Thinkspot
Comparatively little is written about the histories recorded in the books of Kings and Chronicles. However, they provide a wealth of spiritual teaching. In Charles Spurgeon’s opinion, ‘They supply us with warnings and examples in the realm of practical morals; and hidden within their letter, like pearls in oyster shells, lie great spiritual truths couched in allegory and metaphor’.
Joshua, and even farther back to the times of the Patriarchs and Noah. Even if he didn’t have these great examples to follow, he was subject to the imperative of God’s inviolable law: ‘You will not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything in heaven above and the earth below. You will not bow down to them or worship them’ (Exodus 20:4-5).
Among the great kings of Israel, Asa stands as an enigma. His earlier life provides a shining example for us to follow, but his behaviour during his final years represents a strange deviation from that of his former days and teaches us what we should strive to avoid.
We are told, however, that there were limitations to Asa’s reforms. He failed to remove the so-called ‘high places’ (1 Kings 15:14). In the book of Chronicles, the apparently contradictory statement is made that Asa ‘took away the high altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke down the images and cut down the groves’ (2 Chronicles 14:3). However, no real contradiction exists here since it seems clear that he removed and destroyed the high places dedicated to false gods, but those high places wrongly set aside to worship the true God – places such as Bethel where God was worshipped using images of oxen – he allowed to remain. Because God had restricted His worship to the Temple, Asa should have removed these high places as well, as Hezekiah and Josiah did at a later time.
Let’s consider his earlier life. Asa did not have the benefit of godly parents to guide him. His father, Abijah, was a wicked king who followed in the sinful steps of his own father Rehoboam (1 Kings 15:3). And Maacah, Asa’s mother,1 vigorously promoted idolatry in the land (1 Kings 15:13). Thus, those who were closest to young Asa and who exerted the strongest influence on him were both wicked in God’s sight. Yet, despite this lack of godly influence, when Asa came to the throne he determined, from the beginning, to serve and honour God.As soon as he was installed as king, he began to reform the nation and to establish a pure worship of God in the land. He destroyed the images of Baal and all relics of idolatry in Jerusalem and throughout his kingdom. Asa deposed his mother from her position of authority. Using her strong influence in the country she had fostered idolatry. Though he was her son, Asa, as king, was ultimately responsible to God for idolatry in the land. His respect for his mother was tempered by his reverence for his Creator. No doubt Asa tried to make his mother see the evil of her ways, but when she refused to forsake her idols he removed her from her position. What pain it must have caused him to take this enormous step when he had been taught at her feet! Yet what a noble and godly thing he did in order to maintain the pure worship of God! No doubt, Asa was vehemently criticised for eradicating idolatry which had been entrenched over generations. People would have said: ‘This was the religion of your father Abijam, your mother Maacah, your grandfather Rehoboam, and of your great-grandfather Solomon in his last days! Why are you turning away from it and destroying all they’ve worked for? Why are you dishonouring your family?’ But Asa looked to the pure religion of David and Samuel, to that of Moses and
Yet though Asa failed in this one area and secured an incomplete reformation, this is not held against him. The sacred records state, ‘Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life’ (1Kings 15:14). Sinful tendencies and infirmities coexist with uprightness, but God overlooks minor faults when he observes that the trend of a life is directed towards him. It is not the act of a moment but the course of a life that most pleases or displeases God. David is an outstanding example of this truth. He sinned grievously but because he sought to please God throughout the remainder of his life, the judgment made of him was that he was ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (Acts 13:22). So, though we fail every day, we ought to confess our sins, accept the forgiveness offered (1John 1:9), and strive to ensure that the focus of our lives and affections is on God. If we do this, he will forgive our many failings and place a high value on our sincere devotion to him. We could do far worse than emulate Asa’s noble earlier intentions and strivings and at the end receive the commendation that, like Asa’s, our hearts were fully committed to the Lord all our lives. Jim Greenbury jimncath@tpg.com.au
1 In 1 Kings 15:10, 13 and 2 Chron. 15:16 most translations state that Maacah was Asa’s mother. However, the Hebrew word could also mean ‘grandmother’ and some translations reflect this. If Maacah was his grandmother, she would still have exercised a deep influence on Asa.
www.qb.com.au April 2011
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