the negative contrast of his later lack of “reliance” and the seer Hanani’s prophetic rebuke (16:7-10). Framing the whole is the stark contrast between the report of Asa’s prosperity as a result of seeking the Lord (14:1b-8), and the report of his gangrenous feet and his failure to seek the Lord (16:11-14).
Asa’s reign consisted of 35 good years and 6 other years. In fairness, the Chronicler reports that Asa was buried with honors despite his fall from graceGrace is the unmerited gift of God's love and acceptance. In Martin Luther's favorite expression from the Apostle Paul, we are saved by grace through faith, which means that God showers grace upon us even though we do not deserve it. More.
