2 Chronicles 15 Observations
2 Chronicles 15:2 There are conditions to experiencing the presence of YAHUAH.
2 Chronicles 15:7 A great verse of encouragement.
2 Chronicles 15:8 This is how we know that we have heard from a true prophet or have received the true word of prophecy. Asa took spiritual house cleaning to another level. The Word of YAHUAH brought conviction which led to corresponding action. He not only put away idolatry and its accompanying paraphernalia, but he completed his turning away from idolatry by renewing the altar of the Most High. We need both in repentance—tearing down, building up, filling up—for repentance to be complete. Otherwise we will be a cake half done.
2 Chronicles 15:9 This is effective evangelism. We do not have to beg a lost and dying world to turn to YAHUAH. When they see that YAHUAH is with us, especially when end-time events ramp up even more, they will be drawn to His light shining forth through us.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
When Israel walked out of Egypt with a high hand, they did not go door to door begging those who chose to walk out with them to go with them. When the people saw that YAH was with Israel, they willingly, eagerly joined Israel thereby making the mixed multitude that came out of Egypt (Exodus 12:38).
2 Chronicles 15:10 3rd Month – Shavuot Pentecost
2 Chronicles 15:12 A covenant to see YAHUAH Elohim.
2 Chronicles 15:12 Loud voice, trumpets, cornets.
2 Chronicles 15:16 At this time, Asa was serious. So idolatry was still in the land, but the leader of the land stood firm in worshipping YAH and making worship of Him the policy (if you will).
Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Proverbs 14:34
How many are willing to not compromise truth by not caving to the iniquities of family members?
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Matthew 19:29
2 Chronicles 16 Observations
2 Chronicles 16:1-6 How soon we begin to rely on our own efforts and plans even after seeing YAH move mightily in the past on our behalf. Asa saw how YAH delivered Judah from the Ethiopians (2 Chron. 14:9-15). YAH certainly would have done so again. Surely Asa should have known this unless… unless… there was something not right going on with him.
When sin comes into in our lives, all trust, rest, confidence in YAHAUAH Elohim leaves us. Adam and Eve ducked and hid from YAH because of their sin (Gen. 3:8). They knew that they could have no confidence that YAH would want to fellowship with them as He had always done.
We do not know for sure if this is why Asa chose not to seek YAH over seeking out the Syrians for help. However, the writer of Chronicles made sure to include the detail that Asa did remove idolatry to a point in Israel, but did not take away the high places.
Yes, as the chronicler stated Asa’s heart was perfect toward YAH (15:17), but were his hands perfect toward Him? Based on observation here in this chapter, I would have to say, no. No, Asa’s hands were not perfect toward YAH. He had a heart to do right in protecting Judah from invaders, but he laid his hands on the treasures of Yah to make a league with a heathen king.
If his hands so freely and easily did this, what other ill-advised, sinful, iniquitous deeds were his hands doing?
We can only have complete rest, confidence and trust in YAHUAH Elohim and trust that He has our back when our hands are clean in agreement with our heart that we have for Him.
And thou shalt love YAHUAH thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mark 12:30
Our hands represent our strength. Notice the reference also to the heart in this verse.
Most if not all of us have done something that deep down inside we knew was not pleasing to YAH. Like many, we may have even spoken the words, “God knows my heart.” And yes, He does know our hearts, that we do want to do what pleases Him. But we must always remember that even though He knows our heart, He also sees our hands (actions).
Who shall ascend into the hill of YAHUAH? or who shall stand in his holy place?
Psalms 24:3
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:4
He shall receive the blessing from YAHUAH, and righteousness from the Elohim of his salvation.
Psalms 24:5
To have full confidence in YAHUAH in every circumstance and situation, our hands must righteously agree with our heart.
Have you ever seen how a young toddlers act when they do something that they know they should not have done? All the parents have to do is look in their direction and their head drops and their confidence leaves. In their hearts, they truly love their daddy and mommy and their daddy and mommy truly love them.
Yet in that moment of doing wrong, they have no confidence that their parents will swoop them up and cuddle with them. So, even young children demonstrate this heart, hand, confidence connection. Transgression of their parents’ instruction created a barrier to resting in confidence.
Is this not what happened to Peter. After his third denial, the Messiah merely looked at Peter without saying a word (Luke 22:61-62). Peter loved the Messiah in his heart, no doubt, but his confidence as even being one of His disciples was shattered because of his actions. The Messiah never stopped loving Peter, but Peter could not rest in knowing his love for him because of his breech.
