1 Kings 15:9-24 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:9-24. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Kings 15:9-15 (NIV)
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.
12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made.
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
15 He brought into the temple of the LORD the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.
On verses 9-15: These verses summarize the long 41 year reign of Asa king of Judah. Previously, for three consecutive generations, the kings of Judah (Solomon, Rehoboam and Abijah) fell headlong into idolatry. So when Asa, Abijah’s son, comes on the scene as king of Judah, he is a breath of fresh air. Notice that when the author of 1 Kings summarizes Asa’s reign, the author differentiate Asa from his idol-worshiping father by not even mentioning in verses 9-15 that Asa was Abijah’s son.
What I love most about Asa is that he deliberately chose not to follow the evil practices of the generations before him. His father Abijah was an idol worshiper who did not follow the Lord. His grandmother Maacah was as well. Yet Asa did not allow his past to define his future. He did not let his ancestors’ idolatry determine his relationship with God. Rather Asa took deliberate steps to remove idolatry not just from his own life but from Judah as a whole. Verse 14 says “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life”.
Likewise, don’t let the past define you. You may not have come from a Christian background. Your ancestors before you may not have followed the Lord wholeheartedly. But don’t let that determine your future. You can be an amazing worshiper of the Lord and a powerful leader in God’s kingdom. That is God’s destiny for you!
1 Kings 15:16-24 (NIV)
16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.
17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
18 Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.
19 “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
20 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali.
21 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.
22 Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah–no one was exempt–and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.
23 As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased.
24 Then Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king.
On verses 16-24: Here we see how Asa forms an alliance with Ben-Hadad king of Aram to help him fight against Baasha king of Israel. It is tragic that whereas Israel and Judah were at one time one country and one kingdom together, they are now divided against each other and forming alliances with other nations so to defend against one another. Still, here we Asa leveraging the power of partnership. When you’re up against an enemy that is too strong for you, it helps to have an ally who can help you fight.
Is there a problem that is too big for you to solve on your own? You don’t have to fight alone. God is with you. Pray and ask God to help you find the right people who can partner with you in fighting your battle.
Father, thank You for Asa, how he did not allow his past to define his future, and how he used the power of partnership to his advantage when facing an enemy that was too strong for him to beat alone. May I do the same, not allowing my past to define my future. May I take real, practical steps to remove idolatry from my life. And may I make the most of the relationships You have given to me so that I can experience more victory over the enemy. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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