2/23/2011 5:36:13 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Asa-Peace and victory
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference:
1Ki.
15:9-11; 2Chron. 14:1-15:7
Message of the verses: “9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the
king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10 He reigned forty-one
years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.”
1
So Abijah slept with his fathers, and
they buried him in the city of David, and his son Asa became king in his place.
The land was undisturbed for ten years during his days. 2 Asa did good and right in the sight of the
LORD his God, 3 for he removed the
foreign altars and high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the
Asherim, 4 and commanded Judah to seek
the LORD God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment.
5 He also removed the high places and
the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was
undisturbed under him. 6 He built
fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and there was no one
at war with him during those years, because the LORD had given him rest. 7 For he said to Judah, "Let us build
these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land
is still ours 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. 8 Now Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah,
bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, bearing shields
and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.
9 ¶ Now Zerah the Ethiopian came
out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to
Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out to meet
him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at
Mareshah. 11 Then Asa called to the LORD
his God and said, "LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle
between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our
God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O
LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You." 12 So the LORD routed the Ethiopians before Asa
and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13
Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and
so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before
the LORD and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder. 14 They destroyed all the cities around Gerar,
for the dread of the LORD had fallen on them; and they despoiled all the
cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15
They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away
large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
1 ¶ Now the Spirit of God came on
Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went
out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and
Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He
will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3 "For many days Israel was without the
true God and without a teaching priest and without law. 4 "But in their distress they turned to
the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. 5 "In those times there was no peace to
him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the
inhabitants of the lands. 6 "Nation
was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind
of distress. 7 "But you, be strong
and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work."
Today’s
SD has many verses in it and so I will have to wait to write the commentary on
it until another time. The verses are on
a good king from Judah whose name was Asa, and he ruled for forty-one years as
king.
There
is a lot of difference in the length of the verses between 1Kings and
2Chronicles describing Asa’s life, as 2Chronicles devotes three chapters while
1Kings only three verses. Dr. Wiersbe
divides Asa’s life up into three sections of which this SD has only the first
division.
I
have highlighted two portions of Scripture that I wish to comment on 1. Then Asa called to the LORD his God, and 2. O LORD, You are our God; let
not man prevail against You. What
I like about the first highlighted portion is that Asa knew that the Lord was
his God, so that means that he had a personal relationship with the living
God. The second highlighted area can be
seen as spiritual warfare because Asa knew that the enemy of Judah was the
enemy of God even though he was fighting against the northern tribes of Israel
they were still enemies of God because of how they were conducting their lives.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: The Lord God of heaven and earth in three
persons is my God because He came and sought me, and not because He saw any
good in me but because of His sovereign choice.
I know that there are those who are my enemies because I am a Christian,
and they are also God’s enemies. Those
who are doing wrong are enemies of the Lord unless they are His children and
then they are out of fellowship with Him.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
1.
I know that I am in a spiritual battle and in great need
of the spiritual armor.
2.
I give myself to the Lord my God today for worship
and service.
3.
I ask the Lord to direct my path today.
4.
I want to continue to learn contentment.
2/24/2011 5:52:09 AM
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