King Asa of Judah is presented as a hero who initially led Judah with great faithfulness, removing idolatry and seeking God, even leading his people to victory against a vastly superior Ethiopian army through prayer and reliance on God. He then united Judah and Benjamin in covenant to seek the Lord, demonstrating strong leadership in both tearing down false worship and building up God's people. However, in his later years, after a period of peace, Asa compromised his faith by relying on an alliance with Syria instead of God to defend against an invasion, leading to a loss of divine favor and subsequent wars, and ultimately ending his reign in a state of spiritual decline and conflict.
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I have to tell you this, that Bethany lived with us until last June. And every night I would put Bethany, most nights, I would put Bethany to bed. And we would take the hymn book. Bethany would pick two hymns, and I would pick two hymns. And before we would read or after we would read both the scriptures and another book that we were reading together, we would sing those hymns. And that became Bethany's favorite hymns. Now what I've got to share with you is that we used to have a cat. He had a very unusual name. His name was Keek. And Keek, when we would lay down to read, Keek would come in and jump on the bed to enjoy the story.
And when I began to sing, Keek would always get off the bed and go in the other room. And that became a joke. Nobody who would come to visit us would believe it. And Judy used to have great delight to point that out. She would say, now watch the cat when they read. And they'd look. And then they'd hear a song. And she would giggle. And she'd say, now watch. The cat's going to come back to me now. And sure enough, that always happened. How can we express our gratitude to you folks? What an honor to be asked to come and speak at Park of the Palms. What a delight to be with you, to fellowship with you.
You have been so kind to us. The little times that we've shared after the meetings and between meetings in many of your homes, what a joy, what a delight. Last time we were here, the aroma of our time with you stayed with us for a long, long time. And we look back, and we'll look back upon this with fond memories. Will you turn with me in your Bibles to Second Chronicles, Second Chronicles chapter fourteen. Our hero tonight is one of Judah's kings, Asa.
And I've entitled this message, Asa, a hero who did not finish well. And it saddens my heart to have to qualify Asa as a hero by mentioning that he did not finish well. But I want to make an observation before we even get into the message. Just because Asa did not finish well doesn't lessen what he was in my book. He's still a hero. I think sometimes we're guilty of throwing the babies out with the bathwater.
It's true. Asa stumbled near the finish line. But for many years, he ran well. God used them. God recorded for us in scriptures some wonderful things that we can learn from as we look at the life of Asa tonight. I'm going to start reading with verse one of chapter fourteen. So 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. And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
For he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places and break down the images and cut down the groves. and commanded judah to seek the lord god of their fathers and to do the law and the commandment also he took away out of all the cities of judah the high places and the images and the kingdom was quiet before him and he built fenced cities in judah for the land had rest he had no war in those years because the lord had given him rest therefore 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. And Asa had an army of men that bear targets and spears. Out of Judah, three hundred thousand. Out of Benjamin that bear shields and drew bows, two hundred and four score thousand. All these were mighty men of valor. And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots and came unto Marashah. Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zeph, I almost said, in the valley of the Z place at Marashah.
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. And Asa and the people that 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. And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them, and they spoiled all the cities. There was exceeding much spoil in them. They smote also the tents of cattle and carried away sheep and camels in abundance. and returned to Jerusalem. Now we're going to go on. In fact, we're going to cover three chapters tonight in the next thirty two minutes. But I wanted you to get a feeling for why I chose Asa as a hero. Asa was committed to doing nothing but pleasing God.
He becomes king of Judah. with all of the trappings of that title and that position. And he took upon him the responsibility of leading the people of God based upon a firm commitment that I am going to be good and I'm going to do good and I'm going to do right in the sight of God. Isn't that wonderful? Wouldn't you like someone in the White House? who would take it upon himself to do good and right in the sight of God.
We need leaders today. We need leaders in our nations. We need leaders in our communities. We need leaders in our assemblies who have no other agenda than to do what is good and right. in the eyes of God. As I was pondering the life of ASA once again today, I was looking at this again yesterday, and a few months ago I was looking at ASA. In nineteen ninety four, the Lord kind of introduced me to ASA. As I was seeking his face about something, he brought me to this passage.
