Even when there were spiritual low season’s in the history of Israel, there are always the bright spots. Asa was one of those bright spots.
2 Chronicles 14: Asa Reigns in Judah
1 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.
2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim
4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.
5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.
6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.
7 And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valour.
9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you."
12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil.
14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 15: Asa's Religious Reforms
1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded,
2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "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.
3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,
4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
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.
7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."
8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul,
13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.
15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.
16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
Things to think about…
Enter King Asa, 2Chr 14! The testimony is that he was ‘Good and right’ before the eyes of the LORD God. We see his fruit right away as he gets rid of Judah’s idols that were there from his father and grandfather. What family idols do you have that need tossing out? We have lived with them for so long sometimes it’s hard to recognise when they are having an influence over our spiritual development. The Lord had given Asa a period of peace for 10 years. While the northern tribes had been subdued by his father Abijah and Egyptians were always a threat, the Lord gave Asa peace. A proverb says “When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him”, Prov 16:7. This was true for King Asa while he sought the Lord. We of course know it’s not how we start the race, but how we finish.
In 2Chr 14:6 we see Asa fortifying the cities of Judah and then defeating the Ethiopians even being outnumbered by over 2 to 1. Zerah the Ethiopian comes out against Judah with 1 million men. The Egyptian King Shishak came against Rehoboam a few years before when he plundered Judah with a force likely to be of a similar size. One commentator notes “Zerah himself is most likely to have been a Nubian (= Sudanese) general in the army of Pharaoh Osorkon I (c. 924-884 B.C.), Shoshenq I’s son and successor (cf. 2 Chronicles 12:2ff.).” (Selman). Yet there was a completely different outcome. Rehoboam didn’t trust the Lord, but his grandson Asa did and saw a great victory given by the Lord. The Judeans as a result took much spoil, vs 15. This would have made up for most of what was taken by the Egyptian King Shishak in Rehoboam’s time. What spiritual ground has been gained by Christ for you after a season of loss or despair? Praise God – He adds the increase! Just as a side-note, we know from Ezekiel 38 that Ethiopia and Sudan who were also called Cush will be part of the end times coalition against Israel.
2 Chr 15 is a testament to Asa’s heart for the LORD by his obedience to religious reforms. There are two things that are noteworthy here. 1. Asa was humble enough to listen to God through the prophet Azariah, vs 1. And 2. He not only believed but he acted even to the point where he went against the religious apostasy of his mother Maacah, 2Chr 15:16. But the high places were not removed, vs17. What familial strongholds are holding you back from following the Lord? Often, they involve family members who have strong emotional and historic ties. Is this true for you? In what areas? In Christ you are a new creation and are given a Spirit of power, love and sound mind. Often we must assess the conformity we have had with our family and friends that has been against Christ and be transformed by the renewing of our minds through obedience to God’s word, Rom 12:1, 2.
‘Peace’ is mentioned a couple of times in the reign of Asa, and is mentioned again in 2Chr 15:19, even though he had fought and received a massive victory against the Ethiopians. Does peace characterise your life and your witness? Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:23. What accountability measures do you have in place to maintain a walk of peace? Asa listened to the prophet Azariah. Who are you listening to? Who is speaking God’s truth into your life at the moment? Asa restores the house of the Lord that had been neglected by his father and grandfather, vs 18 and is blessed with a further 25 years of peace until the 35th year of his reign, vs 19.
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.
