Jo’s Place

Asa Made Religious Reforms The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, son of Oded, and he went out to meet King Asa, as he was returning from the battle.  “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted.  “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin!  The Lord will stay with you, as long as you stay with Him!  Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him.  But if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.  For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.  But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, …and sought Him out, they found Him.  “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel.  Problems troubled the people of every land.  Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.  But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”  When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable

The Early Years of Asa’s Reign in Judah When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David.  Then, his son, Asa, became the next king.  There was peace in the land, for ten years. Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, his God.  He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines.  He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.  He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey His laws and His commands.  Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars, from every one of Judah’s towns.  So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.  During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns, throughout Judah.  No one tried to make war against him, at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest, from his enemies.  Asa told the people of Judah,  “Let us build towns and fortify them, …with walls, towers, gates, and bars.  The land is still ours, because we sought the Lord, our God

Abijah’s War with Jeroboam Abijah began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel.  He reigned in Jerusalem three years.  His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Uriel, from Gibeah.  Then, war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam.  Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel.  When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim …and he shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel:  “Listen to me!  Don’t you realize that the Lord, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever?  Yet, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, a mere servant of David’s son, Solomon, rebelled against his master.  Then, a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, when he was young and inexperienced …and could not stand up to them.  “Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the Lord