I was struck once again with the fact as Asa begins his ministry, there's a negative aspect of it, and there's a positive aspect of his ministry. Notice he had to tear something down because things had been horrible in Judah prior to him. Things were not good. In fact, when you get to the fifteenth chapter, the prophet comes to Asa and he says, Asa, now for a, this is verse three, for a long season Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest and without law.
And therefore there was no peace but great vexation and so on. Now here's Asa, he's got a work to do. He's got to tear down that which is wrong. And it says, He took away, chapter fourteen, verse three, he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places, break down the images, cut down the groves. It says in verse five, he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images. That's good. I hope you understand that's good.
That's kind of what we're supposed to do, isn't it? Keep your finger in Chronicles and turn with me to Second Corinthians in the New Testament. Chapter ten. Verse three. We had time. I've had Miss Judy come up here and sing this to you. She's put this to music. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
That was the experience of Asa. Please note, it began with a commitment to do good and right in the eyes of God, to be obedient to God. God prepared him to do a work of tearing down. If you're going to do a work of tearing down, you better be right with God before you begin the work of tearing down. He was tearing down that which was a product of false gods, that which was wrong. We need leaders today who will stand up and say there is one revelation from God. And Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
There are not many ways to God. We need people who will stand up in our society where there's mass confusion and preach the faith that has once for all been delivered to the saints. It's the kind of work that Asa had in his day. He tore down that which was false. And verse four says he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to do the law and the commandment. Wonderful, wonderful ministry that Asa had. But notice when you come down to verses six and seven, he not only instructed God's people, he prepared them for action.
He was an active king. It says in verse six, he built fenced cities in Judah. And he spoke to the people and he said, let us build these cities. Make about them walls and towers and gates and bars. He understood something. It was a blessing and a mercy that God had given them peace. Not peace so that they might rest on beds of ease. Peace so they might prepare themselves for what surely was to come. In second Corinthians chapter two, verse eleven, you don't need to turn to it.
I love that little passage. It says, we're not ignorant concerning the devil's devices. Satan will attack. Satan is watching. His demons are on the lookout. Satan himself, Peter, tells us, walks about seeking whom he can devour. And now when there's peace, Asa says, is the time to start building walls and towers and gates. God has given us his whole counsel.
Isn't that wonderful? Aren't you so glad that no matter what the trial is, no matter what the problem is, you can go to the book and you can get help. To me, that's a wonderful, wonderful treasure. Christians have appreciated that over the years. Precious, holy Bible, treasure rich and rare. Word of God eternal, balm for every care. Oh, the wonder of the book. What a God. And I turn to this book and He tells me what's ahead. He tells me that in the last days, certain things will be true.
Now, why did He tell us that? Just so we can satisfy our curiosity as to what's ahead? No, He's put that in the canon of Scripture so you and I can be prepared. for the last days to live in the days in which we're living. The church is a special thing to God. I love the Song of Solomon. And in the Song of Solomon, there's a beautiful picture of the bride, a garden enclosed. Isn't that beautiful? A garden enclosed. It's protected.
It's got a wall around it. There are certain people who have no right in the church. Oh, there's gates. And those gates are largely for the Lord's people to go out into a dark, lost world with the good news of the gospel of Christ, to win them to Christ and bring them into the protection of the household of faith. Asa understood those things, though it was with him as through a glass darkly. He understood that now is not the time to settle down and relax just because there's peace.
Now's the time to prepare for war. And knowing that, he amasses an army. That's a pretty impressive army, don't you think? He had an army of men that bear targets and spears out of Judah, three hundred thousand. I see that and I always think of that number three hundred thousand. I used to say that I'm like Jerry Falwell. I would just assume preach the thirty or forty thousand is three hundred or four hundred thousand. That's a joke. I've never preached to that many. Don't have any desire to preach to big crowds like that. I feel more at home. with a hundred or three hundred of the Lord's people.
