2 Chronicles 14:1-15

There is a correlation between the obedience of the kings of Judah and the deliverance that the Lord gave to them.  Rehoboam had instituted idolatry in the Land and had experienced great defeat at the hands of the Egyptians.  The gold that Solomon had amassed was gone and the people were enslaved to the king of Egypt through the tributes that they had to pay.  Rehoboam had inherited a kingdom of great wealth but left a kingdom with financial burdens and idolatry.  Fortunately his son turned to the Lord and was able to fortify a few cities and experienced a great military victory because he walked in the ways of the Lord.  However, Abijah had a very short reign but in that short time he was able to turn the nation in the right direction.  Now his son Asa is king and does even more to restore the nation to its precious greatness.

ASA WAS FAITHFUL TO DEMOLISH THE IDOLS OF THE LAND: Asa started his reign be continuing the work that his father had started but did not have time to finish.  He removed all of the idols from the land and destroyed all of the high places where people would make unofficial sacrifices away from the temple and ended up creating places of false religion.  Asa enjoyed ten years of peace as a result of these efforts and he used this opportunity rebuild some of the cities that had been destroyed in the Egyptian invasion.  If we want to experience the blessings of the Lord in our lives, we must be faithful to remove the idols of our hearts.  True peace is only found through submission and obedience to the Lord.


ASA WAS FORCEFUL TO DESTROY THE ENEMIES OF THE LAND: Asa had an army of half a million warriors that were trained for battle.  That is an impressive army until an army of a whole million comes to invade your land.  Asa, like his father, faced a battle with very unfavorable odds from the human perspective.  Fortunately, Asa knew the Lord, trusted in the Lord and cried out to the Lord.  The Lord answered Asa’s prayers and Judah defeated the Ethiopian army killing every single one of the million soldiers who had come up against the nation.  God once again delivered Israel and used a faithful king to destroy a powerful enemy.  We serve a faithful and powerful God who is able to do more than we can imagine is possible.  We simply must learn to trust and obey Him. 

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