Chapter 15

Azariah, son of Oded is filled with the Spirit and prophesies to Asa and the army that God is with them, and will continue to be as long as they are with God and look to Him.  Asa takes this to heart and renews his efforts to remove idols and repair the Temple.  It says that many people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon were now living in Judah, having deserted their own lands to come to Judah when they saw that God was with Judah.

2025 - Here is how it worked in the Old Testament, in a nutshell, from a 30,000 foot perspective:

2 ..."Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. [2Ch 15:2 ESV].

Include with this verse the verse (5) quoted below.  No peace in times when the nation is not seeking after God.  It does not qualify this at all.  It does not say no peace to those not seeking God.  It affects everybody, the whole nation, when as a whole the nation no longer seeks.  And when they out and out forsake, which is what it seems we have today, God also forsakes right back.

That might play out as restless, implacable energy without purpose or direction.  All thrust and no vector is another way of saying it. 

Look to verse 5 for what happens from here.  Great disturbances that affect everyone.  Breaking people.  Nations and cities crushed, one by one.  Imagine what it will be like to be "troubled" by the God of creation!

2021 - These verses:

5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. [2Ch 15:5-6 ESV]  These verses are about Israel, the northern kingdom.  They were a godless nation, and while they were so, look at the list of things that happened.  "...God troubled them with every sort of distress.".  God did that because they were His people and he wanted to correct them.  BUT, in principle, can we say that any nation that is godless, as Israel was, can expect God to trouble them?  Not to bring them back as His people perhaps, but so justice will be done in some measure?  Surely He did that when he brought Egyptian armies north to threaten Assyria and make them go home and leave Israel alone.  Surely Assyria first, and then Babylon fell in great measure because of their sin, though they were used by God for a time.  Had they converted, upon learning about the Jewish God, would they  have fallen?  Likely they would because God was not going to suffer competition with his chosen people.  What about today, during this time when Israel is blind?  How will He treat other nations today.  Is COVID a judgement of the whole world because there is no Christian nation anymore.  Not anywhere.  California and the west are having this drought.  Cities are descending into anarchy.  Are the results of climate change judgement on the world - not for their carbon emissions but for their sin?  Are carbon emissions an effect more than they are a cause?

They gather at Jerusalem and sacrifice from the spoil they've taken 700 oxen and 7000 sheep.  They resolve to serve God, and to kill anyone who doesn't, be they man, woman, old, or young.  Peace reigns in Judah until the 35th year of King Asa.  Times were good, and the people were worshiping God, and the idols had been removed.