Even some preachers in their sermon preparation choose to preach out of the New Testament, because they feel that the New Testament is more applicable to today’s congregations.
While much of the Old Testament did deal with Israel and the ceremonial laws that were given to them, a great deal of it is for us today.
We are to learn from the examples of the lives of the characters in the Old Testament.
Paul said in Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
Illus: The Old Testament is similar to our history books because we can read about some of the good things and the bad things that took place in years gone by, and learn from their DEFEATS and their SUCCESSES!
The Old Testament is filled with all kinds of examples of people that we can learn from. Such is the case with King Asa of Judah. From his life we can learn both GOOD and BAD.
You might say:
• His life was a life of Faithfulness
• His life was a life of Foolishness
We certainly do not want our life to be a life of foolishness, but let’s learn from his FOOLISHNESS and FAITHFULNESS.
Let’s first look at-
I. THE FAITHFULNESS OF THIS SERVANT
We are told that for forty one years, King Asa reigned over Judah.
Look at 1 Kings 15:9-10, we read, “And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.”
Thirty-five of those years he was a God-fearing man.
God blessed Judah because of him.
• When you get a good man in charge of a nation, you want to see him stay in office as long as you can have him there
• When you get a bad man in charge of a nation, you want to get him out of office as fast as you can
According to our constitution a president can only stay in office for eight years.
• There have been some we wish could have remained in this office for the duration of their life
• But then there have been others that one day of them in the oval office was to much
For thirty-five years, King Asa trusted the Lord to help him be one of Judah’s greatest kings.
Trust in God is something we Christians are taught we should do.
WHAT IS TRUST IN GOD?
Trust in God is simply a reliance upon Him only.
Illus: One minister (I do not have the name of this minister, I wish I did, I would love to give credit to him for this illustration) said as he got ready to prepare a sermon, he stopped and bowed his head and prayed.
• Lord, I have a text
• I have an idea
• I have a mind
• I have hands
• I have a computer
• I have a time set aside to prepare this sermon without interruption
Then this minister prayed this prayer, “Lord, If I rely on these things--these good things that you yourself have given me--then what the people will get on Sunday morning will be what a man can produce. And, Lord, they don't need another man-made thing. They live with man-made things and ideas all week long. What your people need--what I need--is something beyond what man can make. Something supernatural from you. So I now renounce reliance on these things. I renounce reliance on them and look to you, and ask that in and under and over and around and through all those good things, you would work so deeply and so decisively and so graciously that what I say on Sunday would not be the work of a mere man, but the work and the word of God.”
It is so obvious today that much of the preaching, teaching, and singing in our church is based on the talents of men and women.
But anyone that is going to be effective for the Lord needs to learn to rely totally on the Lord Jesus, NOT THE TALENTS OF MAN!
King Asa was a man who for most of his life trusted in God. Look at 2 Chronicles 14:2, “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God”
King Asa loved the Lord, and it was his desire that Judah also love the Lord in the same manner. He was a godly king that had a clear disdain for false, idolatrous worship practices.
Look at three things in his life that we need to consider, such as:
• We read in 2 Chronicles 14:3, he destroyed the altars, the high places, the images, and the groves associated with the strange gods
• We read in 2 Chronicles 14:4, in addition, he, “commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.”
• In 2 Chronicles 15:16, we read about Maachah, the king’s own mother. “He removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.”
This man had great faith in God for thirty-five years. HE HAD COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD IN HIS DAILY AFFAIRS!
For example, one of the greatest battles in the history of the world took place between King Asa and Zerah the Ethiopian.
WHY WAS IT SUCH A GREAT BATTLE?
Because Zerah had an army of a million men and three hundred chariots.
HOW DID JUDAH DEFEAT SUCH A GREAT ARMY? King Asa’s prayer reveals that his trust in God is what brought about the victory.
Look at 2 Chronicles 14:11, we read, “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.”
Look at 2 Chronicles 15:2. The prophet Azariah said these words to King Asa. “Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”
What was said to King Asa can be said to each one today. When it comes to receiving the rich blessings of God in our lives, “If you forsake him, he will forsake you.”
God is not going to bless a man or woman who is not trusting him.
We have looked at THE FAITHFULNESS OF THIS SERVANT, but now let’s look at-
II. THE FOOLISHNESS OF THIS SERVANT
There are many good things we can say about this great King who reigned for forty-one years.
But it is unbelievable how some people can live such a good life for such a long time and do great things, and then take that same life and mess it up.
• Sometimes we hear about a good husband or wife who was faithful in their marriage vows for many years, and then one day they broke their marriage vows, destroying all the good things in their life.
• Sometimes we hear about someone who made wise investments for years, but then one day they decided to take a chance and foolishly invested in something, causing them to lose all they ever acquired.
• Sometimes we hear about Christians in the church who faithfully served the Lord for many years, and had a wonderful testimony, and then they became unfaithful and they completely destroyed their testimony.
• Sometimes we hear about a faithful pastor who served the Lord, and then foolishly destroyed everything he ever did for the Lord.
This is exactly what King Asa did. For thirty-five years he faithfully served the Lord, and then he blew it big time.
