History is full of the stories of heroes and villains who
attempted or accomplished dramatic things.
Far less well known are the builders, creators, and reformers whose
efforts often go unnoticed even though their impact is not. One such less well known but not less
accomplished person in the Bible is the King of Judah, Asa. Asa was the son of Abijah, a war hero who
only reigned for three years, but he didn’t follow in his father’s
footsteps. The kingdom of Israel, which
had rebelled against Asa’s grandfather Rehoboam, was exceedingly weakened by
Abijah’s victory over them in battle, but Asa didn’t press forward to try to
reclaim the land that Rehoboam’s pride had forfeited. Instead, Asa chose a path of peace. The temptation to seek glory in war was
overshadowed in his mind by the need to work for reform amongst his own people.
The
focus of Asa’s reign as king was the destruction of the idols and altars of
foreign gods that had existed in Judah since the days of Solomon. This cancer upon the spiritual faithfulness
of God’s covenant people had grown and was long overdue for removal. When Asa came to the throne, he used his
power and authority on behalf of the cause of moral purity, following the
commands of the Word of God. To remove
idolatry would not be enough, however, Asa also urged his people to renew their
efforts to follow the Law. Whenever we
seek to combat sin, we only do part of the needed task if we don’t replace sin
with righteousness. Our hearts abhor a
vacuum, if sin is removed it will return again if the right and the good have
not filled its place.
Asa
also prepared his people for war, building up the nation’s defenses, even in a
time of peace. This foresight proved
valuable when the nation was invaded, but even though he had prepared ahead of
time, Asa still cried out to the LORD for deliverance. Asa’s mixture of prudence and reliance upon
God is certainly worth emulating in our own lives. We can and should use our mind and resources
to prepare for the uncertainty of the future, and we certainly still need to rely
upon the Lord when that day of trouble comes.
After
all of these victories, God sends the prophet Azariah to warn the people
against the danger of wandering away during the good times. God promises to always remain as long as his
people are faithful, but warns them that if they leave him, he won’t stick
around. This reminds us that we have a
relationship with God, something that requires commitment from both sides. If we abandon God, how can we expect to still
have a relationship? To protect against
such a mistake, Asa encourages the people to rededicate themselves to God,
offering sacrifices and taking new oaths of fidelity. The concluding commentary is encouraging, “They
sought God eagerly, and he was found by them.
So the LORD gave them rest on every side.”
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