Asa, full trust in the Lord
Teacher
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Lesson 7
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
2 Chronicles 14.1-7,11
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
2 Chronicles 14.1-6
1And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as a king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years. 2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest. 7“Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 11Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
2 Chronicles 14.6,7,11
GOLDEN TEXT
2 Chronicles 16.9a
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
AIMS
* Get to know the main characteristics of Asa’s kingdom and its implication in Judah’s life;
* Apply Asa’s positive attitude in one’s own life to gain success, such as: trust, purification, faith and constant renovation with God’s covenant;
* Understand that medicine is not excluded of Christian lives; however, in Asa’s time it was associated with mysticism and magical arts.
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson we will cover the reign of Asa, ruler of Judah. This son of Abijah was the first ruler of the Southern tribes to be faithful to God, after the division of the kingdom. Having ruled the nation for 41 years (2 Chr 16:13), Asa changed the religious structure of the Southern Kingdom, ordering all idolatry removed from the land (2 Chr 14:1-5) and restoring the worship due to the one God (Ex 20:1 -5); that is to say, in this respect, the monarch's heart was in unity with the Lord's eternal purposes. As long as he heeded the instructions of the Most High, Asa was victorious; however, from the moment he did not heed the words of the Lord, he suffered the consequences of his actions.
1. IDOLATRY IN A DIVIDED KINGDOM
In Holy Scripture, more specifically in the books of Kings and Chronicles, we observe that Israel (the Northern Kingdom) remained most of the time in idolatry; however, the Southern Kingdom (Judah) also oscillated between idolatry and the worship of Jehovah several times. Such a practice led both realms to spiritual calamity.
Harold L. Willmington, in relation to Asa's reign said: During the first ten years of his reign the land was at peace. Asa used this time wisely: (a) He led the people into a great revival (2 Chronicles 14:22-5); (b) he built and strengthened the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 14. 6,7) (Central Gospel, 2015, p.178).
1.1. THE HEATHEN CULT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The idolatrous cult, in the OT, followed different stages: the procession of the image of a false god; the feast to a false god and, consequently, the liturgies associated with such festivities (or simply sacrifices on pagan altars).
2. ASA’S ACCOMPLISHMENT
A distinctive feature of the chroniclers' report on Asa's reign has to do with two military victories. Each of these is followed by an encounter with a prophet. The first of these is positive, with Azariah encouraging the king (in the battle against the Ethiopians). The second, however, is negative, with Hanani rebuking the king (in the battle against Israel) (GREATHOUSE, W.M; LYONS G. Central Gospel, 2018, p. 231).
Certainly Asa's ancestors influenced his way of life; however, it may be possible to say that nothing compares to the performance and presence of prophets like Azariah and Hanani in his government; these men of God encouraged him to walk in the ways of David, that is, they encouraged him to fear the Most High and to depend on Him.
2.1. Judah’s revival
Between chapters 14-16 of the Book of Kings, we observe the action of Asa, son of Abijah: although he could not remove the high places, that is, the places destined for worship in the mountains (1 Kings 15.14), he ordered the destruction of heathen altars and the expulsion of cult prostitutes from among the people (1 Kings 14:24). In other words: the ruler of Judah determined that the God of the covenant, the one and only true, be worshiped and his commandments observed (2 Chronicles 14:4).
2.2. Victory against the Ethiopians
In 2 Chronicles 14:6-15, the sacred author recorded Asa's victory over the Ethiopians. The biblical text says that an Ethiopian named Zerah led a large army—about a million soldiers, plus 300 chariots—to Maressa (2 Chronicles 14:9). Asa, in turn, went into battle with a smaller regiment, made up of an infantry of 300,000 men from Judah and 280,000 Benjaminite archers, totaling 580,000 soldiers.
2.2. Victory against the Ethiopians
The book of Chronicles tells us that Asa won the battle without the Ethiopian army offering any resistance. The ruler of Judah and his soldiers pressed hard on the enemy horde as far as Gerar, and, in the chronicler's words, all the Ethiopians were slain; not one was left alive, for they were defeated by the LORD and by his army (2 Chronicles 14:13b). So, rejoicing, Asa and his troops brought great spoils to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 14:12-15).
