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Context No. 2135 of 4322 · 2 Chronicles

Context · Reflection

2 Chronicles 28:1-13: in context

1Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, like David his father, 2but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made molten images for the Baals. 3Moreover he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 4He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They struck him, and carried away from him a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter. 6For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah one hundred twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. 7Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king. 8The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and also took away much plunder from them, and brought the plunder to Samaria. 9But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven. 10Now you intend to degrade the children of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Aren’t there even with you trespasses of your own against the LORD your God? 11Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives that you have taken captive from your brothers, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is on you.” 12Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, 13and said to them, “You must not bring in the captives here, for you intend that which will bring on us a trespass against the LORD, to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”

Under the wicked king Ahaz, Judah suffers a crushing defeat, and the army of Israel carries off two hundred thousand of their fellow Israelites, their own kinsmen, as captives, intending to enslave them. But a prophet named Oded meets the returning army and rebukes them. God gave Judah into your hand because of his anger, he says, but you have slain them in a rage that reaches to heaven, and now you intend to enslave your own brothers. And he asks a piercing question: are there not sins of your own against the LORD your God? Send the captives back. And, remarkably, some of the leaders heed him.

Oded's rebuke turns on a question that cuts through the army's cruelty: are there not sins of your own against the LORD? They were treating their defeated brothers with harsh cruelty, intending to degrade and enslave them, as though they themselves stood guiltless. And Oded reminds them that they are not guiltless; they too have sinned against God. The recognition of their own guilt is meant to restrain their harshness toward others; if they themselves are sinners under God's wrath, they have no standing to treat their fallen brothers with merciless cruelty. This principle reaches into our own dealings with others, especially those who have fallen into our power or under our judgment. We can be harsh, merciless, even cruel toward those who have failed or been defeated, treating them as though we ourselves were guiltless and had the right to condemn without mercy. Oded's question checks this: are there not sins of your own? The recognition that we too are sinners, that we ourselves stand in need of mercy, should restrain our harshness toward others and move us to mercy rather than cruelty. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, Jesus asks, and not notice the log in your own? The awareness of our own guilt is meant to make us merciful, not harsh. Jesus told of a servant forgiven a great debt who then throttled a fellow servant over a small one, and asked, should you not have had mercy, as I had mercy on you? The mercy we ourselves have received, and need, is to shape how we treat others. This searches how we treat those who have fallen or come under our power. Are we harsh and merciless, treating them as though we were guiltless, or does the recognition of our own sin restrain our harshness and move us to mercy? Mercy triumphs over judgment, James says; and judgment without mercy awaits the one who has shown no mercy. Oded reminded the victorious army of their own sins, and some heeded, showing mercy to their captured brothers rather than cruelty. And we too are called to let the awareness of our own guilt make us merciful, treating those who have fallen not with the harsh cruelty of the self-righteous, but with the mercy of those who know they too need it.

When others fall or come under my power or judgment, am I harsh and merciless toward them, treating them as though I were guiltless, or can Oded's piercing question to the cruel army, are there not sins of your own against the LORD, remind me that I too am a sinner in need of mercy, so that the awareness of my own guilt restrains my harshness and moves me to show mercy rather than cruelty to those who have fallen?

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