Lessons from Asa
Key Passage: 2 Chronicles 14
Date: June 7, 2024
Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Second Chronicles chapter number 14. Second Chronicles chapter number 14, if you would, please. And for the month of June, Sunday morning, we’re going to study, “Lessons from the Kings,” or learning from the Kings will be our series. Today we’re going to lessons from Asa, Asa King of Judah.
How many of you are reading through your Bible this year? You’re working at it reading through your Bible this year? Good, good, good, good, that’s great. The rest of you, you can start today. How about that now, you know? And there are a lot of different Bible reading schedules that are good.
If you’re using the one our church prints and puts out a lot, then you are kind of in the middle of covering the kings. You’ve covered some of them already. And we’re going to stop and study on some of those during the month of June on Sunday morning. So we’re on Asa, King of Judah this morning. Second Chronicles chapter number 14 in God’s word. If you’re there, would you say amen? Amen.
Good deal, good deal. That was pretty good, but I think we can do better. Come on. If you’re there, would you say amen? There we go. There we go. I’ve only seen one yawning already. That’s not too bad, you know. But we’ll have to see what we can do about all of that.
Would you please stand, would you, in honor of God’s word, if you’re able to. And we like to show the Bible respect. I’m so thankful we have God’s word. What a blessing it is. And we’re in 2nd Chronicles chapter number 14. We’re going to read just two verses, starting with verse number one. And then we’ll pray and do a little history lesson at first. Touch different than usual. And then preach for a little bit.
Verse number one, the Bible says, “So Abidja slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa, his son reigned in his stead. In his days, the land was quiet, 10 years.”
That means no babies were born, so there was no way in the middle of the night. That’s what that means. Something like that, maybe peace for 10 years, you know. And Asa did that what’s just good and right in the eyes of the Lord is God.
And would you pray with me that God would speak to our hearts, all of us, be to this morning. Would you do so?
Father, Lord, we come. I’m not worthy or really to be a preacher. You’re just so good to us, better than I deserve. Father, I do pray that you would take a simple preacher, and Lord, your great word and your Spirit, and would you change this today for you? Grow us. Lord, just one touch from you makes all the difference. Just in a moment. Would you touch people today? And Father, we’ll brag on you and thank you and praise you for what you do, Lord. I’ll give you glory for it.
Father, it’s in Jesus’ name we ask these things, so we’re asking in faith. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
Would you please stick with me as we do just a little summary of Asa, this king. He actually served in what’s called the Southern Kingdom. Now Israel was split, and Israel was up north, ten tribes. Down south was Judah, two tribes. We would use our video screen and whatnot, but it’s not working right now. We’re working on that. So just imagine if you were Israel and then Judah.
Asa was king of Judah, the southern kingdom, all right? And it’s just two tribes, but it’s a great kingdom. They stayed closer to the Lord than the northern kingdom for the most part. Asa was Solomon’s great-grandson: Solomon, Rehoboam, Abidja, or how do you want to say that name, and then Asa, all right? Asa’s down south.
He was a good king. He served for 41 years. You’re falling asleep already. How long did he serve for this king? Oh, you’re awake. Look at that. I’m impressed. He’s a good king. The first vast majority of his life is marked by peace and victories and triumphs, wonderful. He trusted the Lord, great victories. The last part of his life is very sad.
Just a sad ending to a great man’s life. The last five, six years was just a tragic end. He relied on man and worldly measures and ended on a sad note. So let’s just break down his life a little bit. All right, would you stick with me? You’re just kind of trying to build a little bit and form a foundation. So y’all stick with me. Everybody, if you would, please stick with me on this. Asa.
When he became king as a young man, he was just very bold for the Lord. He very quickly got into it, the false idols, he had them torn down, he had them taken away. He took a bold stand for God. In fact, he commanded—I like it, he didn’t just suggest, he commanded—that Judah seek the Lord. I like that from the king. Wouldn’t it be a blessing if America had a president like that right now?
He commanded them to worship the Lord, to seek the Lord. Now, there were many that were worshipping the sun god, and he took all those places of worship away. In Judah, they’re often called the high places. In Judah, he did so. And God gave him peace for about 10 years. It was very peaceful.
Now, during those 10 years of peace, Asa, he built some large fortified cities. He built some forts—well, fortified cities. He built up his military. In fact, he ended up around that time, the Bible records 580,000 as military. And the Bible talks about they had some shields and they had some bows, so they had some armory also.
Then after this first part, he comes to his first major battle, his major war, the first one. And actually coming against him is the Ethiopians, a very large army. They had a one million man army. That’s very large in the Bible times. Pretty good size in our day and time. One million men.
Now, remember, he only had 580,000. They had a million. Some say he kind of stretched his numbers of 580,000. We don’t know. The Bible tells us that, so I’m going to go with it. But they had a million men, almost double what he had coming against him, and they had 300 chariots. That’s kind of like tanks. They had the military power. They had almost double the men. They had some 300 chariots or tanks. It was a great battle.
But I want you to find out what Asa does about this as a young man. Look in verse number 11, please, if you would, chapter number 14. He’s in the middle of the battle. And notice what he does, verse number 11.
“And Asa cried unto the Lord, his God and said, ‘Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rest on thee. And in thy name we go against this multitude, O Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee.’”
So the Lord smoked the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Now is a great victory. Now imagine that they had a million. He had a little over half of that, but almost two to one. They had tanks.
And yet, Asa won because he trusted him. It was a great victory. It’s awesome. Something to remember God’s victory he brings, you know. A wonderful victory of Asa.
Now, after that war and that great victory, God sent a preacher, a prophet over to talk to the king, Azariah. And this is what Azariah said. Now, y’all with me? You’ll stick with me through this building the foundation.
Azariah said, look, the Lord spoke to me and said, Asa, as long as you keep doing right, I’m going to keep blessing. I’m going to reward you, as a Bible word he uses. You just keep seeking God. God’s going to bless, but if you forsake God, God will forsake you.
Now this thing, man, it just gave the king confidence. The Bible calls it gave him courage. Whoa, man, I’m doing right. God’s blessing. He’s promised to reward me. Keep doing it right. And boy, he just kind of gave him, fueled his fire.
In fact, he got together the people and they made a covenant. We’re going to seek God. There was a commitment of covenant they made. He looked for any other false idols. He got rid of them.
About 15 years into his reign, even people up north that wanted to serve God—Israel’s backslid—Judah, the southern tribe, they’re doing right. They started moving down. They said, man, God’s hand is on Asa. He’s trying to serve God, and they began to move down to the southern kingdom. God was blessing. It was a great time. And the Bible even talks about in 1 Kings 15, he took away the Sodomites.
Original File: Lesson’s from Asa- Part-1 - Pastor Paul Chisgar Sunday AM 6621