Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
All of us have experienced the passing of older people in our family and we’ve witnessed the death of important leaders in our countries. Recently we’ve seen a rash of older leaders die or retire from very significant leadership roles globally. We understand the challenge of receiving the legacy of those who’ve preceded us and the struggle of charting our own course in life while bearing the high expectations placed upon us.
Come with me again back to ancient Israel for we have so much we can learn from the Biblical record of a time very similar to Israel and our world today. Yesterday we watched as God powerfully responded to the desperate cries of an army when surrounded by a well armed force twice their size! Sadly, this was Israelites fighting Israelites.
The record of 2 Chronicles 13:13-20 reports that heavy casualties resulted, in fact 500,000 men were killed or wounded!! Can you even wrap your mind around the enormity of that much bloodshed, especially when it is all Jews fighting each other? Yet we saw very clearly that God intervened and responded to the cries of the army of Judah and they defeated the army of Israel. It’s important friends that we understand God is watching (Ps. 33:12-22) and God does involve Himself even in military actions when involving the nation of Israel!
2 Chronicles 14:1 says: “King Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for 10 years!” How is it possible for peace to reign for a decade immediately following years of ongoing conflict and a major battle as described in 2 Chronicles 13? The answer is in the very next verse: “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God!”
Yes my friends, God’s pattern is consistent with Israel. When leaders in Israel lead the people to live obedient to God’s commands and honor God with their lives, and seek God’s guidance, then God will bless Israel with peace and prosperity. The next verses give us very specific details of what King Asa did to bring rapid and significant change in Israel: “Asa removed the foreign altars and high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the LORD the God of their ancestors, and to obey His laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him…no one was at war with Asa during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.” (2 Chronicles 14:3-6)
Do you remember God’s promise to King Solomon which is recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 7:14? “If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”
You’ve probably quoted that or been part of National Day of Prayer gatherings where it is prayed. King Asa was great grandson to King Solomon and in Asa’s time Asa led the people of Jerusalem and Judah in doing exactly what God had invited and when Asa did that, then God did exactly what He promised He would do! It’s a God given formula and God is always faithful to His promises.
It seems clear to me BEFORE Asa cried out to God for God’s intervention in the mess he inherited from his father Abijah and his grandfather Rehoboam, King Asa took repentant action. Yes, my friends, repentance is more than words, repentance is ACTION! King Asa led a regional removal of the idols and those things repulsive to God. Where did those things come from you might ask?
During 17 years of rebellious leadership by his grandfather King Rehoboam the people followed their leader and turned their his back on God and that included fabricating idols and places of worship for those idols. Evidently while Asa’s father King Abijah had made a great speech on the battlefield and called on God’s help, (2 Chronicles 13:4-12) Abijah had not taken the repentant action which his son Asa took! That explains why the record says: “There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam throughout Abijah’s lifetime.” (2 Kings 15:6)
I see that King Asa did something else very significant, he enthusiastically rallied the people of Judah to restore their towns and their worship of the God of Israel. He told the people “Let us build up these towns… 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!” (2 Chronicles 14:7)
Notice please the Biblical address of that statement and how it is the same numbers as God’s promise to Solomon! (14:7 & 7:14) Do we see the direct link Asa claims between their seeking God and God giving them peace from war and conflict? Let’s not miss this friends. One of the dark kingdom’s tactics is the breakdown of relationships resulting in turmoil, chaos, conflict, angry confrontation. We see it in marriages, families, businesses, in public riots and ultimately terrorism and war.
Asa and his people were experiencing the absence of all that turmoil which had plagued them for many previous years, because they had turned their hearts toward God and were passionately pursuing knowing God, honoring God with their lives and obeying God. So let’s look around, starting in our homes, then our cities and our nations. Can we see conflict everywhere and can we see the people in those conflicts have rejected God and are not seeking God?
We need to pause right here because this is such a foundational Biblical principle. 2 Chron. 14:7 “we have sought the LORD our God and He has given us rest on every side.” Can you and I say that about our marriage, our family, the groups we are part of, our church, our nation?
Now tomorrow we’re going to see that although Asa and the people didn’t know it, this season of God given peace was preparing them for an unexpected crisis which God could foresee. That’s important because often in times of peace we get lazy rather than using the peace time to grow stronger in preparation for more difficult challenges ahead. What does God see ahead for you and me and how is God using our present to prepare us? Here’s a worship song to help us reflect on this.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 14:1-7.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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