Introduction

Since we finished Romans 8 last Sunday, it’s a good time to revisit our 2023 theme, “Transforming Faith.” We’re emphasizing the fact that God doesn’t just want us to talk the talk of Christianity; he wants us to grow a strong faith that transforms all of life. It changes how we see the world and what we value. And it drives us to live radically different lives from the unbelievers around us.

This big view of God is vital to a healthy Christian life; therefore, one of the Bible’s highest priorities is to cultivate transforming faith. And I love the fact that it doesn’t just command us to have faith; it offers many encouraging examples of great faith and many sobering examples of faith that wavered under pressure.

This morning we are going to examine the life of King Asa because he is an example of both. He took some incredible steps of faith, and God blessed him abundantly for it. But his faith also wavered, and he suffered for it. We can learn a lot from both. So, let’s jump into this fascinating life. Asa’s story begins in 2 Chronicles 14:1–8, which I’m going to call…

I.  Asa’s Early Reforms (14:1–8)

To appreciate Asa’s story, we must put it in context. After Solomon’s death, Israel split into two nations which you can see on the map. The Northern 10 tribes were called Israel. And the Southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin kept the name Judah.

(Kings Timeline) And Asa was only the 3^rd Southern king after this split. His nation was only 20 years old when he took the throne. I’m sure it was still reeling from the split.

And Rehoboam and Abijah were both ungodly. 1 Kings 14:22 says Rehoboam “did evil in the sight of the Lord,” and 1 Kings 15:3 says that Abijah “walked in all the sins of his father.” Frankly Solomon’s last few years were also lousy. So, Asa inherited a spiritual mess. Judah was far from God’s design.

On top of that, Asa was probably pretty young when he became king, because his father Abijah only ruled for 3 years. So, imagine a young adult, maybe around 20 years old taking the throne and being tasked with setting a new and firm direction for the nation. It’s not an easy situation.

But Asa was determined to turn the tide. Verse 2 says, “Asa did…” He got to work almost immediately eradicating idolatry. He destroyed the pagan altars and places of worship, and, positively, he “commanded” the people to (v. 4) “seek the Lord…”

Now, we may read that and think, “Duh! Why wouldn’t he do that? That’s what the Law said he should do.” But people don’t generally sing your praises when you take away their religious symbols and forbid their religious practices. Yes, many godly people rejoiced at Asa’s reforms, but plenty others were furious at him.

Yet Asa pressed forward. And he needed to because idolatry is reprehensible to God (Deut 13:6–11). It’s worth noting that this Law is no longer binding. We don’t live in a theocracy anymore; we live in the age of grace. But it was God’s command to Israel. Asa needed to quickly eradicate it, and that’s exactly what he did.

I’m sure many people were angry at Asa, but God was not. He was pleased, and he blessed Asa with 10 years of peace. And Asa recognized God’s work (v. 7). I appreciate Asa’s awareness. Sometimes, we are so stuck in our own world that we don’t see God’s hand or his gracious blessing. We don’t capitalize on the opportunities he gives. Like Asa, we must see God’s grace at work. And when God opens a door to honor him, we must take it.

Asa did. Not only did he tear down idols; he built fortifications. That’s significant because Asa was a Davidic king, and Judah was God’s people. Their military strength glorified the Lord. So, Asa obeyed, God blessed, Asa continued to obey, and God continued to bless.

Yes, God never promises everyone the same temporal prosperity. The Bible is filled with people who suffered for being godly. But in the grand scheme, you can never improve on God’s will. Compromise and laziness may feel better in the moment, but they never benefit in the end. So, be like Asa. Take a bold, uncompromising stand for God’s truth. Seize every opportunity to serve the Lord. And watch God be faithful.

In sum, Asa’s first 10 years went about as well as they could. I’m sure there were challenges, but he trusted the Lord, he obeyed God’s will, and God blessed. But seasons of blessing only last so long. We need the occasional test to renew our dependence on God. After 10 years, God sent…

II.  A Major Test and a Mighty Victory (14:9–15)

We don’t know for sure who Zerah the Ethiopian is and how he amassed such a huge army. The best explanation seems to be that Egypt ultimately recruited and funded this army. Pharoah at the time was Osorkon I. 2 Chronicles 12 says his predecessor won a major victory over Rehoboam and took home massive spoils. Osorkon I was probably trying to do the same.

So, Zerah led a massive army all the way up to Mareshah, which you can see on the map. It’s only 25 miles from Jerusalem. Verse 9 literally reads that he had “a thousand thousands,” which would be a million men. However, thousands can also mean regiments, so it’s possible that he didn’t literally have one million soldiers. Regardless, Asa faced overwhelming odds.

So, imagine Asa standing on a hillside looking out at an unending sea of soldiers. This army wasn’t just huge; it was well-equipped force. They have 300 chariots, the tanks of the ancient world. It was a terrifying sight.

And it would have been very tempting to bargain for terms of peace. “What do we need to pay you to keep you from killing us all? You can raid the temple, and we’ll pay a tax. At least we’ll be alive, and our women and children will be safe.” I’m sure that Asa had some nervous generals in his ear demanding that he seek peace immediately.

