I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
The next king in Jerusalem was Asa, who took the throne when his father, Abijah, died. We are told that Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord. Asa commanded the people of Judah to seek God and obey His commands. Asa removed the pagan shrines from all of the towns of Judah. He had peace for the first ten years of his reign.
Asa had an army of just shy of 600,000 men. At one point, Judah was invaded by an army from Cush (more or less modern Ethiopia) of over 1,000,000 men. Asa deployed his army against them, but realized that he was badly outnumbered and called on the Lord. The passage says the the Lord defeated the Cushites (Ethiopians) and caused them to flee. The wording suggests that the defeat occurred before Asa’s army engaged them in battle, but could just indicate that the Ethiopians were defeated by Asa’s army more readily than one would have expected considering the relative sizes of the armies. Whatever happened, Asa’s success was such that he conquered some of the cities in the area where he met the Cushites while he had his army in the field and returned to Jerusalem with a large amount of plunder.
When Asa returned from battle the prophet Azariah met him, and his army, and shouted out a prophecy from the Lord. He told them that as long as they sought the Lord they would find Him. As long as they stayed faithful to the Lord, He would stay faithful to them. Asa responded to this message by having all of the idols removed from the lands he controlled. He repaired the altar in the Temple of the Lord and called the people to come together for a festival to the Lord. The passage tells us that many people from the Northern Kingdom had moved into the lands controlled by Asa because of his faithfulness to the Lord. The people entered into a covenant to seek the Lord and obey His commands. As a result, there was peace in the land until the 35th year of Asa’s reign.
In the 36th year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) invaded Judah and started to fortify the city of Ramah to control the border. Asa responded by sending a bribe to the king of Aram, asking him to make war against Baasha. The king of Aram did so, forcing Baasha to abandon his efforts on the border with Judah. Asa took the materials that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah and used them to fortify cities which more strategically defended Judah. A prophet came to Asa and told him that God was unhappy that he had put his trust in the king of Aram rather than in God, by doing so he had missed an opportunity to expand his power. The prophet reminded Asa of how God had helped them against the Cushites. Asa responded by having the prophet jailed. The passage continues by telling us that Asa began oppressing some of his people at this time. Further the passage tells us that in the 39th year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease, but rather than seek the help of the Lord he relied solely on his doctors and as a result he died from this problem.
I want to point out that the passage does not condemn Asa for using his doctors. It condemns him for not, also, turning to God for healing. This is an important lesson for us. When we face illness, we should certainly follow the advice of medical doctors, but we should turn to God and ask for His healing and remember that it is God who can bring us healing no matter what the doctors have to say.
Paul expresses great grief over the failure of many Jews to accept Jesus as their Savior. He tells us that he would be willing to accept eternal damnation if that was what it took for them to be saved. He then makes an important point for all Christians to take note of: Christ Himself was an Israelite, a Jew. This means that there is no room for Christians to have a hatred or dislike for Jews. Instead, we should have a special place in our hearts for the Jews, since it was through Judaism and the Jewish people that God brought our Salvation into the world.
Do I have the same passion for bringing salvation to my friends and those around me that Paul has? Would I be willing to accept eternal damnation if that was what it took for those I love to come to know the Lord? I would like to think that the answer is yes. But, is it? When sometimes I am not even willing to risk ridicule in order to share the Gospel? I pray to God that He give me that passion, first for my friends and loved ones, then for all of those I meet and interact with.
I love this psalm. It starts by saying something that was echoed by Paul in his letter to the Romans.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.[a]
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
There is no excuse. God has made Himself known to anyone who chooses to look. All we have to do is look at the sky above us to see His glory and His craftsmanship. Then the psalmist goes on to tell us that once looked and found God He will give us commands and instructions. These commands and instructions are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey.
- They revive the soul.
- They make the simple wise.
- They bring joy to the heart.
- They give insight for living.
The psalmist asks God to cleanse him of sins hidden in his heart and to keep him from deliberate sin. I will echo the psalmist and ask God to keep sin from controlling me. And finally I pray:
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Today’s proverb warns us not to let alcohol lead us astray. That if we consume too much alcohol we may become someone who mocks others to no good effect. Or even worse, we may get into fights for no good reason. We should not allow anything other than the Holy Spirit to control our actions.