What role does divine intervention play in the chaos described in 2 Chronicles 15:6? Setting the Scene 2 Chronicles 15:6: “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God had troubled them with every kind of distress.” • The chronicler is looking back on the chaotic period that preceded Asa’s reforms. • Verses 3–5 describe spiritual collapse—no true God, no teaching priest, no law, widespread turmoil. • Into that disorder, the text clearly says, “God had troubled them.” Divine action is not implied; it is explicitly stated. Divine Intervention: Cause, Not Bystander • Scripture presents God as the active agent behind the unrest: – “God had troubled them” (v. 6) means He deliberately stirred the conflicts. • This is consistent with other passages where the Lord directs national circumstances: – Deuteronomy 28:20: “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you undertake…” – Amos 3:6: “When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” • Divine intervention here is corrective, not arbitrary—He is disciplining a covenant people who abandoned Him. Purposes Behind the Troubling Hand of God 1. Call to Repentance • Verse 4: “In their distress they turned to the LORD… and He was found by them.” • The unrest drives hearts back to God, illustrating Hebrews 12:6: “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves.” 2. Preservation of Covenant Holiness • Israel’s unfaithfulness threatened their identity; divine disturbance prevented comfortable decay. 3. Validation of Prophetic Word • Azariah’s prophecy (v. 2) warned, “If you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” The ensuing chaos authenticated that warning in real time. Lessons for Us Today • God’s sovereignty extends to national and personal circumstances; unrest may be His gracious alarm clock. • Discipline demonstrates love—He troubles so He can heal (Hosea 6:1). • Turning quickly to the Lord transforms chaos into renewal, just as Asa’s reforms followed the turmoil (2 Chronicles 15:8–15). |
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