Even animals in their behavior confirm this observation. Those who have dogs for pets have no doubt seen how it tucks its tail and hangs its head when it knows that it did something wrong that the owner disapproves of. It has no confidence in that moment that the owner would want to pet it much less play fetch with it.
For Asa to make such a ginormous misstep in 2 Chronicles 16 shows that for some reason, he had no confidence that YAH would hear Him as He did before and would deliver Judah as He had done previously.
If this was in fact the case, then why or what was the cause of his feeling this way? I propose that Asa had slipped into sin and even iniquity somewhere and somehow.
Practicing sin and iniquity will do this to us every time. I am not speaking of occasionally missing the mark here and there. All of us are guilty of this and there is forgiveness through YAHUSHA. I am writing here of the ongoing, deliberate practice of sin. All sin erodes our confidence that YAH hears and answers our prayers, but ongoing sin does more to sever our bond of trust and confidence in our Elohim.
The need for YAH to intervene on behalf of His covenant-keeping people is always present, but is ramping up in these last of the last days. It is imperative that we have complete and total trust and confidence that it is YAH’s good pleasure to deliver His people. Therefore, we must not ever get caught up in living in ongoing sin. Rather, we must insist upon our hands (actions) doing what is righteous in agreement with our heart for our Elohim.
2 Chronicles 16:7-8 Hanani rebukes Asa for relying on the world (the king of Syria in this case) instead of YAHUAH Elohim. He reminded Asa of what YAH did to the Ethiopians and the Lubins.
2 Chronicles 16:9 YAH absolutely wants to show Himself strong on behalf of those walking uprightly before Him. “… whose heart is perfect toward him…” As written above, our heart and hands must be in agreement for us to have complete trust in YAH who will show Himself strong on our behalf.
2 Chronicles 16:10 Confirmation that Asa’s hands were participating in imperfect acts. He so easily laid hands on the seer to put him in prison and laid hands on the people to oppress them. This is completely the character of the adversary who cares nothing for mankind. What else were Asa’s hands doing prior to his making a league with the king of Syria?
2 Chronicles 16:14 Did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob do burnings for the dead? I wonder if the modern-day candlelight vigils have any connection to this practice in 2 Chronicles 16:14.
2 Chronicles 17 Observations
2 Chronicles 17:3-6 The connection between having the presence of YAHUAH and mankind’s walking uprightly before Him in righteousness here on earth is repeatedly shown throughout Scripture. Why do we think that YAH changed His Way after YAHUSHA came the first time?
When He returns, will he return for lawless, idolatrous people? No. He is coming back for those who are upright in heart and who put not forth their hands to do iniquity and who do the righteous works of people who are righteous.
Same as our righteous father, Abraham, did. Same as our Messiah YAHUSHA did. Righteousness is one of the key themes in these times. Of course repentance is another.
ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of YAHUAH.
Psalms 119:1
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and
Psalms 119:2
that seek him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
Psalms 119:3
2 Chronicles 17:5 What’s in thy hand Jehoshaphat? The kingdom of Judah is in my hands. What will thy hand do in the kingdom of Judah, Jehoshaphat?
2 Chronicles 17:4 My hands will seek the Elohim of my righteous fathers. My hands will walk in the commandments of the Elohim of my righteous fathers. My hands will not walk after the idolatrous, iniquitous doings of Israel.
2 Chronicles 17:5 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
2 Chronicles 17:6 Upright in heart. Works (I mean Evidence): He took away the high places and groves out of Judah. This is the one thing that his father, Asa, neglected to do (2 Chron. 15:17).
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in Elohim might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Titus 3:8
2 Chronicles 17:7 Nice… He understood the foundational principle of first knowing what YAH’s Word says.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:2
2 Chronicles 17:8 He sent Levites—Some of the Levites were singers under David and Solomon. I wonder if they were singing Levites sent to teach the people to sing to and praise YAH?
2 Chronicles 17:7-9 This was no fake revival under Jehoshaphat. The Word, Law of YAHUAH, was front and center in this revival—not Kundalini manifestations of shucking, bucking, clucking; not jerking, jiving, slipping and sliding. No, this was a genuine great awakening to Truth in Judah.
Again, what was the precipitating element? The people were taught the Word! Do you think… Is it possible… that if the pure unadulterated Word of YAH is taught today (which teaches to put away lawlessness) that we too can have a mass great awakening today?
Yes, there is an awakening happening now, but I get the sense that it is a weak awakening, especially in comparison to what happened in 2 Chronicles 17.
In my opinion, everyone who can, should loudly promote personal Bible reading and as often as they can. It is the entrance of YAH’s Word that brings light.
