How does 2 Chronicles 15:5 reflect God's judgment on disobedience and sin? Setting the scene • 2 Chronicles 15 opens with the prophet Azariah warning King Asa that “The LORD is with you when you are with Him” (v. 2). • Israel had drifted from the true God, abandoned the law, and lived without teaching priests (vv. 3–4). • Verse 5 describes the consequence: “In those times there was no safety for those who went out or came in, for great turmoil afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.” Disobedience breeds disorder • “No safety” is not a random social problem; it is the visible fallout of covenant unfaithfulness. • Lack of safety touches every sphere—travel, trade, family life—showing how sin ripples outward. • “Great turmoil” (rogez, intense agitation) signals that God Himself has removed peace (compare v. 6: “God troubled them with every kind of adversity,”). Covenant logic at work • God had promised Israel blessings for obedience and curses for rebellion (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). • Deuteronomy 28:6 promised, “You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.” 2 Chronicles 15:5 shows the inverse—no safety coming in or going out—because the people had rejected God. • Leviticus 26:17 warns, “You will flee even when no one is pursuing you.” The panic and insecurity in Asa’s day fulfill that warning. Scriptural echoes • Judges 5:6—“The highways were deserted, travelers walked by crooked paths.” Same pattern during another era of apostasy. • Isaiah 48:22—“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” • Psalm 107:34—“a fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.” Physical circumstances mirror spiritual reality. What judgment looks like • Withdrawal of divine protection: enemies, bandits, and internal strife flourish. • Social fragmentation: “all the inhabitants of the lands” feel the weight; sin is never purely individual. • Restless hearts: outward turmoil reflects inward unrest; peace departs when fellowship with God is broken. Grace embedded in the warning • Verse 4 reminds that when Israel “sought Him, He was found by them.” Judgment is corrective, urging repentance. • God’s faithfulness to His covenant means He disciplines, yet He stands ready to restore (Hebrews 12:6; 1 John 1:9). • The severity of verse 5 underscores the sweetness of the subsequent revival under Asa (vv. 8–15). Takeaways for today • Persistent disobedience invites God-sent disorder—social, relational, even national. • Security is a gift God grants when His people walk in covenant fidelity. • Turning back to the Lord is always the pathway from turmoil to peace. |
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