But what an army. Three hundred thousand and out of, that's out of Judah and out of Benjamin, two hundred and four score thousand, two hundred and eighty thousand, five hundred and eighty thousand men. And it says they were all mighty men of valor. He was prepared. He was training these men. And the head of the church as he inspires the writers to write the New Testament. And as he moves the pen of the Apostle Paul, as he's writing to Timothy, says this, Timothy, the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Prepare God's people. Parents, prepare your children for war. Prepare your grandchildren for war. Spiritual war. Asa understood that. He anticipates the action of the enemy and he makes preparation. One of the things that I appreciate about Asa is that he wasn't a textbook general. He wasn't a classroom general. We have a lot of those in the church today. You know, Bible colleges are full of them. You know, the people who are experts on evangelism all learned on how to fish.
You know, fish for souls. And here's the latest lures that you can use and so on. The only problem is very few of those people, my observation, ever fish. You know, if I want to learn how to fish, I want to go to a fisherman. I want to talk to somebody who catches fish. Asa is the man as he's leading God's people. And he says, let's get ready for war. Let's get ready for the attack of the enemy. We need to build walls and we need to fence in cities. He's out there working with them. That's very, very important.
And what Asa knew was coming comes. It's all there in chapter fourteen. Verse nine, there came out against them, Zara the Ethiopian. Now, you've got to really appreciate this. We were just talking about this mighty army that Asa has put together. My, five hundred and eighty thousand mighty men of valor with bows and arrows. Now he comes up against an army of a million people. And they've got tanks and Uzis and bazookas and all kinds of things. Not really, but comparatively speaking, says they came up with chariots and all kinds of weaponry.
And here's Asa with his mighty army outmanned and outgunned. The man's medal is going to be put to the test. What does he do? Well, he goes out against the enemy. And it says they set the battle in array. And Asa calls upon his secret weapon. Oh, I love this. This is just what David used to do. I remember when the Philistines came up against David. And David goes out and he sees them coming and he sees these outmanned and outgunned. And it says he goes down into the stronghold and he says, Lord, do you really want me to go up against them?
And the Lord says, yes, I certainly want you to go up against them. Go and I'll be with you. And David goes out and whoops the tar out of the Philistines. The Philistines retreat and they reconnoiter. Not sure what reconnoiter means, but they go back and they start to discuss things. I remember in nineteen sixty eight when George Wallace was running for president there was one of the primaries and and uh... came out he had won and then they recapitulated or something and that's what it said in the newspaper and he he hadn't won anymore and he went on and he gave a press conference and he said I don't know what that word means but I don't like it because before they did that he said I won and after they did it I lost well the Philistines come up against David again And what does David do?
He goes back into the stronghold. He doesn't presume to know what God wants him to do. He goes in and he asks them again. He said, do you want me to go up again? And God says, no, I want you to wait this time. I want you to go around behind the mulberry trees. And when you hear the sound of the going in the tops of the mulberry trees, get them. That's what he does. And he whips them again. You see, David knew where his strength was and Asa does too. Asa is facing this million-man army. And he gets on his knees. It says he cried, verse eleven, unto the Lord his God. And he said, Lord, it is nothing. This is nothing for you.
Lord, they could have two million. And I could only have eighty. And this is nothing for you. Whether with many or with them that have no power, help us. For we rest on thee. And in thy name we go against this multitude. Isn't that wonderful? Kind of reminds you a little bit of David when he was young and he had to go up against Goliath. Who would have thought that a young boy with a slingshot could beat a giant with a big sword?
and big enough to hold the sword. David tried on Saul's armor. You remember that? He said, I can't go out and miss stuff. Can't even move in it. Takes it off and just says, I've got my weapon and I've got God. Asa gets on his knees before God. And he says, God, this is no problem for you. We go in your name and in your strength. O Lord, do not let man prevail against you. And verse twelve says, The Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, before Judah, put them to rout.