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Psalms 119:130
The light of YAH has many benefits. Among them is that His light shows us where sin lurks within us. A major reason that we are seeing a weak awakening with many divisions (a House (of Israel) divided cannot stand) is because many just do not see their sin. They do not know that they do not know what sin is. I feel that Abba is prompting me to share just one example of this:
It’s just plain wrong in His eyes to pay money to watch people break His commandments on a big screen or any screen whether currency is involved or not.
Many who love YAH just do not think about this because they just do not know that they do not know that this is sin, even though those are actors on the screen.
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
Psalms 101:3
I thought nothing of doing this myself, until Yah illuminated His Word in my heart in this area.
I only share this as someone who has in no way have “arrived.” This is just one example of how powerful YAH’s word is to transform us. But if a person, does not know what the Word says, then the Word does not have an opportunity to work.
Judah did not know that they did not know. When Jehoshaphat sent the teachers throughout Judah, the light of YAH’s Law shown on Judah’s mark-missings (sins). They were no doubt made aware of the need to repent. Jehoshaphat wisely sent priests to them how.
2 Chronicles 17:10-13 Result of true revival, a strong awakening.
2 Chronicles 18 Observations
2 Chronicles 18:1 Ginormous mistake by Jehoshaphat.
2 Chronicles 18:2 Bribes? Maybe? Covenant making? Maybe?
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Exodus 23:7
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Exodus 23:8
2 Chronicles 18:2 “persuaded him” Ahab was crafty to get Jehoshaphat to go with him. What deception did he use to get such a righteous king to agree to say yes to an obvious no, no.
2 Chronicles 18:6 Although deceived, Jehoshaphat still had discernment.
2 Chronicles 18:7 Still deceived by Ahab’s craft—still going along.
2 Chronicles 18:7 True leaders are not afraid to hear out those who have opposing views and voices. They understand that having only “yes” people around them does not serve them well.
2 Chronicles 18:9 This sounds like circus acts to me. Have we not witnessed this today? I have seen similar activity when I was in church. An invited prophetliar would go up and down the church isles giving out profitsy after profitsy, while all the people stood at the pews gazing upon the show.
2 Chronicles 18:17 Ahab did not believe the prophet. So he did not prosper when he went to battle anyway (2 Chron. 20:20).
2 Chronicles 18:21 “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Paraphrase. “I will go out and be a profitlying spirit in the mouth of all his profits.”
2 Chronicles 18:19 And Jehoshaphat still went with Ahab after all that just happened. I can think of two possible explanations: 1) Jehoshaphat bound himself to Ahab through a covenant he made with him.
A Psalm of David. YAHUAH, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear YAHUAH. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Psalms 15:1-5 emphasis added
Or 2) High level sorcery was being used against him and his mind to cause him to sink into deep, deep cognitive dissonance. Afterall, Ahab did have a high-level witch wife (Jezebel).
2 Chronicles 18:20 Jehoshaphat seemed to be reasonably intelligent. How in the world did he agree to do this unless something nefarious was indeed working against him.
2 Chronicles 18:21 YAH does deliver us even in our own ignorantly created mess.
2 Chronicles 18:31-32 If Jehoshaphat had died in battle, I wonder if Ahab and Jezebel would have tried to invade and take over Judah.
2 Chronicles 18:34 Abba is an Elohim of detail. Baal (sun-god worship) was Ahab and Jezebel’s religion. How befitting that the sun’s presence in the sky was decreasing as one of Baal’s priests died.
2 Chronicles 18:34 This verse clearly defines what evening is biblically. For those who observe an evening-to-evening Sabbath, that does not mean night to night (dark to dark; layil to layil). I encourage you to look more into this.
I invite you to comment below with additional observations.
Disclaimer
Also, please, please comment below if you see ANYTHING that is contrary to Scripture that I have presented in these Scripture Observations. I want Truth and when I see that I have made a mistake, I want to correct that. No chips on my shoulders here.
I also ask one thing, though. Please, please present your thoughts in the context of two or three Scripture references, not just one (see Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). One verse (especially one verse out of context) will not be received as evidence. I am just not one to interpret Scripture or accept other’s interpretation of Scripture apart from the written Word of YAH found in the whole counsel of His written Word.
I try my best to limit the use of the precursor words of “I think” or “I believe” without Scripture to back up my “I thinks” and “I believes.” Not only on this site, but be on the lookout anywhere else for excessive “I think” and “I believe” statements presented as Truth, with no Scriptural evidence to back up the statements.
The written Word of YAHUAH is the standard, the vanguard against deception which as you know is quite rampant these days.
