Read: 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14; Romans 9:1-21; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 20:1
Abijah had been a good king, but his son, Asa was even better. He removed the idolatry from the land and commanded Judah to seek the Lord and obey the law. Because of this, the land prospered and they built and fortified their towns. He also built up his army and armed them.
When things were going good, the devil couldn’t stand it so he sent Zerah the Cushite. Zerah means “a rising” and Cush means “terror”. So the Cushiness went around causing fear to arise in their enemies. They came against Judah with their vast army full of chariots and met near Mareshah which means “headship”. The enemy will always attack the headship first.
Asa called on the Lord and God responded. The Cushiness were crushed before the Lord because the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. God used the very thing they were known for against them. Judah carried off much booty.
When the devil tries to scare or intimidate you, remember that God can turn the very thing that he is using against you back on him and we can leave with the plunder.
God sent Asa a prophet to tell him that God would always be with him when he was with God. The world was not safe at that time because of all the unrest in the nations but God told Asa that it was Him that was troubling the nations. And as for him, he could be strong and not be afraid or give up because his work would be rewarded. What a great word for us! Our world is in the same turmoil but we don’t have to be discouraged because our work will be rewarded.
Obed’s words strengthened Asa to have even more courage to continue cleansing the land and building up the work of the Lord. He assembled the people and sacrificed 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep from the plunder they had brought back from their victory. They determined to follow the Lord as a nation and God gave them rest on every side…in the midst of a world of turmoil.
In Asa’s 36th year, Israel started building Ramah which was the gateway from Judah to Israel. This was Israel’s way of keeping them out of their land. Instead of turning to the Lord, Asa hired Ben-hadad, king of Aram to keep Israel from building Ramah. They were successful but God was not happy and sent Hanani, the seer to ask Asa why he didn’t ask Him for help instead of hiring Ben-hadad. He reminded Asa for how He had fought for them against the Cushites. Asa was so angry, he took it out on the seer and his own people. He got a disease in his feet and refused to ask the Lord for help. Instead he sought the help of physicians. Asa’s walk had become polluted. It finally killed him. It was a sad ending to a mostly good king.
Romans 9 is one of the most misunderstood concepts. It takes control totally out of our hands and puts it in God’s. He is the one who decides who he will give mercy to and who he will not. This totally goes against what we think of as being just or fair, but it should make us more appreciative for our salvation. It has nothing to do with anything we did. God chose us from the foundation of the earth to be his children - period. We have control over how closely we will walk with him and how much of him we will allow to be manifest through us. It should make us love him more.
Lord, we don’t understand your selection but we are so honored to be called your children. May our lives, today, bring you glory.
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