2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
How very different our perspective can be when we have faith from when we don’t when trouble happens! Even with our faith, the outer fleshly self causes us to have to deal with its conflict that goes on with our inner spiritual selves. RO 7: 14-25, which I hope you will read, gives us insight into that conflict which is so much a part of the sanctification process. King Asa of Judah who reigned from 911-870 BC, although a faithful man, struggled with his flesh just as all of us do. That is why we can relate to his story and appreciate the messages God has for us in it. In yesterday’s message, you will remember that we looked at the remarkable victory that King Asa and the Judeans had over a Sudanese army that vastly outnumbered them [see 2 CH14]. Today, we will look at the prophet Azariah’s prophecy, Asa’s reforms, and the trouble Judah has with Israel under its king Baasha. Note the lessons in this story that deal with trusting God.
2 CH 15: 1-2, “The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, and he went to meet King Asa. He called out, ‘Listen to me, King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you as long as you are with Him. If you look for Him, He will let you find Him, but if you turn away, He will abandon you.” That is a prophecy that still applies in our times. It amazes me how many times God has given us that same message and mankind is still not consistently heeding it. At the time of Asa’s reign, there had been a lot of trouble in the land for a long time. Before Asa had ruled, his grandfather, Rehoboam son of Solomon had ruled Judah from 931-914 BC, from the time of the revolt of the northern kingdom who rejected the royal line of David as their monarch [2 CH 10: 16-19]. Rehoboam’s second wife was Maacah, the daughter of Solomon’s evil son, Absalom, and she practiced idolatry. His son by his first wife (Micaiah daughter of Uriel), Abijah, only ruled for three years and was engaged in a war with the ruler of the northern kingdom (Israel) Jeroboam son of Nebat. This left one nation oppressing another, and one city oppressing another. Azariah told Asa in 2 CH 15: 6-7, “…God was bringing trouble and distress on them. But you must be strong and not be discouraged. The work that you do will be rewarded.”
When the two kingdoms of Israel had split, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin became Judah in the south, and the other ten tribes became Israel in the north. However, 2 CH 15: 9-15, we see that there were faithful people in the territories of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who came to live in Judah, because they had seen that the Lord was with Asa. Asa summoned the people to Jerusalem in the fifteen year of his reign [896 BC] and offered sacrifices to the Lord from the loot they had brought back from their victory over the Sudanese. 2 CH 15: 12-13, “They made a covenant in which they agreed to worship the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. Anyone, young or old, male or female, who did not worship Him was to be put to death.” The people took delight in worshipping the Lord, and He accepted them, giving them peace on every side. The underlying lesson in this is that the Lord has always wanted people to seek Him out and to worship Him. When we do, He is pleased. The other reform that King Asa instituted was a very personal one which has already been discussed. That was his decision to remove his idolatrous grandmother, Maacah, from her position as queen mother [2 CH 15: 16]. The institution of these reforms led to peace until the 35th year of Asa’s rule [876 BC].
2 CH 16: 1, “In the 36th year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and started to fortify Ramah [at the SW corner of the territory of Naphtali-south of Phoenicia and west of the northern part of Dan and the Jordan River north of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee)] in order to cut off all traffic in and out of Judah.” It is at this point, that Asa forgot the lesson the Lord taught Solomon for entering into wrongful alliances with foreign governments. He entered into an agreement with King Benhadad of Syria for Syria to break its alliance with Israel and to force Baasha out of Ramah. In exchange of a considerable amount of silver paid by Asa, the Syrians attacked Israel, capturing a number of cites in Naphtali. This stopped the fortification activity in Ramah; afterward the Judeans carried off the materials Baasha’s people had used there and used them to fortify their cities of Geba and Mizpah [both of them in the territory of Benjamin south of Ephraim north of Judah and east of Dan’s southern territory] (6).
Once again the spotlight falls on the cause and effect relationship between trusting God and its effects. In this case, Hanani the prophet gives a message to Asa in 2 CH 16: 7, “At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said, ‘Because you relied on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Israel has escaped from you.’ ” Later in (9) he adds, “The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to Him. You have acted foolishly, and so from now on you will always be at war.” Sadly, Asa reacted in anger to this and began treating some of the people cruelly. 2 CH 16: 12-13, “In the 39th year that Asa was king, he was crippled by a severe foot disease, but even then, he did not turn to the Lord for help, but to doctors. Two years later [in 870 BC], he died.” 2 CH 17: 1, “Jehoshaphat succeeded his father Asa as king and strengthened his position against Israel.” The story of each personality in this series of messages contains God’s will that we should trust and obey Him along with the chance to see the many ways that God will bless mankind when we do. They are just as applicable to our lives today as they were in the times each person I wrote about lived.
PRAYER: O Lord, it took a great deal of personal courage of faith for King Asa to overcome the evil of his family background, to remove his own grandmother from her royal position, to institute worship reforms that put God in the center of the life of his people, and to trust God to give him victory over the Sudanese. It is sad that Asa slipped toward the end of his life by entering into a poorly conceived alliance with the Syrians against the northern kingdom and placing his trust on doctors instead of You. You have given us this important lesson, so that we will be reminded of our need to trust and obey You. We acknowledge the lesson you have for us and humbly offer You thanks for it and for the fresh perspective our faith can give us when we have to face trouble in our lives. Most of all, we thank You for giving us the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross, so that we can have the faith in Him that brings us salvation and eternal life with You. We honor, worship, adore, praise, and glorify You, because that is what You deserve and created us to do. Your presence in our lives blesses them. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will begin a new series of messages that look at the two little books of Peter. Bear in mind that God has invited you to join Him in his work. That makes clear that he desires to be present in our lives and for us to enjoy a relationship with Him that is real and personal. That itself is ample evidence of His love for us. Bask in the warmth of that love and accept His invitation. His greatest desire is to bless our lives. Peter and I send you our love today and always.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn