It’s not how you start that’s important. It’s how you finish. Unfortunately Asa dropped the ball a little bit. But God raises up another faithful leader in Jehoshaphat. Have a read.
2 Chronicles 16: Asa's Last Years
1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,
3 "There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me."
4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease.
6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand.
9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."
10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honour.
2 Chronicles 17: Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
1 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel.
2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.
3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals,
4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel.
5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honour.
6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats.
12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities,
13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valour, in Jerusalem.
14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor;
15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;
16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valour.
17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valour, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield;
18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war.
19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Things to think about…
What happened to the man of faith Asa presented in yesterday’s readings, 2Chr 16:1,2? Later in life it seems Asa trusted in his situation and not in the Lord. Our past victories unfortunately are not a measure of our current attitude towards the Lord. What are you doing to maintain your relationship and trust in Christ?
In 2Chr 16:4 it says Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, listened to Asa and did away with his covenant with Baasha king of Israel, and he started supporting Judah. Often pragmatism works for a season, even for those of us in faith. But at what cost? The gold and silver were stripped from the temple and the king’s house. Rebellion costs us personally. Asa had Judah’s wealth restored after defeating the Ethiopians, but hiring Syria had striped it out again. Asa finds it hard to hear the words of the Lord, vs 10. Sin makes us angry against God and His messengers. Consider how a heart can grow in bitterness, especially in old age? What gold and silver in our lives is removed as a result of sin? Our Lord tells us that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” Luke 18:17.
What an encouragement 2Chr 16:9 is – “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him”. This is true for those whose hearts are focused on receiving deliverance and blessing from the Lord. Jesus of course quotes a very similar thing with respect to believers and their faith before His return by saying, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:8. Lord help us to have a heart of humility and dependence upon You until that day.
Doctors are a blessing, but they should be used in conjunction with the Lord’s wisdom and help 2Chr 16:12. If Asa had sought the Lord’s help He would have told Asa to repent and he would have been healed. Much affliction can be traced to rebellion and unbelief. Though not always…sometimes it is because the Lord who receives glory through the situation as we see in John 9 and the blind man. Old age without the tenderness of a life immersed in the Holy Spirit can make us resentful and untrusting. Poor Asa suffered from this affliction in his last days as well. The prophet Hanani declares “for from now on you will have wars”, vs 9. Wars in your old age is never pleasant as old age is enough of a burden to bear. But Asa had wars and a severe affliction in his feet as an older man all because he chose to rebel rather than trust.
Asa’s son Jehoshaphat inherits the throne, 2Chr 17:1. He had a heart that sought after the Lord, 2Chr 17:3,4 and the Lord blessed his reign? The testimony is “he walked in the earlier ways on David”, vs 3 therefore “the Lord established his kingdom”, vs 5. He went one step further than his father Asa by removing the high places, vs 6. May our children have a walk of obedience in the Lord by learning from our mistakes. Have a look at how Jehoshaphat’s influence spread throughout Judah and the surrounding nations, vss 7-10. He taught the word of the Law. There were no miracles here, just bible teaching. The same is true in our day. Understanding the scriptures brings peace and blessing for the believer. How is your scripture reading/study going?
When the Lord’s word is taught 2Chr17:9, the people know the Lord and even enemies can be at peace, vs 10 because of the Lord’s blessing and the gifts of enemies can be used to bless the Lord’s people, vs 11; cf Prov 13:22.
Jehoshaphat grew mighty, 2Chr 17:12-19. He had over 1 million men serving in his standing army. The Ethiopians proved that having an army of 1 million is not enough when fighting against the Lord. Jehoshaphat knew the Lord needed to bless regardless of the strength of his army. His outward strength was a reflection of the strength that grew from his knowledge of God. This was more than cerebral. What do you think is the primary difference between those who have a knowledge of the bible, as opposed to those who believe and trust the Word of God?
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray for the families affected by this tragic Boeing crash in India. 241 people lost their lives, plus others in the ground.
2. Israel and the situation with Iran.
3. The continued Russia/Ukraine conflict.
4. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
5. Reform and Revival over our city.
6. Finances to cover our needs
7. Pray for PlayPatch, Kids church, Creche and Kids Hope at Karalee State school.
8. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Podcast area almost completed – Thanks Aart and Jacquiline
2. Kids church divider completed – thanks Aart
3. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
4. Café, music, kids church, admin, sound and technical team every week
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Ministries this week. Life groups, Kids@Church, Kids Hope - Karalee.
2. PlayPatch 1-5yos, Fridays 9:30am at church.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for June...
Q. 33. Who can change a sinner's heart? A. The Holy Spirit alone.
