Read 2 Chronicles 14
14 And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
Asa King of Judah
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stonesand cut down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord,the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.
7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushedbefore the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. 15 They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Go Deeper
Following the death of Abijah, who we read about in the previous chapter, Asa (the great-grandson of Solomon and the great-great-grandson of King David) assumed the throne of Judah. Each time we come across a righteous king as we read through 2 Chronicles, it’s a breath of fresh air. So many of the kings of both Judah and Israel turned towards active rebellion against God, so the story of Asa’s reign as king both encourages and inspires us readers.
The Chronicler makes it very clear early on that “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (v. 2). Idolatry and false worship had crept into day-to-day life within Judah, so Asa used his reign and authority to purge the idolatry from the region. The text says that Asa smashed idols and removed idols from the high places, including the Asherah poles. These poles, which are referenced several times throughout the Old Testament, were constructed to honor the pagan goddess Asherah and were a tangible sign of just how prevalent idol worship and influence had become.
Asa’s reign was one of relative peace and stability. We see that Asa intentionally fortified the cities and doubled down on building out their defense system in order to protect their land. Asa instructed Judah to honor God, and ultimately God blessed Asa’s reign. Even when threatened by attackers coming in from the outside, Judah was victorious.
Some days it can be difficult to determine what the application for us as the reader is, but today isn’t one of those days. While we may not have the power and authority that comes along with being king, we do have the ability to purge ourselves and our spheres of influence of the idolatry that has crept in. These idols may not be small (or large) statues that we have constructed and bow down in front of, but instead may be our profession, GPA, money, social status, or anything else we have prioritized over worshiping the one, true God. In order for us to live fully devoted lives and to care for and minister to those outside the faith, we first have to ensure that we are doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord, in the same way that Asa did.
Questions
- What stuck out most to you about Asa’s reign as king? Why?
- If someone were to audit your life, what would they say are the idols preventing you from full devotion to God? These could be inherently sinful things that you need to purge completely, or things that can be good (a spouse, kids, a job, etc.) that need to be re-prioritized.
- Based on the answer to the previous question, what can you do today to start smashing those idols?
A Quote
Pastor and author Tyler Staton, formerly based in Brooklyn, once said, “In order to minister to the people of Brooklyn, I need to rid myself of the idols of Brooklyn.”
God has placed each of us right where He has in order for us to live as faithful witnesses to how the Gospel has transformed our lives. In order for us to effectively minister to the unbelievers God has placed around us, we need to take inventory and see what gods (little g) are taking up space in our hearts and, just like Asa did, purge them.
Leave a Comment below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
9 responses to “2 Chronicles 14”
It’s encouraging to read of King Asa and how he both practiced and led his people to seek the Lord. Scripture informs us of how he modeled this, so that we might be inspired to do likewise:
•He did what was good & right in God’s sight (v2).
•He removed all forms of idols (v3,5).
•He commanded Judah to seek the Lord (v4).
•He built up and fortified Judah (v6).
•He acknowledged God’s favor on them (v7).
•He called on the Lord in times of crisis (v12).
I’m so grateful for the Father’s perfect love and provision. Shane & Shane’s “Taste and See” is a great charge to take into this new day.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=el3ChYzPAsc&si=xn6MWo8VEjujNJuY
Taste and See is one of my all time favorites.
Amen!
2 “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.“
What a beautiful description of Asa!
Let this be my life’s goal . , . that it someday be said of my life that “Erik did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”
Wow.
How often the most powerful way to read to read Scripture is to make it just that PERSONAL:
“[Insert your name here] did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord their God.”
Thank you for sharing this, Erik!
Yes, “insert your name here”!
As Asa did we are fighting in a spiritual warfare, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (see Ephesians 6:12).
BUT GOD is our hope not man. Asa asks God for supernatural assistance (2 Chronicles 14:11).
God thank You for these minutes of this day, thank You that You are my protector. “And Asa cried to the Lord, His God. O Lord, there is none like you to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rely on you. And in your name, we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God. Let not man prevail against you.”– 2 Chronicles 14:11. God thank You that I can cry out to You at any time or for any situations. God You will come against the multitudes and no man will prevail against You. BUT GOD I do know that You will be, do all that is the best for Your kingdom. God You call me beloved and I know that I am so loved beyond my comprehension. God thank You for how You do the best for me in my daily walk with You. God today in these minutes of this day, lead me, guide me in Your ways that are best for me in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know I have mentioned this many times before, but with each new chapter, I find myself amazed once again at just how relevant all this “ancient history“ is.
Even though this section of the Bible can seem so distant — names we can’t pronounce, kings we’ll never meet and battles we’ll never fight — I know *I* always find something deeply personal and applicable that lands squarely in my own life and leadership. (My prayer is that you do, too!)
Because God’s Truth is timeless — it ALWAYS has something to teach us.
Here’s what caught my attention today:
“Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God… He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.” However, that time of “peace and rest” was temporary: Zerah the Cushite marched out against them, Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions (vv. 2, 6, 9-10).
In summary:
Asa honored and obeyed God.
He destroyed false gods.
He enjoyed a season of peace.
He fortified his kingdom.
His kingdom was attacked.
He cried out to God.
God gave him victory.
What struck me most was Asa’s example of doing right and depending on God — and STILL needing to be ready for battle. In between his defense of God and his dependence on God, Asa played a little “offense and defense” of his own — equipping armies and building up walls.
Here’s what I make of that — we can be doing everything right in the sight of God — and still have people come up against us. Righteousness does not insulate us from attack.
That tension — faithful living in the midst of opposition — is where I find myself pausing and reflecting:
What does it mean to live and lead well, honoring God and serving his people in faithful preparation? Thankfully, Asa provides this powerful example for us to follow:
• Repentance. We tear down any false gods.
• Righteousness. We do what is “good and right in the eyes of God.”
• Readiness. We make the most of our own “peacetimes” to equip, train and fortify for battles yet to come.
• Reliance. We turn to God in the moment of battle, trusting Him over any personal skill or strategy. (Just as we saw with Abijah in the previous chapter, Asa also relies on and cries out to God.)
Chapter 14 ends with this description:
“The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder” (v. 13).
So, if we were to conclude with a final “R,” perhaps it might be REWARD.
When God moves, victory comes — whether in the defeat of enemies, the plunder of a battle, or the strengthening of a kingdom.
Here’s what I’m taking away from today’s chapter:
Turn from what is false, align with what is right and true, prepare for what’s ahead, rely on God through it all — and see how faithfully He responds.
Asa fortified the cities of Judah, building up their defenses. “He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace” (2 Chronicles 14:6). This is a metaphor for strengthening our spiritual foundations. In times of peace, we should focus on deepening our faith and understanding of Scripture, so we are prepared for any challenges that may come our way.