Today we focus on the southern part of the Kingdom. It was the smaller part, but it claimed the temple and the priesthood, and the authentic line of David.
Just to make sure we don’t get confused, we are looking south. There is a brief mention of Jeroboam, only to let us know what year it was when the southern king took over.
I wonder why Abijah had such a short reign? Even though it was short, he accomplished a great deal. According to 2 Chronicles he had 14 wives, fought a key battle in which a much larger force was defeated, and reinstituted worship of God within the southern kingdom. I would have to say that Abijah made the most of the years that he had. Maybe he was older at the time he became king. His son Asa follows his good example. Asa would be the great-grandson of Solomon, right? (Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa). To Asa’s credit, he continues the trend his father reinstituted: when there is trouble, we cry out to God for help. So when the Ethiopian army attacked (I didn’t remember reading about this before) Asa cries out to God and the army is defeated. Not only are they defeated, but the southern kingdom receives a huge pile of loot from the battle, and conquers several towns along the way, taking with them many animals. God speaks to them through a prophet, they are encouraged to dedicate themselves entirely to God, and do so in spectacular fashion…even deposing the Queen Mother, who was certainly leading the community away from God. Well done, Asa.
And then we read of the end of his life. For some reason Asa reaches out to the king of Aram. He has been in power for 36 years by now, and is well seasoned in politics and warcraft. I didn’t hear anything about God speaking to him after the early years…I wonder if Asa became complacent or simply forgot….because he had peace for many years around him. Sometimes a period of peace causes us to relax and let down our defenses. I would like to know, so that I don’t make the same mistake. I wouldn’t mind being like Abijah, except that I would like to be around longer than him. And I wouldn’t mind being a leader like Asa was at first.
Maybe there is a clue given in the way Asa treats the prophet who comes to scold him. He throws the prophet in prison, and even when his feet become diseased he refuses to ask God for help…putting his trust in the doctors. I don’t mind going to the doctors, but my help always comes from the Lord…it might come through the doctor..but it’s from the Lord. How could Asa have failed to see that? What did he hope to gain by imprisoning a servant of God? Something must have happened to him as he aged. Asa only had one wife, and it appears they had one child, so he didn’t have the same problem Solomon had, where his wives were turning his heart.
There is a lesson here: a good beginning doesn’t guarantee a good end. Solomon is perfect proof of that. In fact, there appears to be a trend developing here, where good kings begin with a rush of enthusiasm to serve the Lord, but they drift off into idol worship or some other pagan activities.
I wonder if there’s some way that leaders could surround themselves with godly people whose primary purpose is to keep the leader focused on God. Wouldn’t that be a worthwhile cabinet level position? Not a politically correct figurehead, but a person who could speak truth to the king, that the king would trust and respect, who could help keep him close to God.
It occurs to me that is exactly the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Faithfully,
PR