But Asa knew that this would be rebellion against God. Notice God’s instructions in Deuteronomy 7:17–21. Israel must fight because God’s glory was at stake. And he promised to always give the victory.

So, Asa had two options. The comfortable option was to seek peace and hoe that God understood. Or the radical option was to fight and trust the Lord to deliver. Which option would you choose if you were standing on that hillside looking out at the armies of Mordor?

To the dismay of Asa’s nervous generals, Asa began to pray. Notice his incredible prayer in v. 11. That is a powerful expression of transforming faith. He declares God’s sovereign power and his humble dependence. God was his only hope of victory. And he prayed that God would glorify himself by giving the victory.

Then, by faith he yelled, “Charge!” and down the hill they all went. Everyone likes a good war story, so we would love it if God would give us some details about the battle. What was their strategy? Who did something heroic? How did they get past the chariots?

But none of those things really matter. All that really matters is, as v. 12 says, “The Lord…” Judah’s weapons or skill or strategy didn’t win the victory. It was the Lord! In fact, he gave them a crushing victory. The Ethiopians panicked and began to run everywhere. “They were shattered before the Lord and before His army” (v. 13).

Imagine Asa standing on that hillside watching this unfold. This is his first major test as Commander-in-Chief, and he made a radical and probably unpopular decision. But by faith, Asa had a grand vision of Almighty God. The Ethiopians were nothing compared to him. So, Asa obeyed the Lord. He took a radical step of faith in the face of impossible odds.

What challenge does it take to compromise your faith? How much pressure does Satan have to assert before you compromise your convictions and take matters into your own hands? How quick are you to say, “I can’t trust God with this. I have to solve it my way”? How do you see your problems? Are they all HUGE? Or do you have such a grand vision of Almighty God that none of them seem that significant?

Hebrews 11:6 warns, “Without faith it is impossible to please (God).” You cannot please the Lord and live like a practical atheist. Rather, a Christian must nurture life-transforming faith that inspires radical obedience and radical faithfulness. Let’s all be challenged to follow Asa’s example and trust the Lord to the extent that we obey everything he has said.

What an incredible moment. Asa and his men won a great victory, and they collected massive amounts of spoil. Then they all marched home with full hands and full hearts. Amazed at what God had done. That brings us to chapter 15 which describes…

III.  Asa’s Secondary Reforms (15:1–19)

Sometime after Asa’s victory, God sent the prophet Azariah to encourage Asa. His message perfectly expresses a central theme of Chronicles. It’s often called retribution theology, and the idea is simple. God blesses obedience, and he judges disobedience.

Therefore, the person of faith is far more concerned with the smile of God than he is with worldly cares. He believes that God’s blessing or curse goes much further than my ability to create a problem or to fix one.

Azariah challenges Asa to be this man. He urges him, “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.” That’s a good challenge for all of us. Don’t complicate your obedience and your ministry with human fears and cares. Trust God, be strong, be courageous, and pursue God’s will.

That’s exactly what Asa did. He continued the reforms he had already begun throughout Judah and Benjamin. And v. 8 adds that he even began reforms among the tribe Ephraim. Ephraim was directly north of Judah. 1 Kings 15:16 says that Asa and the Northern King, Baasha battled for years. Asa probably won some Ephraimite territory, and he immediately began working toward their religious reforms also.

Beyond that, v. 9 say that people from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon defected to Asa as he followed the Lord. So, Asa’s influence extended into the Northern Kingdom. God used his courage to make a broad impact.

It all climaxed with a huge assembly in the 15^th year of his reign. Nothing like this had happened in years, probably not since his great grandfather Solomon’s reign. And the people made a bold covenant to seek God and to purge idolatry from the land. And it wasn’t fake or forced (v. 15).

God brought about a great revival, something that probably seemed impossible only a few years prior. And it all began with Asa’s courageous faith and obedience.

The roadblocks were great. In fact, one of the greatest roadblocks was the Queen Mother Maacah, who was technically Asa’s grandmother. She was apparently a strong personality, and she was passionately committed to idolatry. But Asa stood up to his own grandma, removed her, and destroyed her idolatry. It was hard, but it was right, and Asa obeyed.

And God used him to transform a nation. You’ll probably never do that, but what might God do through you if you simply chose to courageously walk with simple faith in a big God? You may never be rich, and your problems won’t evaporate, but God will be faithful. And radical faith always impacts others. It’s convicting, encouraging, and contagious. Don’t be a slave to fear, peer pressure, and worldly cares. Walk with radical faith in the Lord.

Well, the first 15 years of Asa’s reign were awesome. He walked by faith, and God did great things. But starting well never guarantees that we will finish well. Unfortunately, Asa did not finish well. Chapter 16 describes…

IV.  A Disappointing End (16:1–14)

I have to mention a conflict in chronology with the Book of Kings. 1 Kings 16 says that Baasha died in the 26^th year of Asa’s reign, but 1 Chronicles 16:1 says they had a conflict in Asa’s 36^th How do we resolve that? It’s possible that a scribe made a copying error because the difference between 16 and 36 is one letter that looks similar. Another possibility is that the word for reign, malkut, can also mean kingdom. The 36^th year of Judah’s kingdom would be the 16^th year of Asa’s reign.