He made two big mistakes:
(1) KING ASA’S GREATEST MISTAKE WAS WHEN BAASHA, KING OF ISRAEL, BEGAN TO OPPRESS JUDAH
King Asa did not trust in God to deliver Judah as he had done for thirty-five years.
WHAT DID HE DO? He turned to Benhadad, King of Syria.
HOW DID HE GET KING BENHADAD TO HELP HIM? King Asa paid him in gold and silver out of the treasure house of the Lord for his assistance.
Hanani the seer spoke these stunning words to King Asa.
Look at 2 Chronicles 16:7-9, we read, “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, 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. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”
HOW DID KING ASA REACT TO THIS NEWS? He did not react in a way to please the Lord.
Look at 2 Chronicles 16:10 “Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.”
HOW DID GOD REACT TO KING ASA’S REACTIONS?
Look at 2 Chronicles 16:12-13, “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.”
There would be war from then on. King Asa did not like Hanani’s message, and was in a rage when he put Hanani into prison, but that did not change things.
(2) THE SECOND BIGGEST MISTAKE CAME WHEN KING ASA BECAME DISEASED IN HIS FEET DUE TO HIS DISOBEDIENCE
The Bible says, his disease was “exceeding great.” Still, even with this disease, King Asa would not turn to the Lord.
In 2 Chronicles 16:2, we read, “Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, BUT TO THE PHYSICIANS”
Our health is one of our greatest blessings. Sometimes God has to take it from us to get our attention. However, this great king that FAITHFULLY served the Lord now had become STUBBORN and REBELLIOUS.
It is a tragic thing when a person becomes STUBBORN and REBELLIOUS.
King Asa did not want to do what was right any longer, and I am sure he had some excuses as to why he would not repent.
Illus: A farmer asked his neighbor if he might borrow a rope. "Sorry," said the neighbor, "I'm using the rope to tie up my milk." "Milk?" exclaimed the first farmer. "Rope can't tie up milk." "I know," replied the neighbor, "but when a man doesn't want to do something, one reason is as good as another." (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 183.)
This is why people have such ridiculous excuses in the church. ONE EXCUSE IS AS GOOD AS ANOTHER WHEN A PERSON DOES NOT WANT TO DO SOMETHING!
However, someone said:
• “Sometimes the best way to convince a man he is wrong is to let him have his own way.”
• Someone else said, “Some people's minds are like concrete--thoroughly mixed and permanently set.”
This seems to be the place that King Asa was at. This man who was led of God for thirty-five years, had now become STUBBORN and REBELLIOUS! However, notice, this great King lost his heath due to disobedience to God.
A lot of folks think that if they get a good doctor, and take the right kind of vitamins, minerals, herbs, eat properly, and exercise regularly, they can live forever.
Listen, in the life of Asa we see that you can do all these things, but when you disobey God, God might have to get your attention the hard way.
Asa, King of Judah, looked to his physicians without seeking God's purposes, and he died in misery.
There is no disease without a cause.
• It might be from neglect of exercise
• It might be from neglect of nutrition
• It might be from neglect of rest
But also it might be a result of God saying, “Enough is enough,” and God Himself will send judgment on a person.
Some folks do not realize that the reason some things happen to some people is because God sends judgment on some people.
Illus: People that cannot comprehend this remind me of Fran Principe, of Jackson, New Jersey, who said, “When my daughter heard me say, ‘According to this newspaper article, most automobile accidents occur within a fifteen-mile radius of home,’ she wisely asked, ‘Mommy, then why don't we move?’" (Fran Principe, Jackson, New Jersey. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom.")
We have folks walking around blaming the bad things in their lives on nutrition and lack of exercise, but many times it is because God is trying to get their attention and is using TOUGH LOVE!
Health is a priceless possession, yet most of us are very careless with it. So often we do not appreciate it until we lose it, and then we make every effort to recover it.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was talking with a Jewish millionaire. He had lost his health. He turned to Dr. Belger and said, “Preacher, I would give everything I have if I could get my health back! Everything!”
Our health is a gift from God, to be used for His purposes, for which we are responsible to Him as stewards.
But because it is the most valuable thing we have, sometimes because of our disobedience God has to take it from us. Even that does not cause some people to turn to God.
Illus: A man was working in one of the phosphate mines. A crane accidentally bumped a telephone pole knocking some electrical lines on top of him. He was badly burned and rushed to Lakeland General Hospital immediately. Before he died, he lay in the Intensive Care Unit, in a semi-conscious state. When he gained consciousness he was in severe pain, and he would scream some of the most foul language that can come out of the mouth of mankind.
You would think that a man in this condition would turn to God. But the fact is, with his last words, he took God’s name in vain.
Conclusion:
We can learn a great deal by the FAITHFULNESS of this man of God. God blessed Asa and Judah when they FAITHFULLY SERVED THE LORD.
We can also learn a great deal by the FOOLISHNESS of King Asa. His foolishness come as a result of him not trusting in God.
But before we are too quick to condemn him, we must be careful because in condemning him we condemn ourselves also. Why? Because so often we trust in everything but God.
That is what Asa failed to do when Baasha came against him.
God wants us to live a life of totally trusting Him. Let’s follow the example of FAITHFULNESS, not FOOLISHNESS in the Life of King Asa.
I. THE FAITHFULNESS OF THIS SERVANT
II. THE FOOLISHNESS OF THIS SERVANT
