CHAPTER 14

(955 B.C.)

ASA REIGNS OVER JUDAH

¹So Abijah 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 ten years (this was ten years without war, ten years of peace and prosperity).

²And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God (this is the reason for the peace, quiet, and prosperity):

³For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke down the images, and cut down the groves (evidently, Judah, under Abijah, had been involved at least to some degree in idol worship, hence, the statement made about Abijah in I Ki., Chpt. 15):

⁴And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the Law and the Commandment (Asa points Judah to the Bible; how so badly we need Preachers presently who will, as well, point people to the Bible; but all too often the people are pointed in every direction except the Bible).

⁵Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. (This lesson should be plain to every Christian that sin opens the door for strife, opposition, destruction, and all manner of turbulence, while seeking the Ways of God and following the Word of God insure serenity, rest, and peace. This doesnt mean that Satan will cease to oppose the true Child of God; however, it does mean victory and then peace when Satan does oppose.)

ASAS BUILDING PROGRAM

⁶And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest (when one properly follows the Lord, rest is guaranteed [Mat. 11:28-30]).

⁷Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered (five times in these first seven Verses of this Chapter, the Holy Spirit alludes to this great blessing of rest).

ASAS ARMY

⁸And Asa had an army of men who bore targets (large shields) and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, who bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour (the Holy Spirit here alludes to the power of Judah; when people are right with God, they have power over the enemy [Acts 1:8]).

ASAS VICTORY OVER ZERAH

⁹And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand (one million men), and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

¹⁰Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

¹¹And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with You to help, whether with many, or with them who have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on You, and in Your Name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You. (Even though Asa, in fact, did have a mighty army, still, he did not rely on such. He cried unto the LORD. All too often blessing and prosperity, even though from God, can turn the hearts and the heads of men away from God, but Asa seems, at least at this time, to have trusted solely in the Lord. If God does bless us with money and numbers, fine, well, and good. However, we must never look to these things, but always, and only, to the Lord.)

¹²So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled (the Holy Spirit is quick here to proclaim the fact that it was the Lord Who brought about this great victory).

¹³And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before His host; and they carried away very much spoil. (This is the Way of the Lord! Instead of Satan taking all that we have in the Lord, we are to take all that he has. It can be done only if the Believer will place his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross. Then the Holy Spirit will Work mightily on our behalf, even as He did here for Asa [Rom. 8:1-2, 11].)

¹⁴And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. (The area around Gerar constituted the extreme southern portion of Judah, in fact, that which bordered Egypt. If the Believer has forfeited any of his spiritual inheritance to Satan, it must be regained, and can be regained, and in totality.)

¹⁵They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. (This great victory dated the commencement of a period of comparative internal peace and reform for the kingdom of Judah, which lasted some twenty-one years, and all because of trust in God.)