How You Finish Matters!

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, exhorts him to keep running well. Paul was nearing his death. Paul could look into his past and confidently say that he had fought the good fight and had kept the faith till the end.

2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

It is easy to make a good start. Finishing well is a challenging matter! There are thousands of people today who decide to quit smoking/alcohol. They start well. They do without for few days. But then, they start all over again. Starting with a weight-loss diet and exercises program is exciting, but results can we achieved only if we are able to hang into it for long.

Let us today meditate on one character in the Bible who started his race well. However, he failed to finish it properly. What can we learn from his mistakes?

There were 20 rulers who sat on the throne of the divided kingdom of Judah. Asa was the third king of the divided kingdom and the fifth king of the house of David. Three chapters in the book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 14-16) are dedicated to discussing the reign of king Asa with a parallel section described in 1 Kings 15:9-24.

He started well. Bible records in 2 Chronicles 14:2 - Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

What were the right things that he did?

1. He removed pagan worship How you finish matters

Worshipping idols and pagan gods is directly violating the first commandment of God.

Asa was careful to remove all forms of false worship from the land of Judah.

2 Chronicles 14:3-5 - he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah.

Reward from the Lord:

Our obedience to God and His commandments always have a reward

Jeremiah 42:6 - ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’

a. The Lord blessed Asa with rest in his land on all sides.

2 Chronicles 14:6 - And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest.

b. They built fortified cities and walls and prospered. This is a sign of a prosperous reign.

2 Chronicles 14:7 - Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, 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.

2. Asa put his trust in the Lord

There was a time when Asa’s faith was put to test. Zerah the Ethiopian came out against Judah. Zerah was the commander of Egypt’s Nubian forces. The Egyptians were attempting to plunder Jerusalem like Shishak did thirty years earlier (2 Chronicles 12:1-12).

Asa did have a good military base with an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor. (2 Chronicles 14:8)

However, the Ethiopians were even enormous in number. They had an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. They militarily outnumbered by more than two to one. Asa looked to his source for victory; he cried out to God for deliverance. The battle was all set and Asa made a lovely prayer, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:11). What faith-inspiring words!

Asa did not consider the strength of the chariots or horses. He did not seek help from neighbouring nations. Rather, he trusted the Lord. He was aware that God alone could help him.

Psalm 20:7 - Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Reward from the Lord

The Lord honoured his faith and struck the Ethiopians such that they fled. Asa had a tremendous victory. They plundered all cities with exceedingly much spoil. They carried off sheep and camels in abundance (2 Chronicles 14:12-15).