Even when there are low season’s in the life of a nation, there are always the bright spots. Asa was one of those bright spots. Be blessed as we continue in 2Chronicles.
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!
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.
‘Peace’ is mentioned a couple of times in the reign of Asa, and is mentioned again in 2Chr15:19, even though he had fought and received a massive victory against the Ethiopians. Does peace characterise your life and your witness? It of course is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 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 Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “The presence of the Lord” from Chronicles 6:40-7:3
1. Fire fell on the altar because the Lord heard the prayer of Solomon. What has been the most significant time in your life where your heart was engaged with the Lord in worship and you experienced His presence via His Spirit?
2. When we consider the Sun, moon and stars, the works of His hands this should evoke an understanding of the immensity of God. What about the Lord’s creation do you find compelling with respect to who God is and why He is to be worshipped.
3. Christ is the creator of heaven and earth and all things seen and unseen. Jesus the Creator came to earth to be born, live, suffer, die and rise again. Describe what being saved in Christ means for you.
4. Pray for prayer points and for each other.
Prayer Points
1. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
2. Pray for new people as they settle into life at CBC.
3. Upcoming Australian elections – pray for the Lord’s choice of MP’s.
4. Continue to pray for the flood clean-up as well as the money donated to help.
5. Folk sick with Covid – relief and healing.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. The peace and safety of Australia.
2. Visitors to CBC over the weekend – new people added to the church.
3. God’s word affecting people for Christ
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
5. Flood cleanup is restoring communities around Ipswich and Brisbane.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 22nd May after the service.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
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 question for May...
Q. 3. Will Christ come again? A. Yes; at the last day Christ will come to judge the world.