Texts in Conversation
1 Kings 15 reports Asa paying Syria to break its alliance with Israel as shrewd, successful politics. 2 Chronicles 16 retells the same deal and adds the prophet Hanani’s rebuke, reshaping the move as a failure to rely on God.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Kings 15:19
Hebrew Bible
18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.
2 Chronicles 16:7
Hebrew Bible
6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. He used the materials to build up Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the prophet visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 9 Certainly the Lord watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.” 10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
Search:
Notes and References
“... After the war with Baasha, another prophet, Hanani, meets the king. He brings not a message of encouragement but one of rebuke. The issue, Hanani says, is one of trust (16:7-8; some form of the word “trust” appears three times). Faith is not a private set of beliefs. Faith is a political factor, and the political and military fortunes of Judah depend on the direction of the king’s faith—toward Yahweh or toward Aram. ... Hanani reminds Asa that the Lord delivered Judah from an immense army of Ethiopians and Libyans. The same could have happened in the war with Baasha. Asa could have trusted God to deliver him from Baasha, and Aram itself could have been brought under his power (16:7). Instead, Asa enables Aram to become a regional power that will threaten the northern kingdom for several generations. ...”
Leithart, Peter J.
1 & 2 Chronicles (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible)
(pp. 200-201) Brazos Press, 2019
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.