Wednesday, June 7, 2023
“And [King Asa] commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4 KJV).
What lawful advice can be gleaned from King Asa’s life?
Asa’s religious improvements (chapters 14–16) in Judah were the first of five reformations documented in the Book of 2 Chronicles. His believing sons King Jehoshaphat (chapters 17–20), King Joash (chapters 23 and 24), King Hezekiah (chapters 29–32), and King Josiah (chapters 34 and 35) oversaw the others.
For the first 10 years under Asa, the land of Judah had peace (2 Chronicles 14:1). However, as any Bible student knows, Asa understood his kingdom (sinners) would eventually relapse into unbelief and idolatry like their ancestors decades prior. Consequently, Asa made preparations for when Judah would sin, incur God’s wrath, and face war with invading Gentiles.
Observe the verses after today’s Scripture: “[6] And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. [7] Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. [8] And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.”
When war finally broke out with one million (!) Ethiopian troops threatening Judah (verse 9), “…Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee. So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled” (verses 11,12). Read the rest of the chapter for details of Judah’s victory.
Now, we see what we can take from this….