Chapter 166. 1 Kings 15:9-249And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. 10And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 11And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. 12And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. 14But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days. 15And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the Lord, silver, and gold, and vessels. 16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, 19There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 20So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. 22Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead. (1 Kings 15:9‑24); 1 Chron. 14. King Asa.
AT the end of a short reign of three years, Abijah, King of Judah, died, and his son, Asa, was made King in his place. Asa feared God and did that which was right in His sight. He took away the idols that the people had made, with the altars and the groves, and destroyed them.
We can hardly understand, with the beautiful temple Solomon had built at Jerusalem, and with the knowledge they had of God, that the people could stoop so low as to make themselves idols of wood and stone and fall down before them and worship them. But such were their hearts and such are ours, that even we, who know the Lord as our Saviour, have to be told, “Little children keep yourselves from idols.” We consider foolish the praying to such images, but perhaps we allow earthly love, or money, or praise, or anything else, to become false gods, and give them first place in our hearts. God is a jealous God, and will not give His place to another. Surely, He is worthy to fill our hearts, and to Him belongs all honor and praise and worship.
God blessed Asa for his zeal, and gave him rest and peace for a long time. He built many new cities, walls and towers, and the people prospered, because they sought the Lord and their God. This prosperity must have tempted the Ethiopians, or perhaps thinking the people of Judah had lived in peace so long they were not prepared for war. Be that as it may, Zerah, the King of Ethiopia, came, and, with him, one million men and three hundred chariots of war, to undertake to conquer Asa and his people. Asa went out to meet him with an army only five hundred and eighty thousand strong. There might not have been a very great prospect of resisting the invading foe, but Asa knew where to turn for sure help. He cried to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “it is nothing with Thee to help, whether with money, 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 not man prevail against Thee.”
Such an expression of confidence must be answered; the Lord’s ear is ever open to the cry of His own. He made their cause His own, and fought for them, and smote the Ethiopians who fled before Asa, and the people of Judah. Their defeat was so thorough, the Ethiopians did not recover from it, but left much of their spoil behind; their tents, sheep, camels were all carried away to Jerusalem. Thus once more did Jehovah’s people prove what a God was theirs! “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.” “O, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good for His mercy endureth forever!”
How much more, however, was God’s goodness and mercy manifested when He undertook for us against Satan, the great enemy of our souls! A word from Him could put the Ethiopians to flight, but it cost Him His only Son, to destroy him who had power over us, whose slaves we were. The Lord Jesus had to go down into death to deliver us from the power of death. And now we can say, “O death, where is thy sting? . . . Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:55, 5755O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55)
57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57).)
ML 11/19/1916