And Asa and the people pursued them, overthrew them. They could not recover themselves because they were destroyed before the Lord. And they did a thorough job of mopping up after the battle. Wonderful victory, wonderful example, pattern for us. Now we come to chapter fifteen. The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Obed. And he comes to Asa with a message. Very, very important message. First of all, he says, something that Asa obviously already knew.
The Lord is with you, Asa. And I'm sure he paused and Asa said, Oh, I'm so glad he is. Thank you, Lord. Asa, if you seek him, he will be found of you. Asa says, Yes, I know. Why, when the Ethiopians came up against us, Oh, I went before him. And oh, boy, did he come through. You need also to know, Asa, if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Can't you see Asa bowing his head? And then he says what I've already read to you, that this is a new experience for Israel.
It's been a long time since there was somebody over Judah who was like Asa in chapter fourteen. For a long time, Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. But he reminds Asa of God's faithfulness. Whenever they got in trouble and they did turn to God and seek him, he was found of. He was found of them. So he says, remember this as you continue, Asa. You're to be of good courage. This is verse seven.
And don't let your hands be weak. Your work will be rewarded. Ace is still a hero at this point. You see, he listened to good counsel. He listened to what God had to say through his servant. Azeriah is not speaking on his own account. He's not simply making an observation. This says the Spirit of God came upon him, gave him this message to give to Asa. Asa recognized it from whence it came. It says, when he heard these words, verse eight, and the prophecy of Obed the prophet, he took courage and he continued the work that he was doing in the previous chapter.
He continued putting away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin. and he renewed the altar of the Lord. Notice again the negative and the positive. He continued this ministry of tearing down that which was wrong, correcting what was wrong, and then making people to understand and to do what was right. The principle in the Christian life, you know, it talks about taking off and then putting on. That's what you and I need to be about. And as he does this work of God, it's evident to the people. He becomes someone who unites the people of God.
We need that today. Not people who unite apostates with good Christians and so on. But God's people today are like sheep without a shepherd. And we need people who will begin to bring the Lord's people together based upon the truth. of God's word. Unity based upon truth, not unity for the sake of unity. It says he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh and out of Simeon. For they fell to him. This is verse nine of chapter fifteen.
They fell to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. Now watch what he does with him. He leads them in worship. That's what he does. First thing. These people are all coming. And they say, oh, Asa, we're going to follow you because you are evidently God is with you and you are obviously doing that which is right in the eyes of God. And this is what we've needed for a long time. And Asa wants God's people to understand this. God desires the worshippers. who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
It doesn't say that. It says, they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem and they offered unto the Lord the same time of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And then Asa says to these people who have come to them, we need to make a firm commitment, just as I did at the beginning of chapter fourteen. We need to make a commitment to do good and to do what is right in the eyes of God. He's a real teacher. He's what Azariah the prophet had said.
There hadn't been in Israel for a long time a teaching priest. As a priest, he begins to get them to offer sacrifices. As a teacher, he begins to instruct them in their responsibilities to God. And those are the kind of leaders we need today. People who will instruct God's people in worship. People who instruct God's people in the whole council of God. It says they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. They got a little tough here. And if anybody didn't do that, they were going to be put to death whether small or great man or woman.
But that's what Asa said is a requirement. And they swear unto the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, with cornets. And all Judah, verse fifteen, rejoiced at the oath. For they had sworn with their heart and sought him with their whole desire. And he was found of them, and the Lord gave them rest. Round about. You see why I call him a hero. This guy's doing a lot of things right. My, what an example. Well, let's come down to chapter sixteen. Chapter fifteen ends.
There was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa. Twenty years of peace. That's wonderful, isn't it? Starts with the fifteenth year of Asa. All the way down to the thirty-fifth. Chapter sixteen begins in the thirty-sixth year. a problem arises. Basha, king of Israel, comes up against Judah and built Rama to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. But twenty years can change a man.
Twenty years. Twenty years of peace can change a man. I'll never forget being in a home in communist China with a dear man of God. Oh, what a godly man, a man who had spent most of his life in prison simply because he was a Christian, a man who had been tortured by the communists, a man whose life had been threatened over and over again. Lam, if you go out there and start teaching, people about Jesus will kill you. And Lam would look him in the face and laugh and say, you kill me and you simply send me to be with Jesus. I do not fear death. Sitting in the presence of such a man, I pulled out a little pocket tape recorder and I said, Brother Lam, would you give me two prayer requests to bring back to America?
