2 Chronicles 14:1-15
Wednesday, 15 June 2022
“Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” -2 Chronicles 14:2
Obedience to God leads to peace with God and with men. Obeying God’s Word is the first step towards the path of peace. This is the message from our reading today -the reign of king Asa was marked by peace when he did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD (not in his own eyes nor in the eyes of the world).
Asa destroyed every altar that was used to offer worship to other gods and commanded his people to seek the living God and obey His Law. The LORD gave him rest from his enemies (Vs.6). Our worship offered to the Lord without removing things that are offensive to God from our lives is not acceptable to HIM. 1 Cor.10:14 [TLB] says: “So, dear friends, carefully avoid idol worship of every kind.” Every day till the end of our lives, our prayer should be that we live in a manner that will be good and right in the eyes of the Lord.
The rest period of Judah was not a sleeping phase but they were preparing themselves to face the adverse time or to prepare the defense mechanisms (Vs.7). As in the case of physical attacks, it will be difficult to withstand spiritual attacks if our defenses are not prepared well in advance. The Bible says our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the forces of darkness (Eph. 6:12). We are in this struggle until Christ returns because Satan is constantly fighting against those who belong to the Lord. We need supernatural power to fight this battle and God has provided the same by giving us the power of the Holy Spirit and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We are not to consider ourselves weak. Remember the words of Jesus to Peter- “…on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)
When the Cushite army outnumbered Asa’s soldiers, we see him calling on the LORD his God (Vs.11), seeking divine help. The secret of victory is first to admit human inability and to trust in God’s power. God encourages us through 2Corinthians 12: 9 says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Asa traveled a long way with God before moving off the track. Towards the last stage of his life Asa chose the easy way rather than the right way- we see Asa bribing king Ben Hadad of Aram instead of depending on the living God (doing good and right before his own eyes but not before God’s eyes). When he was confronted by prophet Hanani, he became angry and jailed the prophet of God. He rejected correction and refused to admit his mistake before God (2 Chron.16: 7-10,12).
As you read this today, are you willing to identify the wrong tracks you are on the course of your life , repent and make an earnest step to come back in to the way that is good and right in the eyes of the LORD? Let us examine ourselves to see if there is any deceitfulness in our heart and guard against it.
Remember: It is not how you begin your race but how you end the race, that matters before God.
Quote for the day: “God not only reinforces good – He confronts evil.” (Anon)