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| 1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, in order to let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. |
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| 2 And Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying, |
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| 3 There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I send thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. |
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| 4 And Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his forces against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon and Dan and Abelmaim, and all the store-magazines of the cities of Naphtali. |
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| 5 And it came to pass when Baasha heard of it, that he left off building Ramah, and let his work cease. |
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| 6 And king Asa took all Judah; and they carried away the stones and the timber from Ramah, with which Baasha had been building, and he built with them Geba and Mizpah. |
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| 7 And 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 hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore has the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. |
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| 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army, with very many chariots and horsemen? but when thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into thy hand. |
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| 9 For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro through the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. |
Eyes of the LORD – The Lord's influence, his power of knowing, whatever the means. R5634:2
His divine wisdom. SM623:1
Let your child feel that your eye and God's is ever upon him, just as we feel that God's eye is upon us. R1097:5*
The whole earth – This does not mean that God personally beholds every individual act of every person on earth, but that he takes cognizance of matters throughout the world by means of his power, his agencies. R5634:2
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| 10 And Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was enraged with him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. |
Put him in a prison – The statement that his heart was right before God does not signify that he was always right. R2364:3
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| 11 And behold the acts of Asa, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. |
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| 12 And Asa in the thirty-ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was extremely great; yet in his disease he did not seek Jehovah, but the physicians. |
Diseased in his feet – His sickness was a punishment for his sin according to the Israelitish covenant with God. R2029:2
God has not promised to keep spiritual Israel free from sickness, pain and trouble. R2364:5
Not to the LORD – Who had entered into covenant relationship with the Jews to bless them physically if faithful to him. R2364:4
His heart should have repented and turned toward God, but instead he turned to the physicians. R2029:2
To the physicians – Enchanters, magicians, black-art doctors using Satanic powers. R2364:5
There is no intimation here that it would be wrong to make use of bona-fide medical skill and aid today. R2364:5
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| 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one-and-fortieth year of his reign. |
One and fortieth year – Link No.29 in the chain of Bible chronology. B50; R1980:4
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| 14 And they buried him in his own sepulchre, which he had excavated for himself in the city of David, and laid him in a bed filled with spices, a mixture of divers kinds prepared by the perfumer's art; and they made a very great burning for him. |
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