2.2.1. Asa’s victory secret
The confidence of this son of Abijah is evident in the prayer he addressed to heaven (2 Chronicles 14:11):
Asa asked the Lord for help (v.11a);
Asa declared his trust in God (v. 11b);
Asa assured that he came in the name of the Lord (v.11c);
Asa recognized that Jehovah was his God (v.11d);
Asa prayed that human power would not prevail against God (v.11e).
2.3. The deposition of Maaca, great propagator of idolatry in the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
Maacah, Asa's grandmother (1 Kings 15:1,2), had an abominable idol made (1 Kings 15:13), dedicating it to Asherah, the goddess of fertility. Asa deposed the queen mother (1 Kings 15:1, 2), preventing her from reintroducing idolatry into Judah. The king had it burned near the Kidron brook, where the Jerusalem landfill was located, which became the official extermination site for idolatry (2 Chronicles 15:16).
The conflict with Zerah the Ethiopian (2 Chronicles 14:9) had broken the ten-year period of peace at the beginning of Asa's reign (2 Chronicles 14:1). After winning the war and renewing the covenant with God, Judah once again had rest all around (RADMACHER; ALLEN; HOUSE. Central Gospel, 2010a, p.698).
2.4 The war against Israel
While the sovereign of the South uprooted idolatry from among the people, promoting a return to divine precepts, there was peace in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1,6); however, when he decided to ally himself with Ben-hadad, king of Syria, to face Baasha, king of Israel (the tribes of the North), Asa started a period of wars in his domains (2 Chronicles 16.1-4).
2.4.1. The result with Syrıa’s alliance
The biblical text makes us aware that, in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha, king of Israel, invaded Judah and began to besiege the city of Ramah, in order to control the movement on the road that led to Jerusalem (2 Chr 16.1). Asa, instead of trusting God, decided to ally himself with Ben-hadad, king of Syria (2 Chronicles 16:2-6). Hanani exhorted the ruler of Judah about his mistake, but Asa, instead of recognizing his mistake, had the prophet bound in chains and thrown into prison (2 Chronicles 16:10). In this decaying process, King Asa began to persecute even some citizens of Judah (2 Chronicles 16:10).
3. A BIG MISTAKE: RISING AGAINST THE LORD’S PROPHET
A man who had begun his reign well, ended his days badly: by establishing a pact with Syria, Asa unleashed a series of attacks against Judah (2 Kings 12:17, 18). What we read in the Word of God is fulfilled: deep calls to another deep (Ps 42:7a).
3.1. ASA’S DISEASE AND HIS DEATH
In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was stricken with a serious illness in his feet; maybe gout, circulatory problems or gangrene. This illness made him unable to reign for two years—possibly his son Jehoshaphat acted as co-ruler in subsequent years (2 Chronicles 16:12, 13). The sacred writer points out that in his illness [Asa] did not seek the Lord, but rather the physicians (2 Chronicles 16:12b).
It should be noted at this point that the medicinal devices sought by Asa were probably linked to occultism and magical arts, not just medicinal herbs, which revealed the king's total moral and spiritual decay.
3.2. Christian and sickness:
A necessary addition
The Bible does not exclude medical care and/or medicine (Mark 2:17; Jer 8:22; Luke 10:34). The problem in Asa's case is that he trusted the channel of the blessing more than the one who bestows it (2 Chronicles 16:12). It is God who enables man to develop and practice medicine; yet it is from Him that healing comes (2 Kings 20:1-7).
CONCLUSION
Trusting in the Lord is more than an imperative, it is a necessity: this is the main lesson learned from Asa's reign. Only the Author of life can make us find answers, encouragement, hope and victory; only the Lord of heaven and earth can restore our physical, emotional and, above all, spiritual health.
While at the Lord's feet, Asa led the people to the renewal of the Covenant (2 Chronicles 15:12-15); however, from the moment he decided to place his trust and expectations in his tactical skills, in questionable alliances and in men (doctors), that is, from the moment that God ceased to be the center of his hope, Asa began to tread a downward trajectory. Let us learn from this: let us hold fast to Him who is the Rock of our salvation (Ps 95:1).
GOD BLESS YOU!
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