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There were lots of different Kings in Judah after the civil war that split it off from Israel. Some of them followed after the Lord, and some of them did not. They eventually fell so far from their God that he had to judge them, and let them be taken captive by Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon. But there were many good kings. Those who followed after the Lord with all their hearts. We have been looking at our own commitment to follow after the Lord. We first talked about Solomon, and how blessed he was of the Lord. But if you will remember, he fell very far from his God, the God who had appeared before him twice. The God who had brought his glory into the temple when Solomon dedicated it. There was another King in Judah. A good king, who loved the Lord and trusted him with all his heart. A king who removed idolatry from the whole land, |
and committed himself and Judah to wholly follow after the Lord. His name was Asa. You can find Asa's story in II Chronicles chapters 14 through 16. Most of the story reads very well indeed. At one point the Ethiopians came up against him and Judah, and Asa trusted in God for his deliverance. Without the Lord they wouldn't have had a chance, but God showed Himself strong on behalf of Judah and they had a great victory! They destroyed the Ethiopians, and got many riches in the process. The Lord honored Asa because Asa honored the Lord. It is the same today. In this very story the prophet Hanani testified, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." If we will set our face and our heart to seek the Lord, He will be faithful to us. |