Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“And Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son became king in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years. Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. He removed the foreign altars and high places, broke down the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherahs. And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to keep the law and the commandment. And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom had rest under him. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was at rest. Under him there was no war in those years, for Yahweh had given rest to him.” (2 Chronicles 14:1-6)

Chapter fourteen shows us what kind of king Asa was. A godly one. He did what was right. He followed the Lord and encouraged the people to do the same. When trouble came his way, he took it to the Lord and totally relied on Him. He gave God the problem and waited for instructions. When he got them, he obeyed. He was a GOOD king.

In chapter fifteen God sends a prophet to Asa to tell him that as long as he is with the Lord the Lord is with him and that went for the people as well. Asa started a reform program eliminating the idols in the Land. He made the people make covenant with the Lord to seek the Lord only. There was a zero tolerance policy for those who did not worship the Lord. Asa even removed his own mother from her position as queen mother because she made an idol – which he tore down and burnt and cast out. His heart was for the Lord completely.

In chapter sixteen, the last years of Asa’s life, there was a little blip. When invaded, he tried to bribe his way out. A seer came to tell him that since he had not relied on God for the victory, it would not be a total victory. Asa was mad at him and threw him in prison. He also oppressed some of the people a little. In the end, he died of a sickness. It specifically tells us that he refused to seek the Lord over it. He was buried in the City of David amid a lot of honour.

Chapter seventeen is the beginning of the reign of king Jehoshaphat. He sought the Lord. He based everything he did on the Lord and the Lord honoured him. His kingdom was strong and rich. He removed the high places where people did pagan rites. He walked in God’s commandments. And he had priests go throughout the Land teaching the Law of Moses to the people. The Lord gave him peace and terror of the Lord came on all the nations surrounding Judah and they would not invade or move against them.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jehoshaphat, the Jews.

Key Verse(s): 2 Chronicles 14:2-7; 15:16-19; 16:7-10; 17:3-6