And do you know what he said? Pray that we would suffer more in China. Because it's more godly, it's more easy to be godly when you're suffering than when you're not. My, that's true. That's true. We've had it easy, haven't we, in North America? The church has had it awfully easy. And because we've had it so easy, we become comfortable in the world. Things that perhaps used to excite us don't really excite us.
The urgency of the moment isn't really upon us. Well, how's Asa going to respond to Basha, King of Israel, coming up against him and doing this? How would he have responded back earlier? Well, during this twenty years, he certainly would have been building up walls and strengthening the walls and the fences, and he certainly would have been training an army, replenishing any losses that he might have had when the Lord smote the Ethiopians, getting a new generation up. No mention of that. Instead, It says, he brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and he sent to Benedad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus.
And he said, there's a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and my father. Behold, I have sent thee silver and gold. Go, break thy league with Basha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me. And Benedadadad harkened unto King Asa, sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smoked I, John, and Dan, and Abel, Maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And when Basha heard it, he left off building of Rahman, let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Rahman, the timber thereof, wherewith Basha was building, and he built there with Geba and Mizpah. Do you understand what's happening?
Asa... doesn't appear to need God at this point. Why, he's got a treaty with one of God's enemies, the King of Syria. They were no good in that day, and they're no good today. And he counts upon this alliance. Oh, understand this. In his mind, the end justifies the means. He's removed... the threat. In fact, this has enabled him to get some materials to build two more cities. There's only one problem.
God is a jealous God. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding. You begin to get the picture. And God sends another prophet to Asa. Hanani. He comes to Asa in verse seven of chapter sixteen. To say unto Asa, because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Asa. you should have defeated the king of Syria. But now you strengthened his hand. And you did it because you were afraid and you lacked faith and you didn't consider me. He says, we're not the Ethiopians, a huge host with many chariots and horsemen. Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord rose to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect for him. In doing what you've done, Asa, you've acted foolishly.
Therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars. It's as if God is saying, Asa, if you don't need me, then I'm going to let you fight your own battles. you're not going to be very successful because you're going to have to fight them without my mighty arm before you you would have thought that asa being our hero in chapter fourteen and chapter fifteen would have been humbled wouldn't you you would have thought he would have prostrated himself and said i'm sorry god what was i thinking instead Verse ten says, Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in a prison.
He was in a rage with him because of this thing. I've dealt with people who when you tell them the truth of God's word, they get angry with you. You know what that proves to me? I'm right. Usually. You see, the wrath of man doesn't work with the hand of God. says Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. And this hero who used to gather the people of God together now begins to separate the people of God. This man who at one time built God's people up is beginning to tear them down.
And God says, Asa, I'm sorry. My hand is off you. and the text tells us within three years he gets very bad sick and I think of that verse in first Corinthians chapter eleven some are weak and sickly among you and some sleep and he dies he slept with his fathers and he died in the one and fortieth year of his reign and they bury him it's a little encouragement that comes in the next chapter, his son Jehoshaphat becomes king.
And he does what is right and good in the sight of God. And a revival breaks out. Praise God. You see, God even said that Ace's heart would be right with him up to the very end. And Jehoshaphat has seen his father as a spiritual giant. He's learned from it. But the sad thing, and our time is up, is when you come to the end of Jehoshaphat's days, he makes the same mistakes that his father made. Like father, like son, what a responsibility we have.
Not all heroes stay heroes to the end. Some of you have run well. May I encourage you. to run well to the very end. Shall we pray? Father, what a joy to open your precious word. Lord, to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. We thank you for what you did good in Asa's life. Thank you for the good that he did when he looked to thee. Father, we confess that we like Asa, have flesh, and that we are prone to wander, prone when circumstances are favorable in our lives to forget you.