June 25: 1 Kings 15:1‐24, 2 Chronicles 13‐16

June 24, 1 Kings 15:1‐24, 2 Chronicles 13‐16

1 Kings 15:1-24 continues to show the cycles that Israel & Judah will be going through for some time. During Jeroboam’s reign in Israel, Abijah became King over Judah. He only reigned for about 3 years. He did what was evil in God’s sight and didn't follow what God had called him to. God wanted His kings to be like David - pursuing God with their whole heart (except for David having Uriah killed because he slept with his wife and impregnated her).

Then we are introduced to a very brief overview of Asa, who becomes King over Judah. He was King for 41 years and did what was right in God’s sight. He went so far as to removed his mother from being queen because she had made an abominable image. He tore it down and burned it.

There was war continually between Asa & Baasha (King of Israel). Asa made a covenant with Ben-hadad (the son of the king of Syria) just like their dads did. Ben-hadad broke his covenant with the King of Israel and made a covenant with Judah. Therefore, King Baasha (Israel) stopped building Ramah (a place only a few miles from Judah’s capital). Confusing? Simply put, Judah & Israel are continually fighting and Judah just made another ally against Israel. 

2 Chronicles 13 takes the 1st eight verses of 1 Kings 15 and explains them with more detail for the Chroniclers readers. We get insight into what the war looked liked between Abijah and Jeroboam - a battle between kingdoms. Abijah declared Judah’s love for God and how they put all their trust in God, whereas Israel & Jeroboam have made false gods, kicked out the priests and Levites and serve false gods. Therefore, Abijah put Jeroboam and the Israelites on warning that they were not fighting them, but God. The odds were against Judah as well. Israel had double the men and a fantastic battle plan. But what did they lack? God. If God is on your side, you cannot lose. Because they relied on the Lord, Judah prevailed - even when the odds were against them. After the battle, Jeroboam never recovered his power and the Lord eventually struck him down and he died. Meanwhile, Abijah was growing in power. He also had 14 wives and multiple kids. 

2 Chronicles 14 Abijah died and Asa, his son, reigned in his place. This is too good to not remember… “And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.” Asa was on the right path and wanted Judah to serve God whole-heartedly. God gave peace to Judah for a season, as they sought to honor and worship Him. 

Then Zerah, and Ethiopian came against Judah with one million men… Hardly a small army! Asa went out to meet him and the battle lines were drawn. Asa cried out to God to deliver them, because the relied on the Lord. Judah triumphed again, as they trusted in the Lord for what they needed. 

2 Chronicles 15 Asa was just getting warmed up and he wanted all of Judah to follow God. “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah… and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you… But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” When a man or woman of God speaks, listen! And Judah did (temporarily…). Asa tore down the high places and idols and also repaired the altar of the Lord. All of Judah entered into a covenant with God to serve Him only, and God gave them rest. Even Asa’s mother, Maacah, was removed as queen, because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. The only thing that Asa didn't do was to tear down the high places. Other than that, “the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.” 

2 Chronicles 16 The end of Asa’s life. There was more threats with Israel and more deals made. But, Asa forgot what Yahweh had done and relied on other kings to help them out instead of God. Not the end of the world, but disobedience to our Holy God has massive ramifications and He will not be trifled with. Even more so, Asa was not convicted of this - he had to be told from a prophet that what he had done was wrong. Had they relied on God instead of the ally armies, things would have been different - but they did not. When Asa heard that God was disappointed in him, he became angry with the Prophet and had him put in jail, and also inflicted cruelties to other people during that time. When Asa was in his 39th year of being a King, his feet became diseased - severely. Who knows, maybe gout or something of the sort. He did not rely on God to heal him, but his physicians. He ended up dying after 41 years of leadership, which started out strong and ended a little on the weak side. 

To sum it all up:

• God is not looking for perfection, He is looking for pursuit in us. We are to pursue Him above all other things. When we do - we find His blessing and favor. When we do not, well - let’s just say we are then an opposing force to the Creator & Sustainer of the Universe… you pick:)
• Do you trust God for what you need? Or do you rely on your own expertise or merit?
• Finish strong. Obey God till the end regardless of how hard or horrible it is. God is worth every effort that we put in. Now go - and plan to finish strong.