We can’t know for certain, but these events had to happen earlier in Asa’s reign, probably in the 16^th So, remember that just a year earlier a bunch of people from the Northern Kingdom had traveled down to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. That’s exactly what Jeroboam feared when he formed the Northern Kingdom because it would create loyalty to the Davidic kings.

Baasha couldn’t have that; therefore, he built a fortification at Ramah “to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa.” When Asa got word of this project, he was very nervous. That’s because Ramah was only 5 or 6 miles north of Jerusalem, and it was right along the main highway into the city. It was going to affect trade and cost him money. And what else did Baasha have planned? It doesn’t take long to attack from 5 miles away.

So, what will Asa do? Remember that God has been blessing Asa’s obedience. And it wasn’t that long ago that God gave Asa a miraculous victory over an army far bigger than anything Baasha could dream of fielding. If Asa continued to trust and obey, God had proven that he would give the victory.

But sometimes we don’t have that hard of a time trusting God with the impossible. Afterall, we have nowhere else to turn. But when a problem comes that we feel capable of solving, that’s when we have a hard time relying on the Lord. Now, we want to do it ourselves, our way.

That’s what Asa did here (map). He robbed the temple treasury and sent a large gift to the Syrians to the Northeast of Israel. He urged him to break his treaty with Israel and attack its northern territory.

It’s a wicked request. Asa paid a pagan king to conquer God’s people and take their land. There’s no way he should do that. But Asa apparently was feeling proud and capable, and he wanted to fix this one his way. Does that ever happen to you? “I don’t need God for this one. I’ll do it my way.”

It worked. Ben-hadad agreed, and he attacked several northern cities. Baasha had no choice but to leave Ramah and defend his northern border. Asa solved the problem. He didn’t just get rid of Baasha, he tore down the fortress and used the materials to fortify 2 of his own cities.

I’m sure Asa was feeling pretty good about himself. And his strategy probably impressed a lot of people. “Look at how wise and strong our king is.” But God was not impressed.

He sends another prophet to Asa, but this time, he doesn’t encourage him; he rebukes him. Hanani clearly states the problem. Asa chose to rely on the king of Syria instead of relying on God. And it was utterly foolish. Hanani notes that God had already given Asa an incredible victory (v. 8).

And God would have done something great had Asa done the same here. Had Asa relied on the Lord, v. 7 says that God would have delivered Syria into his hand. The thought seems to be that Syria would have joined Israel in battle, and God would have allowed Asa to defeat both enemies. That would have been a massive victory. In fact, it was so big that it never even entered Asa’s mind. What he thought was a great win was nothing compared to what God wanted to do. And it would have been free compared to robbing the temple!

I love how v. 9 pictures God’s generosity toward his people (v. 9a). God doesn’t relish in making us miserable. Instead, he is always looking for committed disciples through whom he can glorify his grace by showering blessings upon them. God loves to bless his people!

So, make sure that your “heart is completely His.” Don’t hedge your bets. Don’t try to rely on God only when you have to or only obey when it is convenient. Walk by faith at all times all your life belongs to God. God probably won’t make you rich or solve every problem, but who knows what he might do. He is generous. But whatever he does, it will be good. Trust the Lord. Live with a radical, transforming faith.

Sadly, Asa failed, and Hanani warned that the consequence of his foolishness would be wars. What a loss! And considering how faithfully Asa had served the Lord, we would expect him to repent, but tragically he does not.

Pride and self-deception had so overwhelmed Asa that instead he was enraged at Hanani and put him in prison. He even “oppressed some of the people,” probably those who stood with Hanani. This is the first recorded instance of persecuting a prophet, and it’s a godly king doing it. What a tragic turn of his heart.

And he never recovered. Verse 12 says that in the 39^th year of his reign, he contracted some kind of miserable foot disease. Yet, “Even in his…” The issue is not going to the doctor; the issue is that he never humbled himself before the Lord and relied on him again. His heart remained hard.

Asa’s story should serve as a sober warning to all of us. Beginning well doesn’t guarantee finishing well. Past faithfulness doesn’t buy you the freedom to go your own way today. You can’t retire from godliness of the life of faith.

Yet people try it all the time. When they are young and poor, or they are enduring some major trial, they have no choice but to trust God. But then life becomes more secure. Now there’s money to chase other things. Before long, those hobbies steal part of their hearts. This believer no longer feels dependent on God, and his heart strays further and further.

God warns, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23). Never outgrow your dependence on God. Don’t ever push away a brother who has the courage and love to call out your sin.

Instead, live with life-transforming radical faith in the Lord. That’s how you please and glorify the Lord. And God will be faithful. You can’t improve on God’s will. Rely on the Lord. Seek the Lord.