Asa Part 1

“Abijah slept with his fathers…and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 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 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. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.” ~ 2 Chronicles 14:1-6

2 Chronicles 14:2-5 describes Asa’s righteousness and zeal for the worship of Yahweh. Those verses are sandwiched by verse 1 and verse 6, which tell us three times that the land had rest. Under Asa’s father, Judah and Israel warred against each other, and though Abijah experienced military victory by relying on the Lord, he tolerated idolatrous places of worship.

It was Asa who took away the foreign altars, the high places, and the immoral Asherim trees. It was Asa who commanded Judah to seek the Lord. It was Asa who strengthened Jerusalem. And because Asa was fervent to seek the Lord and persuade others to seek the Lord, God gave them no war in his first ten years (before the Ethiopians would come against Judah). These years were a period of building up, of peace and security.

And from these six verses we learn 3 things. First, a nation’s ruler matters. Yes, Israel was unique in that it was a theocracy. It was the only true theocracy that ever has or ever will existed. And there can be no such thing as a “Christian nation” in the true sense of the word. However, we do see in the Bible that God holds nations accountable for how they act. Wickedness, immorality, and abominations bring the judgement of God upon a nation. And it usually starts with a nation’s leader. Christians have been given a wonderful privilege here in America to be involved in politics. Christians ought to run for local, state, and national offices. Christians ought to pray for those in high positions. And we ought to vote, ultimately according to conscience, on if a candidate will promote moral decay or will imperfectly preserve a grain of righteousness.

Secondly, we learn that the people of God inside of a nation matter. If Asa was the only one who sought the LORD, sweeping reforms would not have happened. As much as a ruler matters, it is even more paramount that the people of God within a nation pursue Him, love Him, and love their neighbors as themselves. No matter who is ruling as president, our hope does not rise and fall on that office. Whether we live under a born-again leader or a ruthless emperor like Nero or Domitian, we are to live out the word of God. Having an unjust and corrupt leader is no excuse to not pursue the Great Commission and the fame of Jesus. The early church grew exponentially under persecution. Though the Roman leaders were evil, they still lived out the word of God.

And third, how we live Coram Deo matters. That is a Latin phrase which means “before the face of God”. Notice that it says Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. And God gave peace to the land, but ultimately to Asa (verse 6). Whether the Lord places you in a position of ruling authority, or has you stay in a quieter position, we must strive to do what is right in the eyes of God. Our steps and our ways are before Him. He weighs our heart. We must not settle for the appearance of godliness and miss out on true godliness.

So pray for our leaders, but as for you and I, let the word of God drive our life and not anyone else. May we remember we live Coram Deo.

~ Pastor Alexander